Churchill's Folly
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11 War Diary of the German Naval Staff, Operations Division, Part A, Volume 51, pp.278–9.
12 Chiefs of Staff Committee’s Note on Operations in the Aegean in Operations in the Aegean. Sept 1943–Nov. 1943. TNA: WO 106/3147.
Select Bibliography
Benyon-Tinker, W.E., Dust upon the Sea, Hodder & Stoughton, 1947.
Bevan, Pauline, Travels with a Leros Veteran, Pauline Bevan, 2000.
Brandt, Günther, Der Seekrieg in der Ägäis, Günther Brandt, 1963.
Browne, John, Recollections of Island Warfare, private publication.
Butler, Lieutenant Colonel Robert, MBE, MC, Nine Lives: Through Laughing Eyes, Invicta Publishing, 1993.
Chaplin, Lieutenant-Colonel H.D., The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment 1920–1950, Michael Joseph Ltd, 1954.
Churchill, Winston S., The Second World War: Volume V, Closing the Ring, Cassell & Co, Ltd, 1952.
Cowper, Colonel J.M., TD, The King’s Own: The Story of a Royal Regiment, Volume III. 1914–1950, Gale & Polden Ltd, 1957.
Cunliffe, Marcus, The Royal Irish Fusiliers 1793–1950, Oxford University Press, 1952.
Gander, Leonard Marsland, Long Road to Leros, Macdonald & Co., 1945.
Guard, J.S., Improvise and Dare: War in the Aegean 1943–1945, The Book Guild Ltd, 1997.
Harte, Jack and Mara, Sandra, To the Limits of Endurance: One Irishman’s War, Liberties Press, 2007.
Holland, Jeffrey, The Aegean Mission: Allied Operations in the Dodecanese, 1943, Greenwood Press, 1988.
Johnson, Edward B.W., M.C., Island Prize: Leros, 1943, The Kemble Press, 1992.
Kay, R.L., Long Range Desert Group in the Mediterranean, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, New Zealand, 1950.
Knight OBE, Colonel C.R.B., Historical Records of The Buffs, Royal East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot) formerly designated The Holland Regiment and Prince George of Denmark’s Regiment 1919–1948, The Medici Society, Limited, 1951.
Levi, Aldo and Fioravanzo, Giuseppe, Avvenimenti in Egeo dopo l’armistizio (Rodi, Lero e isole minori), Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare, Roma, 1972.
Lodwick, John, The Filibusters: The Story of The Special Boat Service, Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1947.
Manicone, Gino, I Martiri dell’Egeo: L’amaro volto di una tragedia Italiana, Casamari, 2001.
Metzsch, Friedrich-August von, Die Geschichte der 22. I.D. (Bad Nauhmein), 1952.
Nesbit, Roy C., The Armed Rovers: Beauforts & Beaufighters over the Mediterranean, Airlife Publishing Ltd, 1995.
Pittaway, Jonathan; Long Range Desert Group – Rhodesia, (Published by author: agencies@iafrica.com).
Prien, Jochen; Rodeike, Peter; Stemmer, Gerhard, Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei der III. und IV./Jagdgeschwader 27, 1938–1945, struve-druck.
Rissik, David, The D.L.I. at War: The History of The Durham Light Infantry 1939–1945, The Depot: The Durham Light Infantry.
Rogers, Anthony, Swastika over the Aegean: September–November 1943 (Published by the author: toro.enquiries@gmail.com), 2013.
Schenk, Peter, Kampf um die Ägäis, Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH, 2000.
Searle, G.W., At Sea Level, The Book Guild, 1994.
Smith, Peter & Walker, Edwin, War in the Aegean, William Kimber and Co. Limited, 1974.
Sutherland, David, He Who Dares: Recollections of service in the SAS, SBS and MI5, Leo Cooper, 1998.
Thompson, Julian, The Imperial War Museum Book of War Behind Enemy Lines, Sidgwick & Jackson published in Association with the Imperial War Museum, 1998.
Villa, Andrea, Nelle isolde del sole, Gli italiani nel Dodecaneso dall’occupazione al rimpatrio (1912–1947), Laissez-passer, 2016.
Ward, S.G.P., Faithful: The Story of the Durham Light Infantry, Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd.
Williams, Raymond, The Long Road from Léros, Raymond Williams, 1983.
Magazines and Periodicals
Drinkwater, William J., ‘War in the Eastern Aegean, Part 3. The Agony of Leros’, in Volume 3, Number 5, The Military Chest, Picton Publishing, Chippenham, 1984.
Lucas, James, ‘Strike on Leros’, in Volume 3, Issue 36, The Elite, Orbis Publishing Limited, 1985.
Packer, Edwin, ‘Hard Lesson in the Aegean, Dodecanese Islands, Greece, September/November 1943’, in Number 52, Purnell’s History of the Second World War, BPC Publishing Ltd, 1975.
Pitt, Barrie, ‘Into the Iron Ring’, in Volume 10, Issue 117, The Elite, Orbis Publishing Limited, 1987.
Schenk, Dr Peter, ‘The Battle for Leros’, in Number 90, After the Battle, Battle of Britain Prints International Ltd, 1995.
Willis, Vice Admiral Sir Algernon U., KCB, DSO, Naval Operations in the Aegean between the 7th September, 1943 and 28th November, 1943, published on 11 October 1948 as a supplement to The London Gazette of 8 October 1948.
Wilson, General Sir H. Maitland, GCB, GBE, DSO, ADC, Operations in the Middle East from 16th February, 1943, to 8th January, 1944, published on 13 November 1946 as a supplement to The London Gazette of 12 November 1946.
Rifles seized by German forces after the September 1943 Italian armistice. (G. Symonds)
Personnel of ‘S’ Detachment Special Boat Squadron and ML 349 crew. The motor launch and the requisitioned Italian MS 12 called at Kos port on 13 September 1943 prior to the arrival of further British and South African forces. Three weeks later Kos fell to a German assault. (K. Kogiopoulos)
The German assault force for Dodecanese operations was divided into several Kampfgruppen. For Unternehmen (Operation) Eisbär there were two such ‘battle groups’, each named after their respective commanders. Major Sylvester von Saldern officer commanding II./Gren.Rgt.65 was responsible for Kampfgruppe von Saldern during both Eisbär and Taifun. (T. Schnaars)
Hauptmann Armin Kuhlmann OC 1./Küstenjäger-Abt. “Brandenburg” commanded Kampfgruppe Kuhlmann. (B. Kuhlmann)
There were five Kampfgruppen for Unternehmen Taifun. After Hauptmann Kuhlmann was severely wounded in an air-raid at Kalymnos, he was replaced as OC Küstenjäger by Leutnant Hans Schädlich, also responsible for Kampfgruppe Schädlich. (B. Schädlich)
Hauptmann Martin Kühne OC I./Fallschirmjäger-Rgt.2 led the airborne element designated Kampfgruppe Kühne. He is shown here shortly after the award of the Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross) on 29 February 1944. (M. Kühne)
Hauptmann Dörr OC III./Gren. Rgt.440 headed Kampfgruppe Dörr. (U. Lohmann)
Hauptmann Philipp Aschoff OC II./Gren.Rgt.16 and commander of Kampfgruppe Aschoff. (U. Lohmann)
Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller commanded 22. Infanteriedivision, the troops of which comprised the majority of land forces during the fighting for the Dodecanese. (U. Lohmann)
9 October 1943: The Royal Navy cruiser HMS Carlisle after bombing by Ju 87 Stukas of I./St.G.3 east of Karpathos. (Author’s collection)
Junkers Ju 88s over the Aegean. The Luftwaffe dominated the skies throughout the battle for the Dodecanese. (P. Eisenbach)
Commander of 12. R.-Flottille, Oberleutnant zur See Hansjürgen Weissenborn (right), seen here on the bridge of R.210 with Korvettenkapitän Dr Günther Brandt who commanded 21. U.-Jagdflotille and the Leros invasion fleet. (Fam. Weissenborn)
Feldwebel Gustav Wehrs (centre) with troops of 5./Gren.Rgt.65 at Suda Bay, Crete, prior to embarking for Kos. 5. Kompanie sustained heavy losses during the subsequent landing at Leros. (G. Wehrs)
Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Jürgen Bernhagen was responsible for the heavy weapons platoon of 7./Gren.Rgt.16. On 3 October 1943, Bernhagen (second from right) landed on the south coast of Kos below the height of Eremita. (J. Bernhagen)
Marinefährprahm ‘C’ at Marmari on the north coast of Kos. (G. Symonds)
On 3 October, three companies of II./Gren.Rgt.16 were delayed by stiff resistance at Caserna Germè-Esculapio. (J. Bernhagen)
The battle for Kos draws to its inevitable conclusion. East of Kos town, Stuka dive bombers deal with the last pockets of resistance. (G. Symonds)
18 Octobe
r 1943: Fallschirmjäger of 15./4.Rgt. “Brandenburg” arrive at Levitha during an operation to rescue German prisoners of war and at the same time seize the crew of the Levant Schooner Flotilla Hedgehog. (Bundesarchiv)
Leros during the Italian occupation (probably 1941). Italian 76/40 gun positions at Scumbarda. (Archivio Centrale dello Stato)
Prior to the Italian armistice Contrammiraglio Luigi Mascherpa commanded the Leros garrison. Shown is a detail from a rare image of Mascherpa as a naval captain. (K. Kogiopoulos)
Lieutenant Colonel Maurice French, seen in a studio portrait taken on Malta, was CO on Leros of 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers. When British Forces occupied Leros, responsibility for the island fortress fell initially to Brigadier (later Major General) F.G.R. ‘Ben’ Brittorous. The crucial task of island defence was left to Lieutenant Colonel French. This much-respected officer was killed in action in the early hours of 14 November 1943. (J. Chatterton Dickson)
Major General Brittorous was relieved of his command one week before the German invasion. This photograph, taken after he returned to England, shows Brittorous inspecting the Manchester Home Guard. (Manchester Regiment Image Archive)
12 November: Pionierlandungsboote 368/C and 482/M disembark troops at Pasta di Sopra Point. (P. Schenk)
In mainland Greece, Fallschirmjäger emplane for Leros. (Bundesarchiv)
Fallschirmjäger descend over central Leros. (Author’s collection)
German forces battle for control of Appetici. Brandenburg Küstenjäger came ashore on 12 November; the following morning it was the turn of the 9./Gren.Rgt.440 infantry. Further landings were made during the nights of 14 and 15 November. (Author’s collection)
Due to the close proximity of opposing forces both sides suffered casualties from Luftwaffe air strikes. At Battery P.L. 211 on Rachi, German paratroopers and infantry take cover during an attack by Ju 87s. (Author’s collection)
A German paratrooper behind cover during the battle for Leros. (Author’s collection)
Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (left) with the surrendered Fortress commander Brigadier Robert Tilney (right). (T. Schnaars)
Infantrymen of III./G.R. 440 show the strain of having come through the fighting on Appetici. (U. Lohmann)
Clearly delighted that their war is over, British prisoners march towards Leros town (Platanos). Their destination is almost certainly Portolago (Lakki), where they will board a ship for mainland Greece. (Author’s collection)
A smiling Obergefreiter Walter Keller (3./Fallschirmjäger-Rgt.2) with comrade, Heinrich Monska, the day after the British surrender. (Author’s collection)
At San Nicola, Oberfeldwebel Walter Lünsmann (second from left) reports to Hauptmann Heinrich Michael with survivors of 6./G.R.16. (U. Lohmann)
For many, Leros was their last battle. This dead German paratrooper lies on the beach of Alinda Bay. (Bundesarchiv)
Some, among them Unteroffizier Andreas Hutter of II./T.G.4, were taken prisoner and evacuated just before the end of the battle. (A. Hutter)
Major The Earl Jellicoe (left) commanding the Special Boat Squadron, aboard a caique in Turkish waters. On his left is a Greek second lieutenant. Figure in background is possibly SBS Captain Harold G. Chevalier. (M. Ramseyer)
Captain John Olivey commanded the LRDG atop Clidi. He was taken prisoner, escaped while in mainland Greece, and after months in hiding arrived in Cairo on 25 April 1944. (J. Pittaway)
Lieutenant Commander L.F. (Frank) Ramseyer of Force 133 who, together with Jellicoe, helped organise the evacuation of around ninety personnel in the early hours of 17 November. (M. Ramseyer)
Among those who avoided capture was Lieutenant Clifford Clark (Royal West Kents), seen here at Malta. (C. Clark)
Leonard Marsland Gander of The Daily Telegraph was the only British war correspondent on Leros. He was evacuated shortly before the island fell. (Author’s collection)
End of the line for most of the Leros garrison: Lieutenant Ted Johnson of The Royal Irish Fusiliers as a prisoner of war at Oflag VIIIF near Märisch Trübau in Sudetenland (present-day Czech Republic). (E. Johnson)
On 22 November a German delegation arrived at Samos tasked with negotiating the surrender of Italian forces there. The officer wearing gloves is Oberstleutnant Uwe Wilhelm Walther commanding 1.Rgt. “Brandenburg”. (U. Walther)
Recognition for the victors: Oberleutnant Max Wandrey (who took over command on Leros of III./1.Rgt. “Brandenburg”) receives the Knight’s Cross at Lamia, in January 1944. In attendance is the Regimentskommandeur, Oberstleutnant Uwe Wilhem Walther and General der Flieger Hellmuth Felmy, commanding LXVIII. Armeekorps. (U. Walther)