Heraklion, May 1941. On the north coast of Crete, the British forces are redeploying troops, ahead of a German invasion of the island. A brutal defeat in Greece has forced them to withdraw from the mainland, weakened and dejected.

For Captain Bentley Paine, of the Yorks & Lancs Regiment, the planned assault is a chance to finally prove himself in this war, not least to his infuriating assistant, Corporal Hallmark. But when the attack begins at dawn, no one can be prepared for the death and bloody fighting that will ensue.

As German paratroopers fire at will, victory is decided in a matter of days. But both sides will face devastating losses, in a game-changing campaign, that will become one of the most intense and horrific battles of the Second World War.

Robert Lofthouse was born in Twickenham and joined his local county infantry regiment (1 PWRR) straight from school at the age of sixteen. After serving 20 years, having served in Poland, Germany, Kenya, Canada, Falkland Islands, Iraq, Northern Ireland, and Kosovo, he retired in the rank of Sergeant.
He now works as a defence consultant and lives in Portsmouth with his wife and three children.