Product Description

The invasion of Crete in 1941 should have been a textbook battle, a swift and decisive blitzkrieg, based on tactical surprise. In fact it was based on a series of misjudgements which were to result in large and bloody losses and Crete becoming the graveyard of the German parachute troops. In this account, Callum MacDonald shows how the interception of German plans by British intelligence allowed them to create a carefully prepared trap for the German parachute troops, and also how the German victory proved a hollow one, as their forces suffered greater losses in the battle for Crete than in the entire Balkan campaign. MacDonald has made use of material previously kept secret, to create a narrative of one of the vital battles of World War II.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1020897 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
'Callum MacDonald is a historian of considerable merit' D. C. Watt, The Times 'A grim battle impressively presented' Observer 'A highly readable contribution to the illumination of this strange episode - that was at the same time so bloody, so frustrating, and so heroic' Alan Clark, Guardian 'The Lost battle is a wonderful book, scholarly yet very readable, with many new insights' Paul Kennedy, author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

About the Author
Callum MacDonald is professor of Modern History at the University of Warwick. His other books include THE UNITED STATES, BRITAIN AND APPEASEMENT 1936-1939; KOREA: THE WAR BEFORE VIETNAM and THE KILLING OF REINHARD HEYDRICH.