
Leros War Museum
Due to its geographical position and natural bay at Lakki, Leros was built up as the main base of the Italian Navy in the East Mediterranean, starting in 1923. There are tunnels and bunkers underneath many areas of Leros, built by the Italians when the island was under the Italian occupation. Genuine World War II tunnels beneath the woods west of Lakki, have been restored and serve as a War Museum since 2005. The museum hosts a remarkable collection of military items, guns of different sizes, military equipment, helmets, uniforms, medical equipment, documentation and so very much more items that are related to the Battle of Leros, which took place in 1943. Some of the artifacts were found around the island or retrieved from the sea, and others were donated by the Greek Army and individuals. The displays and explanations are written in Greek and English and there is an excellent video presentation of the Battle of Leros at the end. In the grounds outside the tunnels, are some army vehicles, trucks, tanks and a fighter jet.
Leros War Museum is a remarkable museum, and is only €3 to visit. The museum is open only during the summer months from 09:00 am to 13:30 pm and is a real must for all those who come to Leros that time of the year. Near the museum, there is the small Byzantine Church of Agios Zacharias, and the peaceful sandy beach of Merikia.
Battle of Leros
After British troops forced the Italians to surrender in September 1943, a battle began with German air attacks, continued with the landings on November, and ended with the capitulation of the Allied forces four days later. The Guns of Navarone is a 1961 action-adventure war film based on Alistair MacLean's 1957 novel of the same name. The film stars Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn, along with Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, Irene Papas, Gia Scala, Richard Harris and James Darren. The novel had been inspired by the Battle of Leros during the Dodecanese Campaign of World War II, but the guns on Leros were 152 mm (6 in), not the huge guns described in the book and the film.