Dodecanese.

This is coolbert:

"The failed campaign, and in particular the Battle of Leros, inspired the 1957 novel 'The Guns of Navarone' and the successful 1961 movie of the same name."

Here with the Dodecanese Campaign [1943] from the Second World War [WW2].

The "Twelve Islands" of the Aegean, occupied primarily by Italian troops whose fighting capacity was deemed as totally lacking. The campaign seen by planners as an opportunity that offered advantage.

Almost exclusively a British operation, badly gone awry.

A decisive German victory [the last major German victory of the war], a decisive English defeat [the last major British defeat of the war]!

An attempt at Balkan machinations by Churchill. An attempt to bring Turkey into the war on the side of the allies. An attempt to use the airfields of the Dodecanese as bases from which the oil fields of Romania [Ploesti] could be bombed.

NOTHING going according to plan. English efforts resulting in significant loss for allied forces, German troops perpetrating some atrocity at the behest of Hitler!

"The Dodecanese Campaign of World War II was an attempt by Allied forces, mostly British, to capture the Italian-held Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea . . . The Allied effort failed, with the whole of the Dodecanese falling to the Germans within two months, and the Allies suffering heavy losses in men and ships"

"The United States were skeptical about the operation, which they regarded as aiming mostly at post-war political benefits for Britain, and an unnecessary diversion from the main front in Italy. They refused to support it, warning the British that they would have to go on alone"

Once again - - almost exclusively a British military adventure, against the wishes of Eisenhower!

"With Mussolini's government gone, Winston Churchill wished to take control of these islands as bomber bases to attack Adolf Hitler's oil fields in Romania. His plans were opposed by American General Dwight Eisenhower based on his suspicion of British imperialistic ambitions as well as Eisenhower's favor for a direct confrontation with German forces in Western Europe. Churchill proceeded with his own plans to align the Dodecanese Islands with the Allies despite Eisenhower's decision that he could only spare some air cover for Churchill's detachments."

Ike is generally seen by military historians as being a timid commander? NOT taking chances for which the odds of success were NOT 100 %?

Eisenhower greatly desired to keep the allied coalition on an even keel during WW2. Harmony among the various allied militaries [most of all among American and British commanders] was a stated goal of Ike. Eisenhower was keenly aware from studying the campaigns of Napoleon that coalition forces do ordinarily NOT fight well. Always of concern to Ike was for FOCUSED AND NOT DISSIPATED ENERGY!

Obviously the Dodecanese Campaign was an instance of unfocused energy on the part of the allies - - NOT contributing to the whole!!

Ike was right!

coolbert.