The Cretan Runner: His Story of the German Occupation

London: J. Murray, 1988. Later printing of the original 1978 paperback editoin. Small quarto in illus orange wraps; xiii, 242 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates: illustrations, 1 map, portraits; 22 cmindex Very good with minor wear. See photos. Personal owner name stamp to front free endpaper. . Paperback. ISBN: 9780719534751

Translation of: Kretikos Mantatophoros, originally published in1955. "George Psychoundakis was a twenty-one-year-old shepherd from the village of Asi Gonia when the battle of Crete began: "It was in May 1941 that, all of a sudden, high in the sky, we heard the drone of many aeroplanes growing steadily closer." The German parachutists soon outnumbered the British troops who were forced first to retreat, then to evacuate, and Crete fell to the Germans. So began the Cretan resistance and the young shepherd's career as a war-time runner. In this unique account of Resistance life, Psychoundakis records the daily life of his fellow-Cretans, his treacherous journeys on foot from the eastern White Mountains to the western slopes of Mount Ida to transmit messages and transport goods, and his enduring friendships with British officers (like his eventual translator Patrick Leigh Fermor) whose missions he helped to carry out with unflagging courage, energy, and good humor"—Publisher. / World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Greece -- Crete.  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives.  Guerre mondiale, 1939-1945 -- Mouvements de résistance -- Grèce -- Crète.  Guerre mondiale, 1939-1945 -- Récits personnels.  War -- Underground movements. Personal narratives.  Greece -- Crete.  Resistance movements Personal observations.