GREEK VICTORIES AND THE PERSIAN EBB 480-479 BC

Sub-titled 'The Battles of Salamis, Plataea, Mycale and After', the book is the dramatic conclusion to a series which explains the reversal of fortunes and final defeat of Xerxes' Persian invasion of Greece. The focus is on the successful repulsion of the massive Persian fleet at Salamis, a resounding naval victory with parallels to the English defeat of the Spanish Armada. Along with the backstage policies and cloak-and-dagger events, the analysis of hard data and naval and military realities and environment shows the reason for this outcome. It closely follows the double campaign of the following year that ended the Persian threat. The massive land victory at Plataea which ousted the empire from mainland Greece and crippled its armies, and the amphibious operation at Mycale which destroyed the remnants of the royal Persian Armada and shut the doors on further Persian incursions in Greece are examined in detail. Kambouris examines the plans, potential, assets and liabilities of the protagonists to explain command decisions and developments in the field. The major invasion launched by the Achaemenid Empire under King Xerxes' in early 480BC, the formidable obstacles projected by the Greek mettle and ingenuity in the Pass of Thermopylae slaying King Leonidas of Sparta and his personal guard of 300 knights was thanks to the very robust command, control and intelligence system the Imperials had in place. Their weakest element was the Imperial Navy, comfortably outnumbered by the Greek Navy by 3 to 1 at the beginning of the campaign. The fleet retired from its forward base in Cape Artemisium unimpeded and Greek confidence was increased. A lightning terror campaign brought the Empire to the first declared objective, Athens. A fresh appraisal to these hugely significant events of 2½ millennia ago. 256pp, fact boxes inserted. A heavyweight quality publication on the Greco-Persian Wars. Some colour images.