The Cretan Runner

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Also during the German occupation time in Crete, there was a lot of support for the partisans from Ási Goniá. The most famous son of the place is George Psychoundakis, author of the "Cretan Runner", which describes the joint Cretan-British fight in his book in the substrate. Psychoundakis, George (1955). The Cretan Runner: His Story of the German Occupation. London: John Murray. OCLC 753260092. Psychoundakis’s effortlessly poetic account reflected a passionate love of his homeland and its people, a geologist’s and botanist’s eye, chortling bemusement at the habits of the upper-class British agents, and deep comradeship with his fellow resistance fighters.”—Simon Steyne, The Guardian George must have a brilliant memory for people, names and places but I must admit they did become a little blurred, not helped by an insufficient map of the island at the start of the book , The book has at once a calm of a race which takes it for granted that life is full of death, and the excitement of a fighter who wildly enjoys his own part of the dangerous business. It is full of jokes and full of pride." — Sunday Times

The Cretan Runner : His story of the German Occupation The Cretan Runner : His story of the German Occupation

Goniá has a long tradition as a residence, headquarters of a partisan group. Two well-known Andartes come from Ási Goniá. Petraka Papadopetrakis, leader of the Andarten in Ási Goniá and George Psychoundakis, the Cretan Runner. The abovemention of the German General Creever, the Operational Guidance of the State Forces of the "Fortress Crete" by two English officers and a small group of Partisans (Andartes) towards the end of April 1944, is considered the spectacular and daring action of Partisans throughout World War II.

As written the reader does get a flavour of the danger that surrounded George and colleagues at all times, the boredom and shortage of food that they must have suffered much of the time, whilst at other times there were feasts, wine and laughter. The book did provide a good flavour of what it must have been like to a) live in a Nazi occupied country b) how ordinary folk rallied to the cause and c) how the British by and large co-ordinated much of the resistance effort. If you were doing a thorough study of the conflict in Crete this would be a must read. If you don't know much about the conflict there this is probably too narrow of a subject and limited in scope to be the first thing to read. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth

The Cretan Runner: Books - AbeBooks The Cretan Runner: Books - AbeBooks

This is a memoir from the conflict in Crete during WWII after the Germans invaded and occupied the island. The author was a runner and message bearer for English spies and local underground. He talks about running messages and literally running from pursuing Germans shooting at him. The occupation was oft times pretty brutal and a good example of how not do win a population over to your side. There is not a lot of urban cloak and dagger stuff here. They lived out in the woods/hills/caves and often went hungry. The author had an opportunity to go to Egypt and he talks about all the guys with him gorging themselves until they threw up because it had been so long since they had good food. There have been other memoirs of wartime Crete but those were visitors’ books. George’s story, as Leigh Fermor points out in the introduction, is unique.”—Allison PearsonGeorge Psychoundakis BEM ( Greek: Γεώργιος Ψυχουντάκης, 3 November 1920 – 29 January 2006) was a member of the Greek Resistance on Crete during the Second World War and after the war an author. Following the German invasion, between 1941 and 1945, he served as the dispatch runner for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) operations on Crete, as part of the Cretan resistance. During the postwar years he was at first mistakenly imprisoned as a deserter. While in prison he wrote his wartime memoirs, which were published as The Cretan Runner. Later he translated key classical Greek texts into the Cretan dialect. From 1974 until his retirement, Psychoundakis, together with another fighter in the Greek resistance, Manolis Paterakis, were caretakers at the German war cemetery on Hill 107 above Maleme. George Psychoundakis buried Bruno Brauer when he was re-interred on Crete later in the 1970s. [5] Sources [ edit ] Dillon, John, "The Cretan Runner: George Psychoundakis story", Battle of Crete, UK: My Crete, archived from the original on 3 March 2016 , retrieved 16 February 2009

The Cretan Runner: The Story of the German Occupation

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. A fine copy in likewise slipcase. PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF NEWLY ACQUIRED FOLIO SOCIETY BOOKS, INCLUDING MANY OF THE LIMITED EDITIONS. Size: 8vo. Missing from the book is the overall outcome of the successes that the work of the runner George Psychoundakis and his countrymen achieved. The most celebrated act of resistance in Crete – the capture of the German local leader Kreipe is described. Yet there were many other successes in sabotage achieved on raids conducted not by SOE but by the Special Boat Service (SBS) of the Royal Marines (SBS), which made incursions into Crete in coordination with SOE. The SBS raids, targeting German military infrastructure, became regular. The first raid on 9 June 1942 targeted the German airfields at Kastelli, Heraklion, Maleme and Tymbaki, and in the first two instances recorded success in the destruction of aircraft, albeit at the cost of the life of one saboteur and the freedom of three others. A second raid on the same airfields (with the exception of Maleme) was staged in July of the following year, while the third and final raid, distinguished by closer collaboration between SBS and SOE, took place in July 1944. There was skepticism about the value of the raids and the Cretans, too, felt at best ambivalent about this form of Allied intervention. The second of the SBS raids brought a round of reprisals. Among the reprisal victims were most of the small Jewish colony in Heraklion.First FS Edition. 230mm x 150mm (9" x 6"). xxxv, 221pp + plates. 22 b/w plates. VG : in very good condition with dark green slipcase. Slipcase marked and faded Cream pictorial boards with gilt titles. Plowman, Jeffrey (2013). War in the Balkans: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940–1941. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-78159-248-9. Born in 1920 in the tiny village of Asi Gonia high up in the mountain passes of western Crete, George Psychoundakis grew up poor. He and his three siblings only had a rudimentary education. His parents Nicolas and Angeliké worked hard, but the family was still one of the poorest in their village. George got his real education as a shepherd. And as it turned out, this high mountain learning would serve his nation and others very well. A photo of George Psychoundakis (left) and a comrade in WW II – H.M. Government It was not only the toughest but the most dangerous job of all. It involved immense journeys carrying vital messages, smuggling arms and explosives and guiding Allied soldiers, agents and commandos through heavily garrisoned territory. And George did not escape capture and torture on his many forays. The Holocaust of Kedros was an operation involving 2,000 Axis soldiers who targeted Anogeia and Damasta. A total of 900 houses were burned, 50 civilians were shot and 3,500 became internally displaced. In the following days the operation expanded to other villages, men were executed, houses were looted and then burned or dynamited regardless of their involvement in resistance activities. [40] Local resistance bands could do nothing but watch, being vastly outnumbered. [41] Biographical works [ edit ]