On Spartan Wings

The Royal Hellenic Air Force in World War Two

John Carr

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Aviation
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781781598986
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World War II
• Index: History

This WWII history chronicles the courageous but ill-prepared Greek air force from the Battle of Greece to the Battle of El Alamein and beyond. On October 28th, 1940, when Greece was invaded by Mussolini's Italy, the Royal Hellenic Air Force was severely outgunned. Without warning, the RHAF's paltry fleet was pitted against the much larger and more advanced Regia Aeronautica, whose pilots had recently honed their skills in the Spanish Civil War. Though the British Royal Air Force gave whatever assistance it could, the aerial war was unequal from the beginning. Greek flying aces such as Marinos Mitralexis managed to keep morale high. But even as individual pilots and crewmembers fought valiantly, the RHAF was seriously depleted by the end of 1940. The end came in April 1941 when Hitler sped to the rescue of Italy's faltering forces. The Luftwaffe overwhelmed what was left of the RHAF, leaving a single mira, or squadron, to escape intact to Egypt. Out of this small squadron grew three full mirai, whose pilots, now equipped with modern aircraft, played a decisive part in the Allied victory at El Alamein. Until Greece was liberated in October 1944, the RHAF units ranged over targets in the Aegean Sea, Italy and Yugoslavia. In this comprehensive history, John Carr draws on meticulous research and firsthand accounts to shed light on the skill and heroism of the Greek airmen and their contributions to WWII air warfare.

Table of contents

• Dedication
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Plates
• Preface
• Prologue - The Man Who Said No
• Chapter 1 - ‘The Most Magnificent Thing I Ever Saw’
• Chapter 2 - The Icarus School
• Chapter 3 - Planes for Tobacco
• Chapter 4 - ‘Contingency G’
• Chapter 5 - And if Fate Calls . . .
• Chapter 6 - With a Little Help from our Friends
• Chapter 7 - ‘God Help Us’
• Chapter 8 - Thermopylae Revisited
• Chapter 9 - The Flight to Egypt
• Chapter 10 - The Air Force that Nearly Wasn’t
• Chapter 11 - Back into the Fight: El Alamein
• Chapter 12 - Unlucky 13 Mira
• Chapter 13 - The Other Battle of Crete
• Chapter 14 - Mutiny!
• Chapter 15 - Back to the Balkans
• Chapter 16 - Going Home
• Epilogue - No Rest for the Weary
• Notes
• Appendix I - Targets and Losses of the RHAF, 1941–1944
• Appendix II - Scores and Victories
• Bibliography and Related Works
• Index of Names