centaur
Jr. Member
- Feb 12, 2013
- 31
- 8
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab xterra 705 Artemis LRL
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
A lttle bit of world history here.
In early April 1941 and in light of the fact that the country of Greece was to fall to the Nazi occupation, orders were given by the government to transfer the gold reserves from the National Bank of Greece to "lands that were not occupied".
According to documents that have been published,the total of the gold reserves for Greece at that time was 611,000 ounces in the form of bars and brittish sovereigns (approx 17.4 tons).
In total secrecy the reserves were loaded on the frigates " King George" and "Queen Olga" and ordered to sail from Pireaus harbor in Athens for Irakleion ,Crete where it was to be stowed in the Bank of Greece there.
Because of attacks from enemy bombers while the ships were en route, a decision was made ,orders were changed and the gold was to go to Egypt.
The Greek frigates met up with the Brittish Royal Navy corvette "Salvia" and the frigate "Dido" ,the gold was transferred to those ships while under heavy attack.
The gold made it safely to Alexandria Egypt were it was tranfered and stored in the Bank of Egypt in Cairo.
But after some success by Rommel in North Africa, it was ruled that the gold was unsafe even there.
King George of Greece was on his way to London with his family via South Africa, so it was only natural that the gold reserves follow him, so the gold ended up in Germiston,Traansval, where it was decided to change the gold coins to bars.
After a short period of safe keeping in the Bank of South Africa, when it was deemed safe, and the gold was not under threat from the Germans, it was loaded and transfered once again, this time to London.
At the end of the war, and with the allied occupion, when Greece asked for return of the gold reverves from Britain, the answer was ,"the reserves were used to cover the xpenses of the Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East and that "the Crown owed nothing to Greece"
It is worth noting here ,that on March 9 1942, the Crown had signed an agreement with Greece that they would cover all the expenses of the Greek Armed Forces since they were under direct orders from Brittish Middle East Headquarters.
Now, in 1942 there were two resistance groups in Greece. EDES and ELAS. EDES was right wing, ELAS was left.
According to Brittish documents,during the period 1942-44, there were 1,300,000 gold sovereigns dropped by parachute in small aluminum tubes or "barrels" to these resistance forces for support. 250-300,000 to EDES and 1,000,000 to ELAS.
To be continued...
In early April 1941 and in light of the fact that the country of Greece was to fall to the Nazi occupation, orders were given by the government to transfer the gold reserves from the National Bank of Greece to "lands that were not occupied".
According to documents that have been published,the total of the gold reserves for Greece at that time was 611,000 ounces in the form of bars and brittish sovereigns (approx 17.4 tons).
In total secrecy the reserves were loaded on the frigates " King George" and "Queen Olga" and ordered to sail from Pireaus harbor in Athens for Irakleion ,Crete where it was to be stowed in the Bank of Greece there.
Because of attacks from enemy bombers while the ships were en route, a decision was made ,orders were changed and the gold was to go to Egypt.
The Greek frigates met up with the Brittish Royal Navy corvette "Salvia" and the frigate "Dido" ,the gold was transferred to those ships while under heavy attack.
The gold made it safely to Alexandria Egypt were it was tranfered and stored in the Bank of Egypt in Cairo.
But after some success by Rommel in North Africa, it was ruled that the gold was unsafe even there.
King George of Greece was on his way to London with his family via South Africa, so it was only natural that the gold reserves follow him, so the gold ended up in Germiston,Traansval, where it was decided to change the gold coins to bars.
After a short period of safe keeping in the Bank of South Africa, when it was deemed safe, and the gold was not under threat from the Germans, it was loaded and transfered once again, this time to London.
At the end of the war, and with the allied occupion, when Greece asked for return of the gold reverves from Britain, the answer was ,"the reserves were used to cover the xpenses of the Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East and that "the Crown owed nothing to Greece"
It is worth noting here ,that on March 9 1942, the Crown had signed an agreement with Greece that they would cover all the expenses of the Greek Armed Forces since they were under direct orders from Brittish Middle East Headquarters.
Now, in 1942 there were two resistance groups in Greece. EDES and ELAS. EDES was right wing, ELAS was left.
According to Brittish documents,during the period 1942-44, there were 1,300,000 gold sovereigns dropped by parachute in small aluminum tubes or "barrels" to these resistance forces for support. 250-300,000 to EDES and 1,000,000 to ELAS.
To be continued...
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