The wartime classic, Ill Met By Moonlight is built around the contemoraneous diary of Moss while he and the far better known Patrick Leigh Fermor went to Crete in 1944 to abduct the Nazi commanding the island, General Kreipe.
The reasons for the abduction are confused - Moss and Fermor have different memories of the plan's conception (during a high-spirited leave in Cairo). Moss was an SOE newbie whereas Fermor had been leading the resistance on Crete for a couple of years. The main point, in fact, was the sheer bravado of the exploit, guaranteed to dominate headlines around the world. Personally, I suspect the Allied Command was delighted to stage a massive distraction in the Eastern Mediterranean while they prepared to land in Normandy two months later.
It is more like two weeks before D-Day when the raiders manage to get off the island with their captive (obviously they succeed; no one was going to publish a book about a wartime failure in 1950). In the six or so weeks since Moss landed he and Fermor and their motley band of Cretans and Russians have survived many scapes and setbacks. For the modern reader what stands out is the bravery of all parties, especially the locals who have most to lose and will have to face brutal reprisals. Moss writes really well and this new edition is well put together, with extra material from Fermor, who wrote several books about his service on Crete. Highly recommended.
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