The Battle of Leros then and now photos from the Italian Coastal Artillery fortifications and battle sites

The Battle of Leros is over. General Muller and wounded German soldiers

 in front of Beleni's Tower. (source M. Samarcos "Leros the Malta of

 the Aegean Sea")

Leros, sometime after 17 November 1943. The Battle of Leros is over and General Müller with some wounded German soldiers pose for a photo in the gardens of Beleni’s mansion known to the locals as Beleni’s Tower. Beleni’s mansion was used by the Germans as military hospital. Note the Red Cross emblem on the building.

Beleni's Tower today (N.A. Kampouras 2009)

The Beleni's mansion (tower) today houses the Local History Museum in Alinda Leros

A German officer inspects a damaged gun 102mm/L45 of the 

Italian Coastal Battery PL 388 in Diapori Leros.

(source M. Samarcos "Leros the Malta of the Aegean Sea") 

The battle of Leros is over. A German officer inspects a damaged gun 102mm/L45 in one of the four gun pits of the Italian Coastal Battery PL 388 in Diapori. PL stands for Postazione Lero. The Battery PL 388 was equipped with four guns 102mm/L45 which at the end of the battle were slightly damaged. The Germans repaired them and reused the battery's fortifications as 6th Battery of the 624 Squadron of Naval Artillery. The two islets seen in the photo's background are the "Glaronisia" and more distant the north coasts of Kalymnos island.

The gun emplacement of the PL 388 which was

inspected by the German officer in the above photo

as it is today. (N.A. Kampouras 2009)

When the German commander of Leros Colonel Kossela surrendered on 9^th of May 1945 and handed over the island to the British Lt. Colonel Turnbull and to the Greek Lt. Colonel Mersinopoulos, the British mission blew up the most of the Italian coastal fortifications and threw to the sea the guns of the coastal batteries. Today only the concrete base and a small part of the parapet of the gun emplacement (which was inspected by the German officer in the above photo) still stand. Note the two islets “Glaronisia” and the north coasts of Kalymnos.

The view of the gun pits of the PL 388 from the telemetric
or meteorological station of the PL 388. (N.A. Kampouras 2009)

This photo is taken from the meteorological or telemetric station of the PL 388, located on the summit of the mount Turturas which dominates the Diapori cape. The arrow shows the location of the gun pits of the Italian coastal battery PL 388. Note at the centre of the photo the two islets "Glaronisia" and behind them the nosth coast of Kalymnos.