The Guns of Navarone (novel) facts for kids
First edition cover (UK)
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| Author | Alistair MacLean |
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| Cover artist | John Rose |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Collins (UK) |
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Publication date
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1957 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 288 |
| Preceded by | HMS Ulysses |
| Followed by | South by Java Head |
The Guns of Navarone is an exciting adventure novel written in 1957 by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. It tells a thrilling story set during World War II. The book was so popular that it was made into a famous movie, The Guns of Navarone, in 1961.
The story is about a brave team of Allied commandos. Their mission is to destroy a super strong German fortress. This fortress has huge guns that are stopping Allied ships from rescuing over 1,200 British soldiers. These soldiers are stuck on an island in the Aegean Sea.
Even though the story feels real, the Greek island of Navarone is actually made up. However, the events in the book happen during a real part of World War II, called the Dodecanese campaign in 1943.
The Guns of Navarone is a great example of Alistair MacLean's writing style. It features tough and smart characters, exciting action, and dangerous places like the sea. The main characters are Keith Mallory, a mountain climber from New Zealand, "Dusty" Miller, an American expert with explosives, and Andrea, a Greek resistance fighter. They are some of the most memorable characters in MacLean's books.
Contents
The Real History Behind the Story
The island of Navarone in the book is not a real place. But the story is inspired by real events from World War II. It takes place during the Dodecanese Campaign in 1943. This was when the Allies tried to take back Greek islands in the Aegean Sea from Italy.
The Battle of Leros
The book's story was especially inspired by the Battle of Leros. This battle happened on the island of Leros. Leros had many big coastal artillery guns. These guns were 152mm (about 6 inches) in size, along with smaller ones. The Italians first used these guns. But after the British and Italian soldiers surrendered, the German army took them over. The Germans then used these guns for the rest of the war.
The island of Navarone is heavily guarded by German forces. They want to stop British ships from moving around in the Aegean Sea. About 1,200 British soldiers are trapped on a nearby island called Kheros. The Royal Navy plans to send ships to rescue them. But the huge, radar-controlled guns on Navarone block the only safe path for ships. These guns must be destroyed!
Forming the Special Team
Regular attacks by commandos and even bombing raids by B-24 Liberator planes have failed. So, Captain James Jensen of the Royal Navy, who leads special operations in Cairo, comes up with a very risky last plan. He puts together a team of expert saboteurs. Their job is to sneak onto the island by climbing a cliff that everyone says is impossible to climb. Then, they must get inside the fortress and blow up the guns. They have less than one week to do it!
The team meets for the first time in Alexandria, Egypt. Here are the brave members:
- Captain Keith Mallory – A New Zealand officer known as "The Human Fly" because he was a famous mountain climber before the war. He has been working in the mountains of German-held Crete.
- Andrea – A former Greek army officer. He is a tough fighter and a very close friend of Mallory.
- Corporal Dusty Miller – An American expert with explosives. He is a bit cynical and doesn't think they have a good chance of success.
- Petty Officer Telegraphist Casey Brown – A British Royal Navy engineer. He is from Clydeside and used to install equipment before the war.
- Lieutenant Andrew Stevens R.N.V.R. – A young naval officer chosen to navigate. Like Mallory, he speaks fluent Greek and is a good mountaineer.
The Journey to the Island
The team travels by fast boat and plane to Castelrosso, an island held by the British. There, they find a boy named Nicolai, who works in the laundry. He pretends not to speak English but is actually spying on them. They ask for him to be arrested, but it seems he might not have been.
They then sail towards Navarone in an old fishing boat called a caïque. They carry fake papers that say they are working with the German commander of Navarone. A German patrol boat stops them, and it seems like the Germans were expecting them! The team fights back, sinks the patrol boat, and defeats all the crew.
A terrible storm hits, and their boat is wrecked. They manage to land on the island but lose a lot of their gear. They start climbing the "unclimbable" south cliff. But during the climb, Stevens slips and gets badly hurt.
They sneak past German guards and travel through deep snow and rough land. They meet Louki, who used to work for the island's exiled owner, and his mysterious friend Panayis. Louki and Panayis bring them much-needed food. Over the radio, Captain Jensen tells the team that they have even less time than planned. The rescue ships are coming that very night!
While resting in a cave, a group of German mountain soldiers captures them. Their leader, Oberleutnant Turzig, recognizes Mallory as the famous climber. The team is taken to the town of Margaritha. There, a German officer named Hauptmann Skoda questions them very harshly. But thanks to Andrea creating a distraction, the team turns the tables. Skoda is shot, and Turzig and the others are tied up. The team escapes and heads towards the town of Navarone. More German troops and planes chase them, again seeming to know where they are.
The Final Push
Stevens is badly injured and cannot continue. He asks to be left behind. Miller discovers that much of his explosives equipment is damaged. Suspicion falls on Panayis, who some think might be a double agent. He doesn't admit anything, but the evidence against him is strong. Miller shoots him.
Mallory and Miller manage to get inside the fortress where the big guns are. The rest of the team creates a distraction outside. Mallory and Miller set the explosives and then escape to meet the others. They steal a boat and meet up with the British destroyer HMS Sirdar. This ship is leading two other destroyers through the deep channel. Just in time, the explosives blow up the guns! The guns are destroyed, and the ships can continue their mission to rescue the trapped soldiers.
More About the Book
In 1990, a group called the British Crime Writers' Association listed The Guns of Navarone as one of the top 100 crime novels of all time.
The movie version of The Guns of Navarone was very successful. This led Alistair MacLean to write a sequel called Force 10 from Navarone in 1968. This second book continues the story from the movie, not exactly from the first book.
The fantasy novel The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny has a similar-sounding name. It's thought to be a playful reference to MacLean's book. Both Avalon and Navarone are fictional islands.
Movies, TV, and Radio Versions
Carl Foreman wrote and produced a movie version in 1961.
In 1997, BBC Radio 2 made a two-hour radio play of the story. It was written by Bert Coules and directed by Patrick Rayner. The actors included:
- Toby Stephens as "Mallory"
- David Rintoul as "Andrea"
- Michael Williams as "Commodore Jensen"
- John Guerrasio as "Miller"
- Alex Norton as "Brown"
- Peter Kenny as "Stevens"
The Guns of Navarone was also made into an audiobook. Patrick Allen read a shorter version, and Steven Pacey read the full story for Harper Audio.
