Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
10 Euros Battle of Crete
| Issuer | Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a dynamic commemorative scene depicting the Battle of Crete of May 1941. In the central field, two Cretan resistance fighters are shown in traditional dress, one raising the Greek national flag defiantly above rocky terrain, evoking the popular resistance against the German airborne invasion. To the left, parachuting German paratroopers descend amid waves of stylized sea or smoke, while aircraft are visible in the upper right field. The outline map of Crete appears in the lower right. The curved legend 80 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΜΑΧΗ ΤΗΣ ΚΡΗΤΗΣ arcs along the upper border, and the dates 1941-2021 are inscribed in the lower exergue. The engraver's signature is visible at the lower left of the inner field. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Battle of Crete in May 1941 was among the first major airborne assaults in military history, with Germany deploying over 22,000 paratroopers in Operation Merkur. The campaign was a strategic pyrrhic victory — German airborne losses were so catastrophic that Hitler never authorized a large-scale parachute operation again. Cretan civilians fought alongside Allied forces with hunting rifles and farm tools, an organized resistance that drew brutal reprisals.
This issue marks the 80th anniversary of the battle.