Behind Enemy Lines: Kiwi Freedom Fighters in WWII

by Matthew Wright

'The cloak and dagger, secretive, mercurial, exceedingly hazardous life behind enemy lines . . . ' —Allan Yeoman

Between 1941 and 1945, many young Kiwi combatants found themselves loose behind enemy lines in occupied southern Europe - mostly Greece, Yugoslavia and Italy. Most were escaped prisoners of war, trying to reach friendly territory. A few brave souls such as John Mulgan and Dudley Perkins took even riskier routes, actually landing in occupied territory to bolster the resistance and carry the fight to the enemy. When need arose, the escapees fought, often as members of partisan bands. 'We decided that if it was too late to get across to Turkey or Palestine the alternative was to kick up a bit of a bloody shindig in southern Greece,' Bill Griffiths recalled of his experiences. Resourceful and determined Kiwis helped make life a headache for German and Italian occupying forces.

This book tells of many extraordinary feats of heroism and survival. We have only to look at Bill Griffiths' adventures, scudding into Piraeus harbour amidst a storm, right under the noses of the Nazis; or at the way Frank Gardner took the war into his own hands, dynamiting German trains with or without the help of the partisans, to realise just how remarkable, determined and capable these young New Zealanders really were.

Genres: Nonfiction

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Matthew Wright has qualifications in music, history and anthropology, among other fields, holds postgraduate degrees in history, and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society at University College, London. He published his first short story in 1976 and since the early 1980s has worked extensively as a writer, professional historian, reviewer and journalist. His work includes more than 500 articles, academic papers and reviews, and over 50 books on topics from travel guides to biography, engineering, earthquakes, transport, military and social history. He has a particular interest in the sciences.

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different person for each chapter, ten chapters telling the stories of captured NZ soldiers in Crete, Greece and Yugoslavia, behind enemy lines.
They are often the most modest of men, these brave and dedicated men, who continue their fight against the enemy after their escape from captivity. So many stories, with a lot of similarity, but generally acting as individuals.
A good collection of tales, some penned by the soldiers them selves, others pieced together from letters or memoirs, some by other authors telling their tales.
Sadly we are reaching the time when these men, young in 1941-44 are reaching the end of their lifespans, so very nice to have their history recorded in this way.

Very similar to Free Lodgings; The True Story of a Kiwi Soldier's Amazing Bid for Freedom, by Peter Winter, a book which tells one story, which picks up on a lot of other peoples stories on the way.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Had tried it before when I was not in the mood for Partisan warfare and could not get into it. Then I had it as my secondary home book and the episodic nature of the book went over much better. Just a collection of war memoirs of Kiwis (New Zealanders) who either escaped from the Germans in the initial Greek disaster, or escaped from Italian prison camp thereafter. There are some really interesting ones and the fact that the cold war had already started in the Balkans is really in evidence. A plain good read- this can be enjoyed by younger kids, maybe as young as 11(When I began reading serious history tomes) all the way to real history buffs who will geek out on the mismatch of gear evidenced. Totally not enough maps... but who cares... just me But a straight rec.