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Partisan
The gripping story of a New Zealand solider who escaped the clutches of a prisoner-of-war camp to join the Yugoslav freedom fighters during the Second World War After a daring escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in occupied Yugoslavia, John Denvir reached the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, where he joined a partisan band as a machine-gunner. Believed shot and killed by New Zealand forces and his family in New Zealand, from January 1942 until the end of 1943, Denvir led brave and heroic attacks on German and Italian soldiers from behind enemy lines. He was wounded four times, received the Soviet Medal for Valour and was eventually appointed brigade commander. When 'Corporal Frank' was demobilised he returned to New Zealand and became a taxi driver in the small South Island town of Temuka.
Originally published in 1945 and out of print for many years, this is his remarkable true story.
Originally published in 1945 and out of print for many years, this is his remarkable true story.
- GenresGreeceNonfiction
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1945
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 1, 2024
First published in 1945, I found a much more recent edition at a book sale, and was eager to read it.
John Denvir was from a Scottish family emigrated to New Zealand, and he volunteered to fight in the New Zealand Army, attached to the New Zealand Battalion. After training in Egypt, Corporal Denvir was among the many captured quickly after deployment in Greece in April 1941, and interned as a prisoner of war initially in Greece, but then followed a long, often gruelling, journey to
Maribor, Slovenia - known to the Germans as STALAG XVIII D. There were 12000 men in the prison camp there, around half British (mostly Australians and New Zealanders), the other half Yugoslavian, French and later Russians.
From the beginning Denvir had no objective other than escape, and returning to fight in the war. He found others in the camp willing to take the same risks and made his first escape with two other men. Their intention was to head to Turkey - although this was a vast distance to travel through enemy territory and inevitably they were recaptured.
On the next escape, made with Australian gunner Colin Cargill, later killed by Italian troops (the book is dedicated to Cargill, he made such an impression on Denvir), they stayed local, having been warned of the heavy axis occupation for any journey to safety. They were told of men in the mountains fighting the Italian occupiers, and made their way to join them. These were the Slovenian Partisans, and Cargill and Denvir joined as machine gunners.
The partisans were engaged in challenging the Italians as they moved around the occupied land, but eventually evolved into more guerilla tactics, being heavily outnumbered. Strongly supported by the local villages the partisans were considered heroes, but the civilians paid heavily when the Italians suspected they had aided the rebel soldiers. Throughout the war civilians were killed and villages were burned in appalling circumstances. The partisans took their own revenge where able.
When Denvir heads out on a mission one day his gives Cargill his military ID to keep safe. When their camp is raided, Cargill is killed, the papers are found on him and it is reported to his family that Denvir has been killed. It is not for over a year that he has the opportunity to send a message to the British that he is alive and fighting with the partisans in Slovenia.
As the partisans become more professional, more successful and more dangerous to the axis forces they increase their efforts to eliminate them. Politics play their part, with another group (the Serbian chetniks) taking credit for much of the partisan success and were often hostile to the partisans. The chetniks were supported by the British, who considered the Partisans (wrongly) were not a professional force capable of challenging the Italians and Germans. Denvir was promoted and when the Slovenian partisans joined up with Tito and the partisans in Croatia across the border Denvir spent time in the central command.
This story was written from Denvir's diaries, and from numerous interviews with Denvir himself, but you can feel the reluctance of the soldier to explain his contribution to the Partisans in Slovenia. The author saw past this modesty and self deprecation, but relied on the input of others to explain some of Denvir's heroic acts. I outlined it briefly above, but it details the years Denvir spend in Slovenia, the military actions and the details of many who died.
Denvir was wounded several times, the last was an elbow injury which prevented him from fighting, but also required more medial care than could not be provided locally. He was evacuated to allied controlled Italy for care which ultimately ended his war.
He was awarded the DCM (Distinguished Conduct Medal) and was the only British soldier to be awarded the Soviet Medal of Valour.
This is an easy to read, yet detailed biography, and it is great to see these types of histories recorded.
4.5 stars, rounded down.
John Denvir was from a Scottish family emigrated to New Zealand, and he volunteered to fight in the New Zealand Army, attached to the New Zealand Battalion. After training in Egypt, Corporal Denvir was among the many captured quickly after deployment in Greece in April 1941, and interned as a prisoner of war initially in Greece, but then followed a long, often gruelling, journey to
Maribor, Slovenia - known to the Germans as STALAG XVIII D. There were 12000 men in the prison camp there, around half British (mostly Australians and New Zealanders), the other half Yugoslavian, French and later Russians.
From the beginning Denvir had no objective other than escape, and returning to fight in the war. He found others in the camp willing to take the same risks and made his first escape with two other men. Their intention was to head to Turkey - although this was a vast distance to travel through enemy territory and inevitably they were recaptured.
On the next escape, made with Australian gunner Colin Cargill, later killed by Italian troops (the book is dedicated to Cargill, he made such an impression on Denvir), they stayed local, having been warned of the heavy axis occupation for any journey to safety. They were told of men in the mountains fighting the Italian occupiers, and made their way to join them. These were the Slovenian Partisans, and Cargill and Denvir joined as machine gunners.
The partisans were engaged in challenging the Italians as they moved around the occupied land, but eventually evolved into more guerilla tactics, being heavily outnumbered. Strongly supported by the local villages the partisans were considered heroes, but the civilians paid heavily when the Italians suspected they had aided the rebel soldiers. Throughout the war civilians were killed and villages were burned in appalling circumstances. The partisans took their own revenge where able.
When Denvir heads out on a mission one day his gives Cargill his military ID to keep safe. When their camp is raided, Cargill is killed, the papers are found on him and it is reported to his family that Denvir has been killed. It is not for over a year that he has the opportunity to send a message to the British that he is alive and fighting with the partisans in Slovenia.
As the partisans become more professional, more successful and more dangerous to the axis forces they increase their efforts to eliminate them. Politics play their part, with another group (the Serbian chetniks) taking credit for much of the partisan success and were often hostile to the partisans. The chetniks were supported by the British, who considered the Partisans (wrongly) were not a professional force capable of challenging the Italians and Germans. Denvir was promoted and when the Slovenian partisans joined up with Tito and the partisans in Croatia across the border Denvir spent time in the central command.
This story was written from Denvir's diaries, and from numerous interviews with Denvir himself, but you can feel the reluctance of the soldier to explain his contribution to the Partisans in Slovenia. The author saw past this modesty and self deprecation, but relied on the input of others to explain some of Denvir's heroic acts. I outlined it briefly above, but it details the years Denvir spend in Slovenia, the military actions and the details of many who died.
Denvir was wounded several times, the last was an elbow injury which prevented him from fighting, but also required more medial care than could not be provided locally. He was evacuated to allied controlled Italy for care which ultimately ended his war.
He was awarded the DCM (Distinguished Conduct Medal) and was the only British soldier to be awarded the Soviet Medal of Valour.
This is an easy to read, yet detailed biography, and it is great to see these types of histories recorded.
4.5 stars, rounded down.
June 16, 2025
In 1941, Scottish-born, New Zealand-raised John Denvir is captured in Greece, send to a prison camp in Maribor, Slovenia, and escapes to join the much-maligned Partisans behind enemy lines. A seemingly insurmountable task of avoiding death at every corner, Denvir assumes a fake name, is declared dead multiple occasions, much to the disbelief of his Christchurch-based wife, and survives the war to help record what really went on. The Partisan force was made up of many nationalities all fighting for freedom from the tyrannical Axis Powers. However, it was falsely believed that the myriad of successes on the battlefield they carried out were mainly by Ustachi/Chetnik forces (Balkan fascist sympathisers). Decorated with medals from Marshall Tito and the Russian Army, Denvir describes the horrific wintry battles and injuries he sustained whilst earning these, the final arm injury proving too much. His escape via boat through the maze of islands of the Dalmatian coast, by chance meeting with a fellow Kiwi from Napier, ultimately reaching safety, is the stuff of fiction. It is also a journey of the truth being stranger. Written in 1945, when Denvir was a simple taxi driver in Temuka.
October 17, 2020
Great story of a battled hardened man from New Zealand. The battles he faught and lead were amazing with a small army against a large enemy. It is a story that anyone interested in World War 2 should read. I've seen and read many things about the war in Europe but this is the first I've seen that talks about the battles against the Italians in the East. This book was originally written in 1945 using the diaries and interviews of Corporal Denvir, so it is fresh.
May 30, 2020
Finished it in pretty quickly as I just couldn’t get enough of it.
I would recommend this fantastic read to anyone and everyone!
I would recommend this fantastic read to anyone and everyone!
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July 22, 2021Fantastic the man was a hero
April 19, 2019
"Partisan" is the extraordinary true story of New Zealand soldier John Denvir's survival in World War Two. In April 1941 Denvir was captured by the Germans in Greece and sent to a POW camp in Yugoslavia. Day to day life in the camp was brutal and the thought of escape was a constant in Denvir's mind.
After a daring escape he had to choose whether to try and make his way to the coast, to neutral territory, or to join a small band of 120 local partisans who were waging guerrilla warfare against the Nazis in the mountains of Slovenia.
Denvir chose to join the partisans and soon found out what this meant. It was a daily battle to survive and he was reminded of his mortality as he fought alongside these men and gained their respect. He spent two years serving alongside them and leading attacks on German and Italian positions. He was also aware that his family back in New Zealand had been informed that he was missing presumed dead. The mind as well as the body was put through the wringer and he was also wounded on a number of occasions.
Eventually the Allies began recognising the importance and dedication of the Yugoslavian partisans and started lending their support, but it was the time he spent behind the lines that made his story exceptional. John Denvir's bravery is one of the War's unsung stories, told well by James Caffin.
After a daring escape he had to choose whether to try and make his way to the coast, to neutral territory, or to join a small band of 120 local partisans who were waging guerrilla warfare against the Nazis in the mountains of Slovenia.
Denvir chose to join the partisans and soon found out what this meant. It was a daily battle to survive and he was reminded of his mortality as he fought alongside these men and gained their respect. He spent two years serving alongside them and leading attacks on German and Italian positions. He was also aware that his family back in New Zealand had been informed that he was missing presumed dead. The mind as well as the body was put through the wringer and he was also wounded on a number of occasions.
Eventually the Allies began recognising the importance and dedication of the Yugoslavian partisans and started lending their support, but it was the time he spent behind the lines that made his story exceptional. John Denvir's bravery is one of the War's unsung stories, told well by James Caffin.
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March 7, 2022Deciding here not to rate true story non-fiction because I don't feel it's my place
I got this book thanks to HarperCollins a long while back now, and am just getting to it. I'm so glad I did read this because I wasn't aware of the Partisan forces during WW2! And it's so interesting reading about NZ people fighting and helping, especially one as incredible as John Denvir. Such different times we live in now. I could not imagine roughing it in the mountains for months or years, fighting and ambushing Italian forces. Such an eye-opener
I got this book thanks to HarperCollins a long while back now, and am just getting to it. I'm so glad I did read this because I wasn't aware of the Partisan forces during WW2! And it's so interesting reading about NZ people fighting and helping, especially one as incredible as John Denvir. Such different times we live in now. I could not imagine roughing it in the mountains for months or years, fighting and ambushing Italian forces. Such an eye-opener
January 20, 2023
Damn this would make a great movie, this was such an excellent book, the story of sergeant denvir is an inspiration.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews