The story is woven around real events and some real people. It carries on with the story started in "Four's Destiny'".
The island of Leros was the scene of a major battle when the Allies tried to retain control of the Dodecanese against determined German forces. After the initial air attack, which sank the ‘Olga’, the island suffered 52 days of fighting, initially being bombed and then, despite the presence of the LRDG, and other British and Italian soldiers, the defenders were forced to surrender – the last time the Germans gained any land in World War II. Although the writing was on the wall when the islands of Rhodes and Kos were taken – depriving the Allies of airstrips – the allied forces fought valiantly to overcome a determined and well-led German attack. In the end their lack of air support proved decisive.
The island’s formidable defences, set up by the Italians between the wars, were purportedly the inspiration for Alistair MacClean’s novel, ‘The Guns of Navarone’. I would thoroughly recommend “Churchill’s Folly” by Anthony Rogers and a recently published history of the battle by Julie Peakman, “Hitler’s Island War” for more information about this little-known battle.
Many British, Italian, Greek and German servicemen died in this protracted - and pointless battle. When the British forces, overwhelmed by superior German air support, surrendered, most of them were captured, and were transported to German Prisoner of War camps, where they were poorly treated. Some, however, managed to escape. Helped at night onto small boats, they were taken to the next island, Lipsoi, from where they were transported to the Turkish coast. This was not the end of the war in the Aegean. British special forces continued to harry the Germans in many islands. Small boats, operating by night from the Turkish coast, they transported Greek and British soldiers to and from the islands. In 1944, a group of soldiers invaded the island of Symi, defeating the German troops there and making their escape before the superior German forces reacted.
Resistance was not confined to the Mediterranean theatre. In occupied France, surreptitious groups fought valiantly to harass the German invaders at the risk of torture and death if they were caught. British agents, male and female, were flown to France to bolster this resistance and to provide a lifeline to the British, preparing with America for the D-Day landings. When captured, few of these resistance heroes survived. As Paris fell, most of the gallant fighters held by the Germans were transported to Ravensbruck concentration camp, where they perished.
The island of Leros, under Italian occupation a major base, was returned, with the rest of the Dodecanese, to Greek control in 1948. The island's many military buildings were converted into a mental hospital and, during the time of the Greek Junta, political prisoners were incarcerated there and elsewhere on the island.
In modern times, the island has developed as a major base for yachting. It has no less than three shipyards, a marina and good connections with the Greek mainland, despite its relatively small size. It is not on the normal tourist list but its people are welcoming and friendly to foreigners.