War Museum - Merikia Tunnel

Four hundred meters north of the beach of Merikia we will encounter on our left the imposing entrance of a tunnel, along with other military exhibits. This is an old Italian military tunnel (in which they produced munitions) which since 2004 has been restored and converted into a war museum, with its main exhibits from the Battle of Leros 26/9 - 12/11 1943. A major battle that ended with the surrender of the Allied forces (Italians - British and Greeks, and the capture of 3,000 British and 5,000 Italian soldiers) and the conquest of the strategically important island by the Nazis. The Germans were led by General Miller, also known as the 'butcher of Crete'. It was the last victory of the Nazis in the Second World War in the eastern Mediterranean.