#140 The Guns of Navarone (BBC)

World War II was not only a demonstration of the destructive force of human nature but also a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit and the will to survive. This global conflict, its many battles and multitude of personalities, has been the inspiration for a vast array of highly entertaining Hollywood movies: The Sands of Iwo Jima, The Longest Day, Patton, The Dirty Dozen, Tora-Tora-Tora, Where Eagle's Dare, The Great Escape, The Guns of Navarone, and many, many more.  However, in the nearly 70 years since the end of WWII it seems the audio drama community has failed to make use of the storehouse of potential stories from this era of history. What adventures could be had... What stories could be told... in this perfect medium for an action tale.

There is, however, one exception to the rule: the BBC's production of The Guns of Navarone. Based on the Alistar McLean novel this radio adaptation by the legendary Bert Coules tells the tale of a band of men who take on the impossible task of silencing The Guns of Navarone. Two huge German cannons protected by an impregnable fortress on the island of Kheros. Two huge cannons that destroy any allied ships that pass by in the Aegean Sea and that prevent 2000 British troops from being rescued from the island. The commando team's dangerous assignment begins almost immediately with trouble at sea as they attempt to land on Navarone. Their struggles continue upon reaching shore as they must overcome and outmaneuver the island's Nazi occupation force long enough to carry out their mission and survive. Gripping and intense this World War II tale is sure to please listeners who yearn for action and adventure.

Starring Toby Stevens, Michael Williams, David Rintoul.

From the BBC:
It is 1943. Two huge German guns in the grim, impregnable fortress on a huge beautiful island off the coast of Turkey are having a devastating impact on Allied shipping and preventing the evacuation of hard-pressed British troops from the nearby island of Kheros. The Germans are poised to overrun and unless the guns can be put out of action within a matter of days, a thousand men will die.
All previous attempts to attack the fortress of Navarone have failed. It is time for one last desperate throw of the dice. And so a select Subversive Operations commando unit, led by the famous pre-war mountaineer Captain Keith Mallory, launches a daring and very possibly suicidal raid.

This BBC Radio 2 dramatisation, starring Toby Stephens and Michael Williams, brings to exhilarating life one of the greatest adventure stories of World War II.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Guns-of-Navarone/dp/B003OXTOHK