The first war film I watched with great attention as a young boy was one somewhat related to the Dodecanese campaign, The Guns of Navarone. That’s how my interest in military history started. In this article, I will briefly describe this war movie and its relationship with an actual campaign of World War II.

The war movie

A poster for the 1961 film The Guns of Navarone, starring David Niven and Gregory Peck.

The Guns of Navarone is based on the bestselling 1957 novel by Alistar MacLean. While not centred around an actual real-life mission of World War II, the story does take place during the Dodecanese Campaign of 1943 − the failed Allied attempt to secure, defend and maintain the capture of the Dodecanese Islands from the Italians and their recapture by the Germans, following the signing of the Italian Armistice.

The Guns of Navarone was inspired, in part, by the Dodecanese Campaign, more specifically, the Battle of Leros. Taking place in 1943, it centres around a hastily-formed commando unit tasked with infiltrating the fictional Navarone Island and destroying its German long-range field gun emplacements. Those involved include an officer with the Long-Range Desert Group (LRDG), an explosives expert and an expert knife soldier known as the ‘Butcher of Barcelona’. The story tells that the latter was involved in war since 1937, that is during the Spanish Civil War.

While many would assume the guns would be of lesser importance, compared to other German-held areas in the Mediterranean, their position means the Allies are unable to rescue around 2,000 trapped British soldiers on the nearby island of Kheros (an indirect reference to Leros). Whenever ships get near, the Germans aim their guns and fire, sinking them.

To successfully cross the Aegean Sea, the commandos disguise themselves as Greek fishermen and later meet up with two local women resistance fighters, where one of them had been previously captured by the Germans and turned into a German spy. Throughout the course of their journey, they come face-to-face with enemy soldiers, at one point overpowering the Germans and donning their uniforms so as to not be recognised by the enemies.

As the film progresses, it’s assumed the commandos aren’t destined for success.

Ultimately, the ‘German spy’ is caught, after she sabotages the commandoes’ explosives, leading to her execution.

Also, when the group finally arrives at the cliffs housing the gun emplacements, they find themselves beaten time and time again, with the Germans defusing their explosives and forcing them to fight in brutal close-quarters combat.

At the end, the explosives connected with the hoister finally take off, destroying the impregnable fortress and the long-range guns with one magnificent explosion.

Although it is a fictional story, the intention was to make The Guns of Navarone as authentic as possible; this included filming on the Greek island of Rhodes and other locations in the Mediterranean.

The actual Malta-related campaign

The real story of the Malta-related campaign brought a brutal end to an infantry brigade that had served and defended the island during the two years’ siege.

After the surrender of Italy on September 8, 1943, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill decided to capture the Italian held Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea. Therefore, the British High Command in the Middle East prepared Operation ‘Accolade’ to capture them. In the meantime, the Germans too were prepared to seize and take control of these islands, capturing Rhodes in the process.

Despite this setback, however, the British High Command pressed ahead with the occupation of Kos, Samos and Leros. From September 10 to 17, the British 234th Infantry Brigade under Major-General F. G. R. Brittorous − which had reformed on April 1, 1943, from the 4th (Malta) Infantry Brigade when it was stationed in Malta − and other units secured the islands of Kos, Kalymnos, Samos, Leros, Symi  and Astypalaia. The Germans quickly mobilised in response.

After the surrender of the Italian and British forces on the island of Kos − which also included 680 men from the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, on October 4, 1943 − 1,388 British and 3,145 Italians were taken prisoners. A German communiqué of October 5 reporting the cessation of hostilities on Kos gave the number of prisoners taken as 600 British and 2,500 Italians, with more Italians coming in.

Junkers Ju88s approach Leros.

A number of the British forces escaped to neighbouring islands and were rescued by the Special Boat Service (SBS) operating at night.

Meanwhile, on November 5, 1943, the 8th King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) left Malta for Egypt.

The garrison of Leros consisted of 4th Buffs (The Royal East Kent Regiment), 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers and 1st King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), with some light anti-aircraft gunners and Indian engineers.

The Italians were manning coast defence guns, reinforced by four 18/25-pounders. As nothing bigger could be used due to the narrow roads, the transport consisted of a few jeeps with trailers.

The 4th Buffs held the northern wing with ‘C’ Company, 1st King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), under Major W. P. T. Tilly, located at “Fortress Reserve” just north of Gurna Bay. The 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers with a company of Royal West Kents defended the centre portion, which included land between Gurna and Alinda Bays and Leros town. The 1st King’s Own was responsible for the southern area.

The whole Allied garrison of Leros consisted of most of the 234th Infantry Brigade, circa 3,000 men of the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Fusiliers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Maurice French, the 4th Battalion, The Buffs, the 1st Battalion, The King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and the second company of the 2nd Battalion − Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment − under Brigadier Robert Tilney, who assumed command on November 5.

The Royal Navy in the Dodecanese was commanded by Vice-Admiral Algernon Willis. He was assigned eight destroyers, a flotilla of submarines, six motor launches equipped with machine guns, four landing crafts modified by installing anti-aircraft guns and eight RAF high-speed launches.

In support of these units were available men of the Long-Range Desert Group (LRDG) and the Special Boat Service (SBS, composed entirely of paratroopers under the command of Major Jellicoe), units trained and formed by veterans of other battles.

The actions of the Royal Navy were limited by the distance from bases in Cyprus and Alexandria in Egypt and the lack of air cover but it nevertheless served to delay the invasion of the island, giving the defenders time to prepare them better to counter the attack. There were also circa 8,500 regular Italian soldiers, mostly naval personnel, under Admiral Luigi Mascherpa.

The German forces were active in the Aegean, part of Army Group E under the command of Generaloberst Alexander Lohr. The plan to occupy the island of Leros was initially called Operation ‘Leopard’ (Leopard) and then Operation ‘Taifun’ (Typhoon), whose direction belonged to General der Infanterie Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller.

Map of Operation ‘Taifun’, the German landings on the Island of Leros.

The German general had at his disposal three regiments of 22. Luftlande Infanterie-Division (22nd Infantry Division Airborne), a battalion of 11. Luftwaffen-Felddivision (11th Field Division Luftwaffe) and some elements of 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division (2nd Fallschirmjäger Division). Artillery units and departments of the Brandenburg Division were ready to be sent from Piraeus to the island after the first men had secured the beachhead.

Leros had been subjected by the Luftwaffe to a prolonged aerial bombardment, starting on September 26, which had already caused significant casualties and damage, both among the defenders of the island and among the supporting naval forces.

On the night of November 10/11, the destroyers HMS Petard, HMS Rockwood and ORP Krakowiak bombarded Kalymnos and HMS Faulknor bombarded Kos, where German forces were assembling for the attack on Leros.

On November 12, 1943, at 4.30am, after almost 50 days of air strikes, the German invasion fleet, escorted by over 25 ships, mostly U-boat hunters, torpedo boats and mine sweepers, was sighted. The Italian coastal guns were powerless to prevent the German troops from being put ashore in Palma Bay and near Pasta di Sopra on the northeast coast of the Buff’s’ sector, also in Tangeli Bay near Leros town. This last landing was staunchly resisted by the Royal Irish Fusiliers but, although they prevented the capture of the two features of Castle Hill and Mount Appetici, they were not strong enough to drive the enemy back into the sea.

Marinefahprahm C at Marmari, Kos, one of Greece’s Dodecanese islands.

The positions of the British units were spread around the island with poor communication between them. The attacking German forces did not only have the advantage of numerical superiority but also that of air control.

In the early afternoon, Luftwaffe fighter bombers machine-gunned and bombed the area between the Gurna and Alinda Bays, followed by Junkers 52s, which dropped some 500 parachutists from the Brandenburg Division, most of whom landed safely despite British efforts. The position of these landings effectively divided the island in two, separating the Buffs and a company of the King’s Own on the south side of the island from the rest of the garrison.

Counterattacks during the rest of that day failed.

During the night of November 12/13, more German reinforcements arrived. Counterattacks by the King’s Own and the Fusiliers failed during the 13th with heavy casualties but the Buffs on the south side of the island managed to capture 130 prisoners and reclaim some control of their area.

On the night of November 14, two more companies of the Royal West Kent Regiment and their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Tarleton, from Samos landed at Portolago Bay.

The fighting on the 14th and 15th was mostly inconclusive with more casualties on both sides, although a counter-attack by two companies of the King’s Own succeeded in recapturing part of Apetiki. Lieutenant Colonel French was killed in this attack.

On the night of the 15th, the fourth company from the West Kents was landed and 170 German prisoners were taken to Samos. The Germans, on the other hand, landed an estimated 1,000 troops and artillery during that night.

British POWS marching towards Santa Marina. At least one POW still has the Malta rubble wall camouflage on his steel helmet.

On the morning of November 16, it became apparent to the British commander, Brigadier Tilney, that his situation was untenable and he surrendered. Some 3,200 British and 5,350 Italian soldiers went with him into captivity.

The 4th Battalion, the Buffs, in their isolated position, were unaware of the surrender so they did not attempt to escape and, consequently, nearly the whole unit was captured. As with the Buffs, only 90 men from the West Kents managed to escape from the island.

The withdrawal of the American fighters had sealed the fate of Leros. With no air support and heavily attacked by enemy aircraft, the three battalions had fought for five days until they were exhausted and could fight no more.

Everything was done to evacuate the garrisons of the other Aegean islands and to rescue survivors from Leros and,  eventually, an officer and 57 other ranks of the King’s Own rejoined the details in Palestine.

After the fall of Leros, which was received with shock by the British public, Samos and the other smaller islands were evacuated. The Germans bombed Samos with Stukas, prompting the 2,500-strong Italian garrison to surrender on November 22.

Along with the occupation of the smaller islands of Patmos, Fournoi and Ikaria on November 18, the Germans thus completed their re-conquest of the Dodecanese, which they were to continue to hold until the end of the war.

Churchill in Malta

As British troops were surrendering or trying to escape from Leros and the nearby islands, Winston Churchill arrived in Malta. Was it by coincidence that Churchill’s visit occurred at these appalling days for the British?

Churchill had long expressed his wish to visit Malta to see for himself what Malta endured during the two years’ siege. He arrived in Malta on November 17, 1943 (a day after the surrender at Leros) and remained here until November 19. His visit was not given any publicity nor was a programme of public appearances prepared.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill giving the ‘V’ sign to dockyard workers in Malta while being shown around by Rear-Admiral Kenneth MacKenzie, Vice-Admiral L.H.K. Hamilton and Field Marshal Lord Gort on November 17, 1943.

Maybe the truth was to avoid every possible question about the Leros debacle. The only official communique was that he was suffering from a feverish cold. However, when he visited the HM Dockyard or appeared on the balcony of the Governor’s Palace, the Maltese welcomed him.

Deposito Di Guerra ‒ War Material Museum, Leros

Ioannis Paraponiaris, the founder of the War Material Museum in Leros, was born in 1954. At a very young age (about 12), he started collecting war material that was literally lying around the island, starting with “shiny” objects, such as brass buttons, badges, medals and coins.

Over the years, he started to collect other items too, including rifles, helmets, uniforms, etc. At first, he kept the collection in a small basement of his house. After 1996, when he managed to get a licence for the weaponry in his possession, the collection grew substantially.

He thus decided to find a place to house all the collection and open it to the public. He first asked the municipality of Leros  to give him any of the abandoned former Italian buildings. But nobody really cared to do so, so his other alternative was to build an edifice from scratch on his land.

Today’s museum started being built in 2006. It took seven years to complete and it was inaugurated on September 24, 2013. Three veterans attended the grand opening. After Yiannis passed away, his son, Thanasis, continued his legacy and is now the museum’s curator.

The collection numbers more than 3,000 items and is still getting bigger day by day. Initially, the operation of the museum was based on donations but, since 2022, it has been registered as a non-profit organisation and has a small entrance fee.

An assortment of memorabilia, webbing, weapons and other artefacts of the formerly Malta-based British battalions found at the Deposito di Guerra Museum. One can see a Malta rubble wall camouflage helmet and a shoulder title of the Durham Light Infantry.

Conclusion

The Battle of Leros was considered by some to be the last great defeat of the British Army in World War II and one of the last German victories. However, one must not forget the defeat of the British paratroops in Arnhem and their surrender a year later, in September 1944.

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Anthony Rogers for his support in compiling this article. All photos, except those of Churchill in Malta, are from Rogers’s collection. The Churchill photos are from the National War Museum Archives. Last but not least, a big thank you goes to Nikos Kafentzis for helping and providing information about the museum and Malta related artefacts.

Charles Debono is curator, National War Museum.