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Chargement... Abducting a General: The Kreipe Operation and SOE in Crete (2014)par Patrick Leigh Fermor
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. Three books in one - Patrick Leigh Fermor's retelling of the abduction in 1944 of the German General Kreipe by British operatives and Cretan patriots, nine of PLF's reports from his three missions to Crete and a guide for those wishing to retrace the steps taken by the abduction party. The retelling fleshes out the bare bones of the reports (with tales of wine, poetry and song as the abduction party is hidden by the Cretans). Primarily for those with an interest in World War II history, and for those (like myself) with an interest in Patrick Leigh Fermor.
It takes some chutzpah to kidnap a German general — and serious presence of mind to get away with it. Paddy, the Special Operations Executive commander of a group of 11 Cretan andartes, or guerrilla fighters, together with his second-in-command Captain William Stanley Moss, had excessive stores of both. At 9.30 p.m. on the night of 26 April 1944, the Anglo-Cretan desperadoes intercepted the car carrying General Heinrich Kreipe, commander of the 22nd Luftlande Division.
Une des plus audacieuses op?rations commando de la Seconde Guerre mondiale Peut-on ?tre ? la fois un h?ros des Services sp?ciaux de Sa Majest? et l'un des plus grands ?crivains du XXe si?cle? Patrick Leigh Fermor nous le prouve ici. Dans ce r?cit in?dit, il nous conte par le menu l'op?ration qu'il con?ut et r?alisa en avril 1944 avec un commando de partisans cr?tois: l'enl?vement du g?n?ral allemand Heinrich Kreipe, commandant des forces d'occupation sur l'?le, et son exfiltration vers l'?gypte. Une action d'une audace folle et une course-poursuite haletante avec l'ennemi, conduite de mani?re ? ?viter toutes repr?sailles contre la population civile. Cette ?vocation d'un des plus c?l?bres faits d'armes de la Seconde Guerre mondiale contient en outre les 9 rapports bruts que Leigh Fermor envoya pendant ses diverses missions en Cr?te au QG des op?rations sp?ciales britanniques, au Caire, de juin 1942 ? d?cembre 1944. Un merveilleux tr?sor d'Histoire ? d?couvrir EXTRAIT Les sierras de la Cr?te occup?e, que pr?s de deux ann?es de s?jours clandestins, de marches ?puisantes m'avaient rendues famili?res semblaient tr?s diff?rentes vues par la trappe d'un bombardier transform? et par les ?chancrures des nuages sous mes pieds: un chaos de pics enneig?s, distants et ?normes, scintillants d'une blancheur de glacier au clair de lune de f?vrier. L?, soudain, sur un minuscule plateau entre les cimes, c'?taient les trois signaux, des feux clignotants. En quelques instants, ils grossirent rapidement: enfin affranchi du vacarme r?gnant ? l'int?rieur du Liberator, le parachute vogua doucement vers le coeur du triangle. Des petits personnages couraient ? la lueur des feux: encore quelques instants et la neige amortissait l'impact de l'atterrissage. ? PROPOS DE L'AUTEUR Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915-2011) est un ?crivain et voyageur anglais, ancien officier des Services sp?ciaux de l'arm?e britannique en Cr?te durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. En dehors de ses voyages, il partagea sa vie entre la Gr?ce et l'Angleterre. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)940.54History and Geography Europe Europe 1918- Military History Of World War IIClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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This book changes that. His illustrious military career started with the Irish guards, but with his language skills he was soon seconded into the Special Operations Executive (SOE) where he was despatched to Crete and mainland Greece several times to work behind German lines and help with the local resistance. The pinnacle of his success there though was the moment that he and his team succeeded in kidnapping General Kreipe, the German commander in Crete. This audacious plan was developed between him and Captain Billy Moss, and took place on the 26th April 1944. Not only did they abduct him with almost no violence, they took the General through 22 German checkpoints with out being stopped before dumping the car and taking Kreipe into hiding. The SBS then collected Fermor and the General from a beach in the south of the island around two weeks later.
This book is Fermors own account of his exploits in Crete and the details behind the abduction. Written in his distinctive style, also include are the secret reports that he sent to his commanders in Egypt, bringing the actual events of that time vividly alive. It is not a long book as it is mostly about that event, but it conveys just how dangerous it was to be behind enemy lines and the number of close calls that he had, for example being in the cellar of a house with German soldiers just above him or being asked for papers and managing to convince the soldier that he was a native. Thankfully his papers were declassified after his death otherwise we would not have this firsthand account. It is not his best piece of writing, but you have to remember that this was written whilst under cover or in challenging circumstances, and allowances should be made. It is a must read for any fans of Fermor, and for fans of World War II books. ( )