War in the Aegean

by Peter C. Smith, Edwin R. Walker

First complete retelling of an important but little-known campaignEyewitness accounts from a colorful cast of German SS troops, British commandos, partisans, spies, Greek pirates, and moreBoth Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler wanted the Aegean Sea in 1943. The British prime minister saw an opportunity to force neutral Turkey into the Allied camp and tie up German forces as the war in Europe gained speed, while the Nazi leader wanted to keep Turkey neutral and maintain Germany's foothold in the Mediterranean and Greece. The conflict came to a head with British naval and amphibious assaults, primarily on the islands of Cos and Leros, and culminated in a German victory.

Genres: Military Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Born Peter Charles Smith in North Elmham, Norfolk, in 1940, eldest son of Ernest & Eileen. Educated at Hamonds School, Swaffham. Married Patricia nee Ireson 1963. Two children, son Paul David and daughter Dawn Tracey.

Editor Balfour Books, Cambridge; Cape Sun, London; World War II Investigator, London.

After living in London, Kent and Cambridge now resides in a north-Bedfordshire village with his wife and Annie the Black Labby.

Reviews

[Patrick Bodovitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about an interesting topic but it did not read well. The Aegean campaign in the Second World War was a forgotten campaign with an interesting sequence of events. One of the few times that Germany conducted amphibious and parachute assaults during the war, it was a disaster for the Allies. The book goes into depth about the fighting, but is hard to follow, doesn’t have enough maps, and doesn’t keep you engaged enough.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never knew anything about this campaign, indeed I was surprised it took place at the end of the war and not following the German dash through Greece and into Crete. There isn't a whole lot to know about this campaign as Ike thought every resource committed here was a mistake. Hence he pulled the P-38's that were clearing the sky of Stukas. Stukas in 1944? Yes, that's the theme of this operation as obsolete weapons were all that is left to commit to Cos and Leros. Churchill wanted to show support for the Greeks, so he pushed the defense of these islands for far more than they were worth.

The details of the battles read more like Guy Crouchback's career than the typical Stackpole narrative. At one point a British officer arrives with his 150 or so men--and his new golf clubs because "I hope to get in a round." Trying to keep the Turks from joining the Axis and even becoming an allie, is part of the politics. So neither side fights in Turkish waters, however the Brits often claim engine trouble so they can anchor in safety. One destroyer captain kept a spare set of pistons on deck to show the Turkish officers who boarded to verify the engine trouble. The Turks would give it a kick, nod, return to shore. The next day, they'd do it again.

In the end the Brits suffered an abject defeat. The Germans moved swiftly enough to seize the islands and the British had to retreat. Not that Ike, or history, cared.

A strange little campaign, one that S&T used to put in its 'From the Dustbin of History' column. An interesting enough book, but certainly not required reading to understand WWII or its political aftermath.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

A monster of a book. Pretty much a full history of the war on land and sea in the Aegean.
The book does go into pretty exhaustive, incredibly well researched, detail in some of the campaigns that can get somewhat involved, however the writing style is flowing and easy to read, and you arrive at a conclusion of a chapter without realising it, having got swept up in the descriptions.
If you like modern history, tails of derring-do (and some tails of disaster), beautiful descriptions of the Greek and Turkish waters and an end to end history of this area in WWII then this is for you.