Książki

Highly Commended by the British Records Association for the 2019 Janette Harley Prize

In September 1943, at the height of World War II, the Aegean island of Leros became the site of the most pivotal battle of the Dodecanese campaign as the British tried, in vain, to retain control of the island. Over the course of two short months - from 15 September 1943 to 17 November 1943 - almost 1500 men lost their lives and hundreds more ended up in Prisoner-of-War camps.

In this book, Julie Peakman, a modern-day resident of Leros, brings to life the story of the men caught up in the battle based on first-hand interviews and written accounts including diaries, letters and journals. She tells of the preparations of the soldiers leading up to the battle, the desperate hand-to-hand fighting, and the suffering endured from continual bombings. She also shows the extent of the men's despair at the allied surrender, the many subsequent daring escapes as well as the terrible years of incarceration for those who were captured and imprisoned. Many of the heart-rending accounts of the battle are told here for the first time, providing a unique eyewitness take on this forgotten corner of World War II.

Hitler's Island War: The Men Who Fought for Leros

Introduction
List of Illustrations

Chapter One The Island of Leros
Chapter Two Behind Enemy Lines
Chapter Three Drop into Rhodes
Chapter Four Troops to Leros
Chapter Five Fall of Kos
Chapter Six Making Preparations
Chapter Seven Waiting Under Bombs
Chapter Eight The First Day of Battle
Chapter Nine Central Collision
Chapter Ten And the Fight Goes On
Chapter Eleven Inbound Royal West Kents
Chapter Twelve Tired, Hungry and Lost
Chapter Thirteen Final Day of Battle
Chapter Fourteen Surrender or Escape
Chapter Fifteen The Rescuing Parties
Chapter Sixteen Prisoners of War
Chapter Seventeen The German POW Camps
Chapter Eighteen Aftermath Considerations

Chronology
Glossary
Bibliography
Index