John Nikolopoulos was born in Thessaloniki in 1924. He finished elementary school there and attended only five years of high school in Athens due to the outbreak of the Greek–Italian war. During the first months of the German–Italian occupation; he was an active member of an organisation which helped British soldiers trapped in Athens to escape. In September 1941; aged just 17; he set out on his journey to the Middle East from Piraeus; via the island of Samos. After an adventurous two-month trip; he arrived in Palestine where he enlisted in the Greek Army of the Middle East in Beit Lit/Kfar Iona camps. He served in active units (1st and 3rd Field Artillery Regiments) until 28 November 1945. He fought in El Alamein; Rimini; and; in December 1944; in Athens; as a soldier; and was promoted from Corporal to Sergeant to Sergeant Major. In the 1950s he emigrated to Cameroon; Africa. He married in 1954; in Athens; and in 1960 returned to Greece; where he became a businessman until his retirement in 2008. Whilst tidying up one of his storage rooms one day; he found a small package with photos and documents of his years as a soldier and; under pressure from his family to record the events he had lived through; he started to write this book; which he completed in December 2015. It can be divided into two parts: the first part is from the time of the declaration of war from Italy–Germany until 25.11.1945; when he was demobbed; and tells of the writer’s participation in the battles of El Alamein; Rimini and the December Battles in Athens in 1944; and the second part tells of events between 1946 and 1950.
#190383 in Books 2016-10-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.25 x 6.25l; .0 #File Name: 1510713026388 pages
Review
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Excellent; Engaging Resource. "The Golden Age of Piracy" Explains Reality of Villains of the CaribbeanBy Andy Anderson aka Travis C.*** LANGUAGE ***Written in plain English. Except for a very few uses of the d-word; this has no cussing. Suitable for all age groups; Young Adult and older. If this were a film; it would be rated G.Quick Dirty HighlightsThis is the work of a former Navy Seal who; early on in life; became fascinated with the likes of Blackbeard and buccaneers. The information here is engagingly written and; in my opinion; is probably among the best in its field. I enjoyed this as much; or more; as I did some similar offerings by Michael Crichton and Ken Rossignol. Although Crichton is better known for other genres; his Pirate Latitudes is one of my favorites.Length: Print; 388 pages.Target Audience/Genre: Nonfiction discussion of pirates Dispels myths and common notions of the romance of piracy.Q - How was this book obtained?A - Bought on .Q - Is this a book that I can read without having to read others first?A – Yes.Q - Are there a lot of typos/misspellings; grammatical errors or other editing failures?A – No.Q - Is this a fast; easy read or is it more of a leisure read?A – A leisure read.Q - My biggest pleasure or disappointment?A - Very comprehensive but could include photos and illustrations/maps.I’ve included a small excerpt below; so readers can peruse the style of presentation utilized by the author.EXCERPT'...The pirates furled the white banner of France they marched under; and in its place they raised high a “red flag with a death’s head at the center and two crossed bones below the head; in white; in the middle of the red.†15The flag meant they would give no quarter.At Franco’s order; the pirates fired musket volleys into the grasses where the Native Americans; who had been given a cow to slaughter and eau de vie to drink as encouragement to fight; lay hiding. The hot lead balls; whizzing by ears; cutting leaves; and killing and wounding warriors; scattered the Spanish allies. Hearing the fusillade; the mounted Spanish soldiery dashed to the road in a cloud of dust; expecting that the filibusters had been attacked by surprise—but when they realized theirerror they reined up and retreated; keeping their distance.The rest of the attack was anticlimactic. The Spanish cavalry; most of it probably composed of poorly trained and armed militia and volunteers; chose discretion over battlefield valor. Captain Franco led his men into Acaponeta unmolested and held it to ransom; using hostages; including the governor; as a means of additional persuasion. The Spaniards promised them one hundred thousand pieces of eight; eight hundred carts of wheat; two hundred mule loads of corn; and eight hundred salted cattle. This was an enormous ransom for so small a place! Too enormous; in fact—the filibusters should have been suspicious. The Spaniards; no fools either; delayed as long as they could; providing five cows and two loads of wheat per day; giving time for a small man-of-war to...'Excerpted from Chapter 1.Bottom Line:Love the no-nonsense writing flow. Many times I felt as if I were sitting on a cruise ship; involved in a one-on-one discussion with the author. I could book a cruise with either Rossignol or Little to learn about the villains of the Caribbean.Five stars out of five.Comments regarding your opinion of this book or of my review; whether favorable or unfavorable; are always welcome. If you buy the book based on my review and become disappointed; especially; I do want to know that and I want to understand how I can improve as a book reviewer. Just please be polite.Thank you.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Pirate Myths Debunked HereBy Hans RigelmanWhatever you thought you lnew about pirates; Benerson Little will set you straight. His passion for the subject shows as he compares the characters we read about in novels or seen in the theater with the real people they portrayed. Though you may still enjoy your Pirates of the Caribbean movies you will find yourself shaking your head and smiling as the old salt cries "Arrr; shiver me timbers!..."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Decent info but could have been shorterBy B. HoovenParts were hard to put down while others I had to force myself to muddle through. I learned some things and will forever think differently of the golden age of pirates but I think I could have gleaned as much from an abridged edition. Still; it was worth reading.
