No Colours or Crest

Peter Kemp War Trilogy #2

by Peter Kemp

Europe, 1940. Years of rising tension have finally given way to a global catastrophe. Millions mobilize for what would become the most massive and devastating conflict in human history. Great Britain, with a sprawling Empire to protect against the seemingly-unstoppable Axis Powers, is on the defensive.

Returning to his home country just months earlier is Peter Kemp. Kemp was a young law student who volunteered to fight for the Nationalists against the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Although seriously injured during that conflict, Kemp’s extensive irregular warfare experience and enormous bravery brought him to the attention of the elite British Special Operations Executive. After a brief time as a commando raider Kemp is thrust into the chaotic world of espionage and guerilla warfare, parachuting behind enemy lines into the Balkans and later Poland. His duties forced him to fight through an intricate maze of alliances, rivalries, and betrayals among the anti-Axis guerrillas, eventually leading him to imprisonment by his Soviet “allies” in a dungeon outside of Moscow.

Kemp published his story in 1959, one of only a few to detail firsthand this rarely-explored corner of Second Wold War. Although out of print for decades, this paperback and ebook rerelease allows a new generation of readers to enjoy Kemp's thrilling and important work.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Military History, European History, 20th Century, World War II

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional book about an exceptional man. In his first book, Kemp detailed how as a gentleman-adventurer he fought against Communists in the Spanish Civil War. In this book, he describes his career in the first part of WW2, joining the Special Operations Executive (SOE, predecessor of MI6) and participated in their early training, then acted as a British liaison to partisan forces in the Balkans as well as Poland, then his brief captivity by the Soviets.

Big take aways are include how institutions like SOE grow from fairly humble beginnings, and and very path dependent -- no one knows how they're going to turn out;

Another major point: he national character of different regions makes a huge difference. The Balkans had a bunch of stupid internal infighting, blood feuds among those who would otherwise have been allies, lack of any real form of unity, degenerate communists, and others. Essentially, Albania condemned itself to being a Soviet vassal, although the British seemed to help through inaction. While some of the individuals were very brave, it was all for nothing. The British were essentially forced out by one group of communists due to fear they might make their eventual victory (due to German strategic withdrawal, not their partisan actions) look like something other than a unilateral triumph of communists.

Poland, by comparison, despite not having a single organization running resistance, was essentially unified in hatred of both the Germans and the Soviets (surprisingly, the Soviets being viewed as worse), and the partisans were much more reasonable and worth working with. Unfortunately Kemp had wasted much of his time in Albania and Kosovo and thus got to Poland when things were winding up.

Looking forward to his final book, this time about Kemp's adventures in the far east.

[Christopher Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took a much longer time to finish than normal due to personal issues and should not be taken as a slight on the piece of work. This book is the second of Peter Kemp’s three books detailing his activities before and during the second world war (see review number 5 for a cover of his first book ‘Mine Were of Trouble’).

We follow him on his journey after the Spanish civil war, joining the British army as a liaison officer and being sent into Albania to act as a representative of Britain and to gather information on partisan activities in the area. Being parachuted into the country, he is forced to deal with the complex political issues that drown the region in mistrust and curtail any effort to form a united front against the Italian and German occupying forces.

This first section of the book was very interesting to me, Enver Hoxha (the post war Communist dictator of Albania) is a character which I have known about for a very long time, but never seriously investigated and researched. In this book, Peter tells of his regular dealings with Hoxha, along with his other Communist, Monarchist, Republican, and Reactionary counterparts in their desperate bid to repel the invaders and attempt to seize legitimacy in forming a new government for Albania after the war has ended. Peter’s writings about these figures and his travels through Albania showcase the chaos and unpredictability of a small nation at war not only with an outside power, but also itself.

The second, much shorter, section at the end of the book tells of Peter’s brief time in Poland in 1945, and his capture and mistreatment by the Soviet Red Army, who viewed him as less of an ally than a potential enemy once the war was over.

The book is an excellent read for any history nerds interested in the niche fringes of the second world war, featuring a very unique insight and detailed description of war stories not often talked about in Western media. Kemp’s keen memory and light-hearted nature make for, not only a detailed read, but also an enjoyable one.

The pacing of the book can be a bit slow at times. I thought it was a shame that Kemp talked for so long about his time in Albania, but very little about his time in Poland. I appreciate that he was in Albania for much longer, but it would have been nice if he could have been a bit more detailed in his discussion on his time spent in Eastern Europe.

Peter has a distinctive writing style which became more and more obvious as I read through this piece, and I would struggle to define it. He writes memoirs like no other memoirs I have read.

Overall, an excellent read which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend. I will be reading and reviewing his third book ‘Alms for Oblivion’ later in 2023.

[kw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enthralling account on war by Peter Kemp. This time an account of his time spent working for the BSOE, what we would now call MI6.

Picked up a republished copy from Mystery Grove on Amazon.

[Wilson Tun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really a difficult book to get through. Peter Kemp’s travels through Albania was quite a slog to read although I enjoy him and his comrades trying their hardest to either untangle or avoid Balkan politics.

The difference in treatment between Albania and Poland was refreshing and interesting to see. Albania was romanticized by the image of Soviet Union while Poland was disillusioned with both Fascists and Communists.

Even though some might claim Peter is a Russophobe, it’s more of a fact that Russian soldiers were almost genuinely indistinguishable from German occupiers. Who is to say Peter doesn’t know what he’s talking about when he was the one who operated behind enemy lines and risked his life while modern readers are sitting in their air conditioned comfortable room.

I respect Peter for his dedication to his ideals and his Anti-Communism.

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received an overdose of “Albania” from Kemp. Don’t think I need to hear the name of this country till the end of my life. All in all - solid war memoirs. Too bad that Kemp is quite a russophobe.

[TRE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great WW2 first-hand account of SOE (the precursor to MI6) operations in the Balkans (primarily Albania) and Poland. Lots of detail into Albania and how Enver Hoxha & his Communist Partisans had no intention of fighting the Axis (or even helping their own people) unless they could claim credit. Was absolutely floored by how little they engaged the enemy and how they had the same plan that communists in France and China had under Axis occupation: accept Allied supplies and do nothing with it until the threat leaves so they can use the guns and material to win the ensuing civil war.

Very disturbing to read accounts of how infiltrated SOE was by communist "fellow travelers" who were more than willing to aid and abet these communist groups, and for their non-compromised fellow agents like Peter Kemp who were discovering this fact while on active assignment.

Great prelude to Alms for Oblivion where the same issue rears its head again in Southeast Asia and with the US' own OSS (precursor to CIA).

"I was surprised to find Klugmann occupying such a confidential position, because when I had last seen him, in 1936, he had been the secretary and inspiration of the Cambridge University Communists. I had innocently supposed that Communists were strictly excluded from S.O.E., for I myself had been required to sign a declaration that I belonged to no Communist or Fascist party before I was enrolled in the organization. However, among my acquaintances at Cambridge there were a number of young men who had joined the Party in a spirit of idealism, only to leave it after the Soviet-German pact of 1939; I assumed that Klugmann was one of them.

But I was wrong: like his contemporary, Guy Burgess, he was one of the hard core and today he is a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Although it was impressed upon me from the moment of my arrival in Cairo that when I went into the field I must regard myself simply as a soldier, whose task would be the prosecution of military operations to the exclusion of politics, I could not fail to be aware of the strong political differences which divided the staff officers both in London and Cairo. Nowhere were they more evident than in the Jugoslav Section." (Kemp, No Colours or Crest)

[Joseph Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the book

Interesting first hand account of a side of WWII that no one seems to ever talk about or even know exists.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Kemp's trilogy of wartime memoirs continues in No Colours or Crest. In Mine Were of Trouble, Kemp recounted his service with the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, something he undertook as an outgrowth of his idealistic anti-Communism. After recovering from a near-fatal wound received during the Spanish Civil War, Kemp finds himself a veteran without employment as Britain goes to war in 1939.

Kemp's talents and independence were recognized and he first joined the Commandos making raids on German installations on the coasts of occupied Europe. He later transferred to Special Operations Executive (SOE), and parachuted into Albania on a mission to aid local partisans against the Italian & German occupation forces.

The complication is that the forces Kemp was tasked to aid were the Communist Partisans under Enver Hoxha (dictator of Albania from 1945 until his death in 1985). Kemp discovered that the Communists were only interested in getting the maximum amount of money and weapons from Britain while making their main efforts not against the Germans, but against non-Communist resistance groups in Albania.

Later, Kemp is withdrawn from Albania and sent to aid the Polish Home Army. Once again Communist duplicity undermines the courage of the local resistance.

Kemp's memoir is a clear-eyed view of life as a clandestine operator in the treacherous world of resistance warfare. It's probably the easiest book about SOE and the Albanian resistance to obtain. I highly recommend it for the gritty details or day-to-day life behind the lines as well as Kemp's explanations of how Albanian culture and politics impacted the war in that region.

ALSO RECOMMENDED: Read Beacons in the Night by Franklin Lindsay for a similar view of the war in Yugoslavia from an American OSS agent (and founding member of the CIA).

[Mart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basado y rojopastillado

[Miles Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed by this book, the second of the three Peter Kemp wrote about his life. After MINE WERE OF TROUBLE, his excellent and highly readable chronicle of the three years he spent fighting in the Spanish Civil War, I found this one rather a slog in comparison. This is not Kemp's fault, but it is true. Let me explain.

TROUBLE was a remarkably simple tale. In 1936, Kemp was a university student in England who left school and fought for the Fascists in Spain out of sheer anti-communism. He made very little attempt, in telling his tale, to get into the deeper motivations behind the war, and he had the virtue of having fought on the Fascist side, which was a united front, rather than for the Loyalists, a fractious mob of Republicans, socialists, anarchists, communists, trade unionists etc. who spent as much time quarreling with each other as fighting the enemy. COLOURS is a different beast, for in 1939, having come home after the Fascists won the war in Spain, Kemp now found himself in a Britain at war with another Fascist country, Germany. He joined the military, ended up in the Commandos and then the S.O.E. (Special Operations Executive), and conducted raids against the Germans and Italians all over Europe and Africa. These were straightforward operations against a clearly defined enemy and easy to follow. But in 1943 or thereabouts, he was parachuted into Albania to make contact with the resistance there, and was no longer in a black and white world. Between ethnic, racial, religious divisions; between blood feuds, ancient hatreds and the friction between the communists, the nationalists and various side-switching tribes; between the fact the Italians switched sides in late 1943 and joined the Allies...Kemp found himself baffled and frustrated, and spent a year trying to get someone - anyone - to actually fight the Germans. By and large, he and his comrades failed. Indeed, one of the more interesting aspects of the book is that it exposes some of the fabled, mythic "resistance" movements as ungrateful, querelous, vicious, cowardly, disingenuous and willing to do almost anything but actually resist. Although he found Albania beautiful and fascinating, and admired the courage of many individual men and leaders who did indeed want to fight, he was never able to overcome the suspicion, mistrust, or the selfish ambitions of the innumerable parties vying for power. When he left, he felt -- rightly -- that he had accomplished very little if anything, that the communists had simply used the British to strengthen their position so they could crush their domestic enemies when the war was over, and that the worst people ended up in power. The book closes very strongly with his last assignment, a dangerous drop into Poland where connected with the Polish underground army: the politics here too were complex, but the story doesn't bog down the way it does in the Albianian/Yugoslavian chapters.

COLOURS is not a bad book. In many places it is fascinating. Kemp expresses horror at some of the things he had to do as a commando, which is refreshing; he retains his dry British wit and keen erudition; he is ruthless in discussing the futility and waste of a lot of the much-romanticized clandestine operations Britain conducted during the war; and his travelogues of Albania, the most mysterious country in Europe, are beautifully written. There is, as always, a sense of adventure here, adventure without the blood thirst that typefies this type of narrative. Where he fails -- because it's impossible to succeed -- is in trying to untangle Balkan politics, which are frankly beyond the comprehension of anyone not from that region. The conventional WW2 narrative is so overly simplistic that actually holding it up to scrutiny can be disillusioning and confusing, but sometimes it can't be avoided. And when it is confronted, it can be almost uninteligible.

I am definitely going to finish out his trilogy with ALMS FOR OBLIVION. But whereas I can easily see myself rereading MINE WERE OF TROUBLE, I will only be revisiting NO COLOURS OR CREST for specific passages. It's an important read, but not an easy one.

[Jeffrey Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing account, from the eyes of the defender of the British Empire, of Eastern and Southern Europe's fall to Communism during and after the chaos of the Second World War.

This is Peter Kemp's second war. The book starts off with him searching for a real posting - he joins the small scale raiding force and has a few encounters with Germans in Northern France - but he gets his first important mission in Albania. Like many other countries behind German lines, Albania is filled with resistance groups, but infighting between communist, nationalist, and other political divides wreak havoc on their success. Peter observes firsthand the Communists' treachery, their desire for personal power over defeating the Germans, and how, through British funding and weapons, manage to outmaneuver other resistance groups. His next assignment, in Poland, is a different story. The A.K (Armia Krajowa) was dominant, its people possessing a strong distaste for communism, but the Soviets, whose unstoppable war machine can not be tempered by Anglo-American desires for political righteousness, allow Poland's youth to be sacrificed to the Germans, and then steam in to set up their own puppets. The book ends with Kemp's capture by the Russians. They treat the British not as allies, but with deep suspicion, and Kemp may be lucky to escape with his life.

Some of the most memorable moments include:
- How the L.N.C (Albania's Communist resistance group) spat at an Englishman after the R.A.F dropped supplies from an airplane painted with the Union Jack, and how later the communists convinced local peasants that the letters U.S (painted on another airplane performing a supply drop) stood for the Soviet Union.
- The pettiness and idiocy of the Albanian people, such as starting blood feuds between families, murdering foreign officers if they were known to carry valuables, and never reliable to hold their ground in any firefight or even while standing guard
- The Jugoslav partisans attempting to steal the British SOE operative's wireless set so they wouldn't be able to communicate with their commanders in Cairo, and subsequently, treat the officers as poorly (even threatening their lives) if needed; and furthermore, the staff officers in Cairo acquiescing to the partisan's demands, and therefore placing more importance on satisfying these red bandits than their own operative's lives.
- Stalin inviting the A.K's leaders to Moscow for a conference about Poland's future, promising that they would not be hurt, only for those leaders to never be heard from again.

Truly a remarkable life as a warrior against the Red Tide; I can not help but admire Kemp's morals and idealism. He might have failed to stop the communists, but his heroism, as Democracy, Monarchy, and the West's few defenders, is to be eternally revered.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Colours or Crest (1958) by Peter Kemp describes Kemp’s time in Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Europe. Kemp studied classics and law at Cambridge before first going to Spain to fight on the Nationalist side. He then joined SOE during World War 2 (WW2). The book is an account of his time in SOE in Europe.

Kemp first joined SOE and they got some training in explosives, parachuting and guerilla warfare. Some of their teachers had been on the defensive against guerilla warfare in Afghanistan and in other places in the British Empire.

First Kemp served doing raids against communications and other facilities in France. These hit and run raids were very risky.

The bulk of the book describe’s Kemp’s time in Albania. Here the British supplied weapons and money for the various Albanian fighting forces. It’s interesting to see the descriptions of how the Communists under Enver Hoxha fought with and against various other Albanian forces. Kemp also went into Kosovo which was at that time part of Albania before it was given to Yugoslavia (or Jugoslavia as Kemp writes). It’s very interesting to read about how the Albanian’s in Kosovo were virulently opposed to being part of Yugoslavia.

It’s really interesting to read about how well educated many of the SOE operatives were and similarly that many of the Albanians were also multilingual and well educated. Their awareness of their own blood feuds and the likely path of Albania is very interesting.

Kemp was highly suspicious of what the Communists were going to do in Albania and history proved him correct. He’s also aware that SOE helped the Communists and includes Evelyn Waugh’s barbs against SOE, namely that it assisted people in setting up tyrannies that were actively hostile to Britain.

Kemp put himself in real, serious danger and a number of his comrades were killed. The book includes various accounts of close calls where the Germans and the Soviets almost killed or captured him.

After leaving Albania Kemp returned to England before being sent into Poland in late 1944. Kemp there meets various Polish groups. It’s really interesting to read about how the Poles felt about the Soviets taking the place of the Germans.

No Colours or Crest is a really interesting read about SOE’s actions in Albania and Poland during WW2.

[Raymond Nellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Kemp's time in WWII could best be described as disappointing. His initial raids on German controlled coastlines are not overly successful and soon they stop.

He is then sent to Albania and the Balkans where he has the unenviable task of trying to alleviate factionalism to facilitate a combined local resistance to Italian and later German occupation. This all turns out to not work as a communist faction declares civil war on the opposing nationalist resistance group.

Kemp moves towards Kossovo and discovers that many of the locals are working with or supportive of the German occupation because it will mean ethnic unity for the Albanian people. In the end this factionalism ends his mission and he withdraws while the Brits (and the allies) allow communism to take hold in the Balkans and all the nationalists which supported the allies in the fight against the axis are left to succumb to the red menace.

Kemp then begins a rather short mission to Poland. While the Albanians were unreliable, bickering, and generally untrustworthy the Poles instead are supportive, cohesive, and generous. These characteristics did not save them. Just like the Balkan Nationalists they were left to be consumed by communists.

Kemp's story so far is about a man witnessing first hand the crash of communism against European civilization. Unable to stem it's affects I have to imagine he is becoming a very disillusioned man.

Eastern Europe and the Balkans were left as sacrificial feed to the communists. The narrative of the Spanish civil war was completely captured by communist propaganda. More than that, one has to acknowledge that the West and Kemp's homeland of Great Britain were, to a great degree, infiltrated by communists.

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second instalment of the Kemp trilogy, covering his service with commando-style forces early in the war and then his time in Albania and Poland. Kemp’s writing has a dry humour and transports the reader right into the action. None of the narrative feels dated at all and his analysis of his own experience is an added bonus to an already thrilling and engaging narrative.

This book fits the gentleman-explorer label perfectly and stands out from the typical WW2 accounts in that Kemp seems to be speaking directly to the reader, which leads to the events seeming more ‘real’ than any other account I have read. If that doesn’t make much sense, imagine seeing an old photo in black and white and then the same photo in colour. The standard, seemingly-distant histories of WW2 are the former and Kemp’s small piece of the conflict is very much the latter - the same material but much more vivid and graspable by the reader in the sense that Kemp’s tale is almost timeless and the fact it occurred in 1939-1945 is largely irrelevant. Instead what shines through are the stories of the characters than come in and out, their sacrifices and victories, their virtues and their shortcomings. “The history of mankind is a history of war” comes to mind. A truly inspiring and enthralling book, I highly recommend it to anyone who has not had the fortune to come across Kemp’s writing already.

Note: this book seems to have been scanned so there is the occasional typo such as ‘ears’ being transcribed as ‘cars’ and such like. Very minor issue for me personally. Overall though Mystery Grove have down a fantastic job of bringing these stories back to wide circulation.

[herbert hooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing. You are smarter than me if you can keep just some of the unpronuncible multitude of names and places straight. Many are the episodes of narrow escape over snow covered mountains, suffering frostbite, finding a flea invested lodge, always exhausted and needing sleep and clothing. Not to speak of the close calls with those who may or may not be the enemy. So repetitious. Chances of survival are slim, but still there is a clamor to go again and again behind enemy line to obtain worthless information, and being ordered to do the nonsenceable from afar.

Don't wast your time or money.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting memoir about a part of the second world war that I knew little about. Kemp spends most of his time in eastern Europe, where the allies to British are comprised various factions who despise each other almost as much as the Germans. Things throughout his time there do not go very smoothly.

[John M · Rating 3 out of 5]

More travelogue than SOE history or informative history of the Balkans in WWII

There was not one instance reported of the author’s mission that he accomplished. I would not buy another of his books.

[MR RH LEONARD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hundreds of characters.

A very colourful description of many, many interesting characters in varied locations in Africa and Europe. Far removed from the main theatres of the second world war.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book of Kemp's war trilogy. He details the internal squabbles of the "allies" in the second world war. He ends up in a Soviet prison in the end as many "allied" soldiers did as well as untold civilians. He also comments of the vile behavior of the Soviets.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad Hoxha didn't get nailed in that trench

[David]

Mentioned by lord lovat in his memoirs

[Colton Rissmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been a 5 but Enver Hoxha was absolutely insufferable

[Al Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2nd volume in Kemp’s memoir trilogy. From daring commando raids on the Jersey islands and France to at the end being parachuted into Poland it is an interesting tale well told.

The bulk of the book is Kemp in Albania, where he chose to go after being trained for guerrilla operations after being told to avoid Yugoslavia due to it being in a de facto civil war…