War in the Balkans: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940-1941

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Pen and Sword, Nov 27, 2013 - History - 144 pages
Jeffrey Plowman's photographic history traces the course of the entire Balkan campaign from the first moves of the Italians through Albania and the invasion of Jugoslavia and Bulgaria by German forces through to the battle for Greece and the final airborne assault on Crete. ??He gives equal weight to every stage of the campaign he doesn't just combine the first stages and treat them as an introduction to the battle for Crete and he covers all the forces involved the Germans, the Greeks, the Commonwealth troops. By shifting the focus to the mainland, he views the campaign as a whole, and he offers a balanced portrayal of a conflict that is often overlooked in histories of this phase of the Second World War. ??Most of the graphic photographs he has selected have never been published before, and many come from private sources. They are a unique visual record of the military vehicles, tanks, aircraft, artillery and other equipment used by the opposing armies seventy years ago. They also show the conditions the soldiers faced, and the Balkan landscapes over which they fought, and they give a powerful impression of the reality of battle for the men themselves.
 

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Contents

Photograph Sources
7
Introduction
9
The GrecoItalian Conflict 19401
11
Opposing Plans in the Balkans
17
Germany Enters Bulgaria and Jugoslavia
22
Opening Moves in Greece
44
From the Aliákmon Line to Thermopylae
64
The Flight of 1 Armoured Brigade
80
The Evacuation of W Force
90
Operation Merkur
107
The Battle for the Airfields
115
The Retreat to Sfakia
135
Epilogue
156
Back Cover
161
Copyright

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About the author (2013)

Jeffrey Plowman is a research biochemist by profession who has had a keen interest in military history for over thirty-five years. He has made a special study of New Zealand armor and armored units and has published nineteen books as well as many articles and chapters on the subject. Among his most recent publications are War in the Balkans: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940-1941 and Monte Cassino: Armoured Forces in the Battle for the Gustav Line.

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