Forgotten Anzacs: the campaign in Greece, 1941

by Peter Ewer

Overview

This is the largely unknown story of another Anzac force, which fought
not at Gallipoli, but in Greece, during World War II.

Desperately outnumbered and fighting in deeply inhospitable conditions, these Anzacs found themselves engaging in a long retreat through Greece, under constant air attack.

Most of the Anzac Corps was evacuated by the end of April 1941, but many men got
only as far as Crete. Fighting a German paratroop invasion there in May, large numbers were taken captive and spent four long years as prisoners of the Nazis.

The campaign in Greece turned out to have uncanny parallels to the original Gallipoli operation: both were inspired by Winston Churchill, both were badly planned by British military leaders, and both ended in defeat and evacuation. Just as Gallipoli provided military academies the world over with lessons in how not to conduct a complex feat of arms, Churchill’s Greek adventure reinforced fundamental lessons in modern warfare — heavy tanks could not be stopped by men armed with rifles, and Stuka dive-bombers would not be deflected by promises of air support from London that were never honoured.

In this revised edition, based on fresh archival research, and containing a collection of previously unpublished photos, the truth finally emerges as to how the Australian, Greek, and New Zealand Governments were misled over key decisions that would define the campaign.

PRAISE FOR PETER EWER

‘This is an important contribution to Australian war literature … an engrossing history of a very important Anzac campaign.’ The Sydney Morning Herald

‘This clear and well-written account of the campaign should do much to rescue the forgotten Anzacs from neglect by subsequent generations.’ Australian Book Review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925307528
Publisher:	Scribe Publications Pty Ltd
Publication date:	03/28/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Peter Ewer completed a first-class honours degree in politics at Macquarie University in 1983, and a doctorate in technology and culture from RMIT University in 2005 that also won a university research prize. Dr Ewer is currently an official in the Victorian Department of Justice, and has published in local and international history journals.

Table of Contents

List of Maps vi

Preface to 75th anniversary edition vii

Prologue 1

1 For King and Country … and the paid adventure 7

2 The Tracks They Travelled 33

3 An American Abroad 72

4 Building a Balkan Front 98

5 Blocking a Blitzkrieg: the Battle of Vevi, 10-13 April 1941 118

6 At the Feet of Zeus They Fought 154

7 Disaster Averted: the Battle of Pinios Gorge, 17-18 April 1941 186

8 Of Rearguards and Treachery 221

9 An Anzac Dunkirk 256

10 The Battle of Crete: 20 May-1 June 1941 299

11 Legacies 362

Epilogue 385

Acknowledgements 387

References 389

Notes 399

Index 421

Editorial Reviews

This clear and well-written account of the campaign should do much to rescue the forgotten Anzacs from neglect by subsequent generations.”
—Jeffrey Grey, Australian Book Review

“This book makes fascinating reading and does a long way in recognising these forgotten Anzacs.”
—Peter Masters, Australian Defence Magazine

“Forgotten Anzacs is a timely tribute to those who took part in a neglected chapter in our military history.”
—Greg Thom, Herald Sun

“It is for those interested in history, identity, things Australian and Greek … Forgotten Anzacs is a good book and well worth reading.”
—George Papadopoulos, Neos Kosmos

“Peter Ewer deserves the thanks of all Australians and New Zealanders for writing this absorbing and moving story before the participants have all disappeared.”
—News Weekly

“This is an important contribution to Australian war literature…an engrossing history of a very important Anzac campaign.”
—Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald

“Peter Ewer is one of very few Australian military historians to understand what Anzac means. This is a book that skillfully moves between the battalions of both nation bringing to the forefront whichever component the story demands, regardless of its place of origin. Ewer’s true recognition of Anzac nourishes his account and he builds on that strength as he also looks at the campaign from Greek, German and British perspectives.”
—Michael McKernan, The Canberra Times

“At long last the true story of Greece and Crete has been told.”
—Frank Cox, 1 Aust Corps Signals, prisoner of war 1941–1944

“As a veteran of the debacle of Greece and Crete, I am now aware of the politics of that campaign.”
—Ian Manson, 2/1st MG Battalion

“A great account of what actually happened.”
—Don Stephenson, 2/6th Battalion AIF, prisoner of war 1941–1945

“For those of us who were there, this is an outstanding history of both the Australian and New Zealand campaign in 1941.”
—Gordon Beal, 2/8th Field Company; prisoner of war, 1941–1945

“Peter Ewer’s book is not simply a labour of love that restores the memory of the Anzac fighters in the Greek mainland and Crete. It is a monument of scholarly research, historical interpretation and cultural awareness, a book that explores the limits of human courage as expressed by ordinary soldiers fighting for freedom under precarious circumstances. Furthermore, it is not only military history; it is about cultural memory as an ongoing process of re-evaluating the past, and establishing social and political agendas for the future. Finally, written in a fluent and engaging narrative style, it makes a fascinating read that reveals an unfairly neglected chapter in the history of World War II.”
—Vrasidas Karalis, Sir Nicholas Laurantos Chair in Modern Greek, University of Sydney

From the Publisher

‘A great account of what actually happened.’

Don Stephenson

‘For those of us who were there, this is an outstanding history of both the Australian and New Zealand campaign in 1941.’

Gordon Beal

‘This is an important contribution to Australian war literature … an engrossing history of a very important Anzac campaign.’

Sydney Morning Herald - Bruce Elder

‘Peter Ewer’s book is not simply a labour of love that restores the memory of the Anzac fighters in the Greek mainland and Crete. It is a monument of scholarly research, historical interpretation and cultural awareness, a book that explores the limits of human courage as expressed by ordinary soldiers fighting for freedom under precarious circumstances. Furthermore, it is not only military history; it is about cultural memory as an ongoing process of re-evaluating the past, and establishing social and political agendas for the future. Finally, written in a fluent and engaging narrative style, it makes a fascinating read that reveals an unfairly neglected chapter in the history of World War II.’

Vrasidas Karalis

‘Peter Ewer deserves the thanks of all Australians and New Zealanders for writing this absorbing and moving story before the participants have all disappeared.’

News Weekly

‘This clear and well-written account of the campaign should do much to rescue the forgotten Anzacs from neglect by subsequent generations.’

Australian Book Review - Jeffrey Grey

‘This book makes fascinating reading and does a long way in recognising these forgotten Anzacs.’

Australian Defence Magazine - Peter Masters

‘It is for those interested in history, identity, things Australian and Greek … Forgotten Anzacs is a good book and well worth reading.’

Neos Kosmos - George Papadopoulos

‘As a veteran of the debacle of Greece and Crete, I am now aware of the politics of that campaign.’

Ian Manson

‘ Forgotten Anzacs is a timely tribute to those who took part in a neglected chapter in our military history.’

Herald Sun - Greg Thom

‘Peter Ewer is one of very few Australian military historians to understand what Anzac means. This is a book that skillfully moves between the battalions of both nation bringing to the forefront whichever component the story demands, regardless of its place of origin.
Ewer’s true recognition of Anzac nourishes his account and he builds on that strength as he also looks at the campaign from Greek, German and British perspectives.’

The Canberra Times - Michael McKernan

‘At long last the true story of Greece and Crete has been told.’

Frank Cox