Crete: The Battle and the Resistance by Antony Beevor

Published by John Murray, 2014, softcover, illustrated, index, 405 pages, condition: as new.

With a new Introduction by acclaimed historian Antony Beevor vividly bringing to life the epic struggles that took place in Second World War Crete,.The Germans expected their airborne attack on Crete in 1941 - a unique event in the history of warfare - to be a textbook victory based on tactical surprise. They had no idea that the British, using Ultra intercepts, knew their plans and had laid a carefully-planned trap. It should have been the first German defeat of the war, but a fatal misunderstanding turned the battle round. Nor did the conflict end there. Ferocious Cretan freedom fighters mounted a heroic resistance, aided by a dramatic cast of British officers from Special Operations Executive.

'The best book we have got on Crete' Observer

The author was a regular in the 11th Hussars, served in Germany and the UK. He has had a number of books published and his book Stalingrad was awarded the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Wolfson History Prize and the Hawthornden Prize. Among the many prestigious posts he holds, he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.