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10 Euros Battle of Crete

Issuer Bank of Greece
Year 2021
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Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
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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
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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.

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