In the Aegean theatre during WWII, the German forces controlled most of the Greek islands, having defeated Greece. The Allied forces attempt an attack from the South, and have men on several of the smaller islands. But the Germans move fast, and have encircled the islands, and the men there are sitting ducks. All rescue missions, by air or by sea, are thwarted by the powerful guns stationed on the island of Navarone, which blocks the only available strait to reach Kheros, where 1200 allied troops are holed up.
A small force of just five men, all who speak fluent Greek and German, are sent in by boat. Led by expert mountain climber Capt. Keith Mallory of New Zealand, the team lands on the southern wall of Navarone, a steep cliff. They scale the wall, and have three days to infiltrate the gun compound and sabotage the weapons. With some help from local Greeks, they narrowly escape from the vociferous German assault, as well as being captured by the German commander of the island.
They are betrayed by a double agent, but they still complete their mission, and even manage to escape after stealing the German commander’s personal yacht, and rendezvous with the rescue ships.
The book is fast-paced, but still has a layered narrative. Good old fashioned WW2 action, with no complicated politics or emotions. The interplay between the five men and the locals is very entertaining reading.
Everything is black or white… just good guys trying to save other good guys from bad guys. There is a brief episode of an interaction between Mallory and a German officer, who recognizes Mallory and is himself a climber. He says “Before the war, even during it, I would have been proud to have known you, glad to have met you. But not here, not now. Not any more.”. It’s a simple book, and very enjoyable.