History came alive on Saturday as thousands of people thronged the northern Greek border to see the third annual reenactment of the April 1941 Nazi siege of Fort Roupel.

Roupel Battle Historical Revival Festival re-staged the Wehrmacht’s assault on the northern border near Serres.

The legendary Roupel conflict, where extremely outnumbered Greeks held out against the Nazi war machine for three days, is one of the most important events of World War II for Greece.

Thousands of visitors thronged the battlefields of the underground forts of the Metaxas Line at the Greek-Bulgarian frontier as participants dressed in World War II uniforms staged the battle again.

Deafening explosions and gunfire could be heard as tanks rumbled over the battlefield. Amid the smoke and the dust, visitors could see how the seminal battle took place with organizers hoping the younger generation will learn of the events that took place and of the glorious past of the Greek fighters.

This year’s event is dedicated to the heroic artillery captain Alexandros Kyriakides, who was killed during the German attack on Roupel.

It is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defense and aims to preserve historical memory to promote peace and cooperation between peoples and states, so that humanity does not re-live the horrors of the war.

Source: John Smith/greekreporter