These pictures are from the book by William Stanley Moss which documented the famous abduction of the commander of German forces in Crete, General Heinrich Kreipe. They show the development of the story from the planning stage, the ‘abduction gang’ selection, and pictures taken during the escape with the General to the south coast and freedom.
-
- General Kreipe rests during the escape
-
- General Kreipe second right
-
- George, “Wallace Beery” and Manoli
-
- The hideout on Mount Ida
-
- ‘PG’ a local Andarte leader
-
- My copy of Ill Met by Moonlight
-
- General Kreipe
-
- Bourdzalis and his Andartes
-
- A old warrior with Paddy
-
- General Kreipe takes a salute in Cairo
-
- The abduction gang – PLF centre Moss to his left
-
- Kreipe centre – Moss to left and PLF to right surrounded by the gang
-
- Details of the kidnap from Ill Met by Moonlight
-
- In the snow on top of Mount Ida
-
- Saying goodbye to General Kreipe
-
- John Houseman left and John Lewis
-
- PLF, Bourdzalis and “Billy” Moss
-
- Manoli Paterakis – key abduction gang member
-
- George Tyrakis – key abduction gang member
-
- Crete map from Ill Met by Moonlight showing Moss’ entry beach and the escape route
-
- Moss, Kreipe and Paddy
-
- “Billy” Moss with his Russians
-
- Planning the kidnap with Bourdzalis
Patrick Leigh Fermor 
Pingback: Map of Crete to follow the kidnap story | Patrick Leigh Fermor
Pingback: Great People | A Listly List
I am in touch with an Italian Publisher who is interested in publishing Moss’ book, anybody can help me finding out rights owners?
Some years ago I met the Countess Sophia Tarnowska who was once married
to Billy Moss. During the course of the interview she tried to tell me that there was
some material about Christine Granville in the book – which there is not. I was at
the time doing research for a biography of Christine. She repeated the story of life
in Cairo, so brilliantly presented by Artemis Cooper, and also told me an interesting
anecdote about Christine, Andrew Kennedy (Kowerski) and Vladimir Ledochowski,
a Polish officer who had a brief affair with Christine in 1940. Those familiar with
Christine’s story will know that after her murder in June 1952, Andrew and 4 SOE
colleagues agreed a pact not to cooperate with journalists or would-be Christine
biographers. In conducting my research I discovered a number of things which
might have been embarrassing to him and to Christine.
That group, calling themselves the Club of the Saved, maintained their silence for
nearly 20 years and it was only when Vladimir allowed Andrew to read his proposed auto-
biography, that Andrew decided it was time to find a writer who would produce his
version of Christine’s life. That was Madeleine Masson.
Tarnowska told me that Andrew hit the roof when he read passages in Vladimir’s
book giving details of Christine’s love life with Andrew.
After Andrew died in 1988 Paddy Leigh Fermor wrote a nice little piece about
him in The Spectator.
Ron Nowicki
Pingback: A Year of Memory: the top ten posts on the Patrick Leigh Fermor blog « Patrick Leigh Fermor
Pingback: Xan Fielding Obituary « Patrick Leigh Fermor
Pingback: General’s long trip home « Patrick Leigh Fermor
Pingback: Photographs of Ill Met by Moonlight « Patrick Leigh Fermor