314 German World War II Bombs Found under Airport In Greece
According to local authorities, 314 World War II-era bombs have been discovered in the former Elliniko airport complex south of Athens during work on a large-scale urban development project.
At a press conference on Thursday, the mayor of Elliniko-Argiroupoli, Giannis Konstantatos, said that the German-made cache of ammunition was found two metres below a former community club, kindergartens and sports facilities built for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
"Fortunately, there were no explosions or accidents. It's amazing how the entire airport and numerous municipal and civil aviation facilities operated on such a mined field," he said.
The bombs were cleared by the Greek Army's Demining Unit (TENX).
As The Gaze previously reported, archaeologists from the State Aviation Museum of Ukraine discovered rusty fragments of eight British Hurricane fighters from World War II during excavations in Kyiv region.
At the time, these Hurricanes were used to protect key transport hubs, roads and railway stations of the time.
After the German invasion in 1941, the Soviet Union suffered significant losses in combat aircraft and was in dire need of fighters. The United Kingdom was the first to begin mass deliveries of Hurricanes to the Soviet Union.
In total, the Allies sent about 3,000 Hurricanes to the USSR to support Soviet forces between 1941 and 1944. Most of them were either destroyed in combat or later dismantled for spare parts.
Currently, it is believed that there are only 14 restored Hurricanes in the world that are capable of flying.