The Hill

From the critically acclaimed author of Dünkirchen 1940, this is a groundbreaking history of the epic three-day battle for Hill 107 that changed the course of the war in the Mediterranean. In this remarkable history, we discover each of the individuals whose actions determined the outcome of the battle for Hill 107, the key event that decided the campaign to capture the vitally strategic island of Crete in May 1941. All the events are narrated through the filter of these eyewitnesses. The Allied perspective is from the summit of Hill 107. We experience the fear and the adrenalin of a lowly platoon commander, Lieutenant Ed McAra, perilously positioned at the top of the hill, alongside the combat stress and command fatigue of the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Andew. In contrast, the German view is looking up from below as they cling to the slopes while simultaneous dazzled by the morning glare and decimated by defensive fire. We join the regimental doctor, Dr Heinrich Neumann, as he assumes command of one battalion and leads a daring nighttime charge towards the summit. The Hill details what was felt, heard or seen throughout the battle for both attacker and defender. Drawing upon original combat reports, diary entries, letters and interviews, the battle is brought vividly to life. The narrative reads like a Shakespearean tragedy, the soldiers revealing their stories in and around the shadows of Hill 107.

A graduate of Reading University, Robert Kershaw joined the Parachute Regiment in 1973. He served numerous regimental appointments until selected to command the 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (10 PARA).
He attended the German Staff College, spending a further two years with the Bundeswehr as an infantry, airborne and arctic warfare instructor. He speaks fluent German and has extensive experience with NATO, multinational operations and all aspects of operations and training.
His active service includes several tours in Northern Ireland, the First Gulf War and Bosnia. He has exercised in many parts of the world and served in the Middle East and Africa. His final army appointment was with the Intelligence Division at HQ NATO in Brussels, Belgium.
On leaving the British Army in 2006, he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has recorded for BBC radio and interviewed on numerous TV documentaries, including Dutch TV and National Geographic, and published frequent magazine and newspaper articles, including in The Times, The Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph. Two of his books have been serialized in the Daily Mail and Daily Express. He lives in Salisbury, England.

Introduction
Prologue
List of Illustrations
List of Maps
Chapter 1: The Decision
Chapter 2: Deployment and Plan
Chapter 3: Eve of Battle
Chapter 4: The Flight of Daedalus and Icarus
Chapter 5: Parachute Assault
Chapter 6: A Battalion Dies
Chapter 7: Command Dilemmas
Chapter 8: Victory by Chance
Chapter 9: Daedalus Returned
Chapter 10: The Swing of the Force Pendulum
Postscript
The Key Decision-Makers and Takers
Table of German Military Ranks
Notes
Bibliography
Index