Navarone

Navarone is a fictional island in the Aegean Sea created by British author Alistair MacLean for his 1957 World War II adventure novel The Guns of Navarone. In the story, a German heavy gun battery on Navarone threatens Allied evacuation operations and lands held by Greek resistance. To disable the guns, an Allied commando team undertakes a dangerous mission to destroy the fortress and escape before the batteries can be reinforced.

The Guns of Navarone was adapted into a 1961 film directed by J. Lee Thompson. The movie preserved the core plot and featured an international ensemble cast, including David Niven, Gregory Peck, and Anthony Quinn. The film popularized the setting and contributed to the enduring association of the name Navarone with wartime action and daring improvisation.

Navarone is the best-known use of the name in fiction, and the island is regarded as a fictional location introduced by MacLean. The term has appeared in popular culture as a generic reference to set-piece wartime rescue or assault missions, rather than to a real geographic location. The Guns of Navarone remains a landmark in mid-20th-century adventure fiction, noted for its blend of suspense, tactical problem-solving, and ensemble character dynamics.