The Guns of Navarone

The Guns of Navarone is a 1957 novel about the Second World War by Scottish writer Alistair MacLean that was made into the film The Guns of Navarone in 1961. The story concerns the efforts of an Allied commando team to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress that threatens Allied naval ships in the Aegean Sea and prevents over 1,200 isolated British Army soldiers from being rescued. The Greek island of Navarone does not exist and the plot is fictional, but the story takes place within the real historical context of the 1943 Dodecanese campaign. The Guns of Navarone brings together elements that would characterise much of MacLean's subsequent works: tough, competent, worldly men as main characters; frequent but non-graphic violence; betrayal of the hero(es) by a trusted associate; and extensive use of the sea and other dangerous environments as settings. Its three principal characters – New Zealand mountaineer-turned-commando Keith Mallory, American demolitions expert "Dusty" Miller, and Greek resistance fighter Andrea – are among the most fully drawn in all of MacLean's work. Historical background The Greek island of Navarone does not exist and the plot is fictional, but the story takes place within the real historical context of the Dodecanese Campaign, the Allies' campaign to capture the Italian-held Greek islands in the Aegean Sea in 1943. In particular, the Battle of Leros and coastal artillery on island of Leros provide inspiration for the novel. Sited on the island were 11 152mm/6 inch (an intermediate calibre) coastal artillery guns, along with a number of smaller guns. The guns had been manufactured and used by the Italians, and were captured with the island after the surrender of the British and Italian defenders; the guns were used by the Germans for the rest of the war.