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Where the Flaming Hell Are We?: The story of young Australians and New Zealanders fighting the Nazis in Greece and Crete
The gripping story of Australia and New Zealand in the fight for Greece and Crete - through the eyes of the soldiers.
'We used our knees and our rifle butts and our blades. For a while we stopped being ordinary blokes and became blood-lusted creatures.'
March, 1941: 40,000 Australian and New Zealand troops are rushed to Greece in a desperate attempt to stop the Wehrmacht overrunning the country. Most of them overseas for the first time in their lives, they seek excitement and adventure. What they get are experiences they could never have imagined.
The operation is doomed to fail, but not before the Aussies and Kiwis succeed in holding up the German advance and evacuating thousands, mainly to Crete, where Hitler next sets his sights. As the Nazis assault the island, they deploy a devastating new weapon of invasion-paratroopers-for the very first time, meeting desperate resistance as the Allies fight for their lives.
Craig Collie, bestselling author of The Path of Infinite Sorrow and Nagasaki , delves into the experiences of the soldiers who fought in the mountains and villages of Greece, and faced entrapment and death on Crete. We all know of Gallipoli and the Fall of Singapore, but Greece and Crete are also major events in our countries' shared history, and as with those two great military disasters, British leadership has much to answer for.
Through first-hand accounts, Where the Flaming Hell Are We? brings to life the gripping story of the fight for Greece and Crete in World War II. The soldiers' experiences, many told here for the very first time, are a testament to the human spirit and the unbreakable bonds formed in war.
'Wonderfully woven, this is the fight for the Aegean in World War II come to life. A great read.' Peter FitzSimons, author of Kokoda
'Master storyteller Craig Collie recounts an untold history of a little remembered series of desperate actions in the Mediterranean spring of 1941. The well-researched narrative lives; populated with typical Anzac men and women, a story I'm sorry I didn't think to write myself.' Will Davies, author of Beneath Hill 60
Praise for Craig
'grippingly told' -The Age on On Our Doorstep
'enthralling reading . . . This book is an important contribution to Australia's secret military history' - Australian Defence Force Journal on Code Breakers
'grips you like a well-crafted thriller . . . Seldom are writers able to inject this level of minutely detailed social history into such an account. Collie has, and this is a corker.' - Courier-Mail on Nagasaki
'penetrating in its research and original in its conclusions. . . a fine wartime historian' - The Australian on The Path of Infinite Sorrow
'We used our knees and our rifle butts and our blades. For a while we stopped being ordinary blokes and became blood-lusted creatures.'
March, 1941: 40,000 Australian and New Zealand troops are rushed to Greece in a desperate attempt to stop the Wehrmacht overrunning the country. Most of them overseas for the first time in their lives, they seek excitement and adventure. What they get are experiences they could never have imagined.
The operation is doomed to fail, but not before the Aussies and Kiwis succeed in holding up the German advance and evacuating thousands, mainly to Crete, where Hitler next sets his sights. As the Nazis assault the island, they deploy a devastating new weapon of invasion-paratroopers-for the very first time, meeting desperate resistance as the Allies fight for their lives.
Craig Collie, bestselling author of The Path of Infinite Sorrow and Nagasaki , delves into the experiences of the soldiers who fought in the mountains and villages of Greece, and faced entrapment and death on Crete. We all know of Gallipoli and the Fall of Singapore, but Greece and Crete are also major events in our countries' shared history, and as with those two great military disasters, British leadership has much to answer for.
Through first-hand accounts, Where the Flaming Hell Are We? brings to life the gripping story of the fight for Greece and Crete in World War II. The soldiers' experiences, many told here for the very first time, are a testament to the human spirit and the unbreakable bonds formed in war.
'Wonderfully woven, this is the fight for the Aegean in World War II come to life. A great read.' Peter FitzSimons, author of Kokoda
'Master storyteller Craig Collie recounts an untold history of a little remembered series of desperate actions in the Mediterranean spring of 1941. The well-researched narrative lives; populated with typical Anzac men and women, a story I'm sorry I didn't think to write myself.' Will Davies, author of Beneath Hill 60
Praise for Craig
'grippingly told' -The Age on On Our Doorstep
'enthralling reading . . . This book is an important contribution to Australia's secret military history' - Australian Defence Force Journal on Code Breakers
'grips you like a well-crafted thriller . . . Seldom are writers able to inject this level of minutely detailed social history into such an account. Collie has, and this is a corker.' - Courier-Mail on Nagasaki
'penetrating in its research and original in its conclusions. . . a fine wartime historian' - The Australian on The Path of Infinite Sorrow
- GenresWorld War II
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2023
6 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 20, 2024
In the Acknowledgments, the author writes ‘My interest is less in the structures, equipment and strategies of military history and more in the personal experiences of battle, how people deal with that and the relationships they form with each other and with the surrounding populace. Anecdotes are the heart of these social histories….’ This helps to explain the book and style of writing. This book is extremely well researched - and weaves together some wonderful information on what can only be described as a fools errand.
It is not Beevor, who writes the seminal piece on the Cretan campaign but for those of us who had father’s, grandfather’s, mother’s and grandmother’s who served in this campaign, it provides great insight into what happened and the experience of the participants.
It is not Beevor, who writes the seminal piece on the Cretan campaign but for those of us who had father’s, grandfather’s, mother’s and grandmother’s who served in this campaign, it provides great insight into what happened and the experience of the participants.
October 14, 2024
A bit hard to read at the start as there is a lot of politics that goes on and needs explaining, but then it gets easier. Very informative and well researched book, with lots of personal accounts of the battle and tbe conditions these men were in.
December 17, 2024
If you are a Kiwi or Australian and have an interest in WW2 this is a must read.
A nice read with great quotes from vets that are humorous (in a dark way) and some very moving.
A nice read with great quotes from vets that are humorous (in a dark way) and some very moving.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews