Both Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler wanted the Aegean Sea in 1943. The British prime minister saw an opportunity to force neutral Turkey into the Allied camp and pin down German forces while the Nazi leader hoped to keep Turkey neutral and maintain Germany’s foothold in the Mediterranean and Greece. The conflict came to a head with naval and amphibious assaults involving German SS troops, British commandos, spies, partisans, and even Greek pirates. Waged primarily on the islands of Cos and Leros, the campaign culminated in a German victory.