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The Hill: The brutal fight for Hill 107 in the Battle of Crete
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.
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.
429 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2024
9 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kershaw
23 books69 followersBorn in 1950 and 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 (Fuhrungsakademie) 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 Army in 2006 he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has written a paper on the military impact of HIV AIDS for Cranfield University and more recently was the historical editor for ParaData, an on-line archive for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.
He served numerous regimental appointments until selected to command the 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (10 PARA). He attended the German Staff College (Fuhrungsakademie) 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 Army in 2006 he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has written a paper on the military impact of HIV AIDS for Cranfield University and more recently was the historical editor for ParaData, an on-line archive for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 14, 2024
had seen intensive action between 1914 and 1918
The 1914-18 experience had taught
strain at battalion level on the older World War I veterans had been immense
had a distinguished 1914-18 record but the enemy he had fought in Greece was nothing like his previous experience
experienced this day was completely outside the formative experiences of the senior officers, most of whom had been of junior rank in World War I
drew upon their 1914-18 experiences
Crete, like Monte Cassino, is one of those awkward moments in New Zealand war mythology. New Zealanders were in command and those New Zealanders dropped the ball (the Australians and, gasp, the British, had better records in Crete). On the one hand there is a complicated backstory to the campaign, on the other, it also turned on certain small-unit actions were personalities determined results. The Hill is about the latter, and the framing of the scene allows Kershaw to write the story a certain way while “honouring” the reputations of the individual soldiers.
Storytime
I don’t know what lies ahead. I know only that it produces in me a sensation I never knew in the last war. It is not fear. It is something quite different, something which I can only describe as dread.
The Hill is a novel.
There’s a central focal point (Hill 107) and the main characteristics of the leads are clearly and repeatedly defined in ways that determine events. The New Zealand commanders are hampered by their World War One experiences and while the German parachutists do vary, they are often portrayed “not like those other guys” – i.e. eccentrics that aren’t quite Nazi or Prussian (which gets confusing when the German mountain troops nickname the parachutists Prussian pigs). What happens to Hill 107 is impactful on the larger picture, which unfolds extremely quickly. There are also emotional peaks and clear “Acts” (Prelude/Landing/Withdrawal/Desperate Counterattack). What ifs during the battle abound. It’s rich material to write about.
With regards to Hill 107 and the landing on Crete, there’s solid grounds for revolving the larger story around it. I am comfortable saying that relatively small-scale battle where you can write a story around individual characters was campaign changing. Kershaw also gets to go big with the impact – the cancellation of further large scale paratroop operations for the Germans, encouragement to do more for the Allies (I feel like he gets his timing off on the later, admitting as such that the impetus for Britain was back in June 1940).
Another “novel” element of the book is Kershaw occasionally has to stretch the connective material of eyewitness quotes. The passengers of a doomed glider were probably rigid with fright in the circumstances, but its hard to confirm this when there were no survivors. However, that was the only obviously questionable editorial insertion though.
Big Picture Stuff
He positively exuded the aggressive energy that harnessed modern technology to succeed on the battlefield, the hallmark of Hitler's National Socialist Wehrmacht.
My “problem” with The Hill is that the narrow approach – by its nature – excludes discussing matters that could have changed the result one way or another. Could the Royal Navy have meaningfully interfered with the airlift? What if the other airfields had fallen? What if there were four squadrons of Spitfires on the island? Some of these contingencies will be more facetious than others, but there is a plethora of decisions that created the situation. How many did the British get right? How many did the Germans? They’re not totally ignored by Kershaw (he discusses Student’s oil spot operational approach) but generally there is a condensation or ignoring of wider events to focus on the Hill. It’s good novel writing, but it reminds you it is a “novel”. This isn’t about complicated and contradictory chains of causation, which could alter one’s perception of events. Maybe Crete was always doomed to fall one way or another.
It makes an interesting challenge to judge The Hill. It does exactly what it says on the can it will do. Individuals make a difference. It’s well written. My only mechanical issue, as alluded to above, is I that question whether Kershaw gets right certain characteristics about the characters, particularly the German soldiers:
Whatever the type, they were rather like Meindl, less National Socialist than committed nationalist serving the regime.
I am not sure what Kershaw is really getting at here, and his characterisations potentially have wider implications on how the reader should judge the Wehrmacht. I have stronger criticisms but I do not think they quite fit in a review, and they’re less glaringly obvious than with Tank Men. I am also sure Kershaw’s judgements are defensible, he’s read far more recollections than me. I would just comment that Kershaw is crafting a novel, and easily definable characters tend to help with writing good ones.*
There were no lines in this battle.
In the end, I will rate The Hill positively. As a novel.
*I do get there are exceptions but they tend to prove the rule.
The 1914-18 experience had taught
strain at battalion level on the older World War I veterans had been immense
had a distinguished 1914-18 record but the enemy he had fought in Greece was nothing like his previous experience
experienced this day was completely outside the formative experiences of the senior officers, most of whom had been of junior rank in World War I
drew upon their 1914-18 experiences
Crete, like Monte Cassino, is one of those awkward moments in New Zealand war mythology. New Zealanders were in command and those New Zealanders dropped the ball (the Australians and, gasp, the British, had better records in Crete). On the one hand there is a complicated backstory to the campaign, on the other, it also turned on certain small-unit actions were personalities determined results. The Hill is about the latter, and the framing of the scene allows Kershaw to write the story a certain way while “honouring” the reputations of the individual soldiers.
Storytime
I don’t know what lies ahead. I know only that it produces in me a sensation I never knew in the last war. It is not fear. It is something quite different, something which I can only describe as dread.
The Hill is a novel.
There’s a central focal point (Hill 107) and the main characteristics of the leads are clearly and repeatedly defined in ways that determine events. The New Zealand commanders are hampered by their World War One experiences and while the German parachutists do vary, they are often portrayed “not like those other guys” – i.e. eccentrics that aren’t quite Nazi or Prussian (which gets confusing when the German mountain troops nickname the parachutists Prussian pigs). What happens to Hill 107 is impactful on the larger picture, which unfolds extremely quickly. There are also emotional peaks and clear “Acts” (Prelude/Landing/Withdrawal/Desperate Counterattack). What ifs during the battle abound. It’s rich material to write about.
With regards to Hill 107 and the landing on Crete, there’s solid grounds for revolving the larger story around it. I am comfortable saying that relatively small-scale battle where you can write a story around individual characters was campaign changing. Kershaw also gets to go big with the impact – the cancellation of further large scale paratroop operations for the Germans, encouragement to do more for the Allies (I feel like he gets his timing off on the later, admitting as such that the impetus for Britain was back in June 1940).
Another “novel” element of the book is Kershaw occasionally has to stretch the connective material of eyewitness quotes. The passengers of a doomed glider were probably rigid with fright in the circumstances, but its hard to confirm this when there were no survivors. However, that was the only obviously questionable editorial insertion though.
Big Picture Stuff
He positively exuded the aggressive energy that harnessed modern technology to succeed on the battlefield, the hallmark of Hitler's National Socialist Wehrmacht.
My “problem” with The Hill is that the narrow approach – by its nature – excludes discussing matters that could have changed the result one way or another. Could the Royal Navy have meaningfully interfered with the airlift? What if the other airfields had fallen? What if there were four squadrons of Spitfires on the island? Some of these contingencies will be more facetious than others, but there is a plethora of decisions that created the situation. How many did the British get right? How many did the Germans? They’re not totally ignored by Kershaw (he discusses Student’s oil spot operational approach) but generally there is a condensation or ignoring of wider events to focus on the Hill. It’s good novel writing, but it reminds you it is a “novel”. This isn’t about complicated and contradictory chains of causation, which could alter one’s perception of events. Maybe Crete was always doomed to fall one way or another.
It makes an interesting challenge to judge The Hill. It does exactly what it says on the can it will do. Individuals make a difference. It’s well written. My only mechanical issue, as alluded to above, is I that question whether Kershaw gets right certain characteristics about the characters, particularly the German soldiers:
Whatever the type, they were rather like Meindl, less National Socialist than committed nationalist serving the regime.
I am not sure what Kershaw is really getting at here, and his characterisations potentially have wider implications on how the reader should judge the Wehrmacht. I have stronger criticisms but I do not think they quite fit in a review, and they’re less glaringly obvious than with Tank Men. I am also sure Kershaw’s judgements are defensible, he’s read far more recollections than me. I would just comment that Kershaw is crafting a novel, and easily definable characters tend to help with writing good ones.*
There were no lines in this battle.
In the end, I will rate The Hill positively. As a novel.
*I do get there are exceptions but they tend to prove the rule.
March 25, 2025
This is a good read if you like stories of soldiers in combat. The Battle of Crete is so important in German military history and New Zealand national history that archivists in both nations have been proactive in collecting soldiers' letters and journal entries while generations of historians have interviewed survivors and many more survivors recorded their experiences. This gives the author a wealth of eyewitness testimony to bring alive his account of the battle for this hill.
The story only adds to the high reputation earned by German and New Zealand soldiers in the World Wars. The courage and determination of the German paratroopers recorded here is nothing short of incredible, but they were fortunate to have battlefield commanders who in the face of catastrophe employed boldness and enterprise to achieve an unlikely victory. The New Zealand soldiers were less fortunate. Knowing they had won, the New Zealanders were full of confidence and eager to attack, but their commanding officer, having convinced himself they had lost, decided to retreat. Meanwhile, the officer commanding this officer stayed in his dugout.
It is to the author's credit that he acknowledges that both these officers proved capable in other battles and therefore seeks to describe what the battle was actually like to show why they failed. There are good descriptions of the terrain of Crete and its special challenges, as well as descriptions of the psychological impact of German air supremacy. It all makes for a dramatic read.
A dramatis personae might have been useful since there are so many eyewitnesses that the reader can lose track of who's who and the nature of their relationships. But there is a welcome appendix describing the later lives of the main characters.
The book's main fault is a lack of good editing. The author would have done better had he relied less on his spellcheck and more on a dictionary. He has a tendency to employ a word that looks like the word he wants but has a different meaning, leading to some real malapropisms: a commander allowing his men 'lassitude' instead of 'latitude' comes to mind; also soldiers in a 'precocious' rather than 'precarious' situation, but there are plenty of others. The author also tends to confuse the sequence of events, particularly when detailing the lead-up to the battle, which often necessitates rereading a paragraph to work out when an event occurred and to whom. The author also seems uncertain when to use 'might' instead of 'may'.
But while he may be unclear on some of the niceties of English usage, the author basically tells a good story and, most importantly, he knows his subject. Crete was a unique, dramatic and gruesome battle, and 'The Hill' does it a fair amount of justice.
The story only adds to the high reputation earned by German and New Zealand soldiers in the World Wars. The courage and determination of the German paratroopers recorded here is nothing short of incredible, but they were fortunate to have battlefield commanders who in the face of catastrophe employed boldness and enterprise to achieve an unlikely victory. The New Zealand soldiers were less fortunate. Knowing they had won, the New Zealanders were full of confidence and eager to attack, but their commanding officer, having convinced himself they had lost, decided to retreat. Meanwhile, the officer commanding this officer stayed in his dugout.
It is to the author's credit that he acknowledges that both these officers proved capable in other battles and therefore seeks to describe what the battle was actually like to show why they failed. There are good descriptions of the terrain of Crete and its special challenges, as well as descriptions of the psychological impact of German air supremacy. It all makes for a dramatic read.
A dramatis personae might have been useful since there are so many eyewitnesses that the reader can lose track of who's who and the nature of their relationships. But there is a welcome appendix describing the later lives of the main characters.
The book's main fault is a lack of good editing. The author would have done better had he relied less on his spellcheck and more on a dictionary. He has a tendency to employ a word that looks like the word he wants but has a different meaning, leading to some real malapropisms: a commander allowing his men 'lassitude' instead of 'latitude' comes to mind; also soldiers in a 'precocious' rather than 'precarious' situation, but there are plenty of others. The author also tends to confuse the sequence of events, particularly when detailing the lead-up to the battle, which often necessitates rereading a paragraph to work out when an event occurred and to whom. The author also seems uncertain when to use 'might' instead of 'may'.
But while he may be unclear on some of the niceties of English usage, the author basically tells a good story and, most importantly, he knows his subject. Crete was a unique, dramatic and gruesome battle, and 'The Hill' does it a fair amount of justice.
June 7, 2024
Robert Kershaw (https://robertjkershaw.com) is the author of nearly 20 books. The Hill was published last month and it is the 44th book I have completed reading in 2024.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this book as R.
This book looks at the German invasion of Crete in 1941. Specifically, it looks at the battle for Hill 107 and the struggle around Maleme and the airport. The battle for Crete lasted only a few days. The Greek, British, and Commonwealth forces defending the island had only recently escaped from the relentless advance of the German Wehrmacht in mainland Greece. They were ill-prepared, having left much of their equipment behind in their struggle to avoid capture.
Germany was attempting to use its airborne force to quickly overwhelm the defenses of Crete, much like they had in Belgium in 1940. This was their opportunity to strike quickly utilizing their paratroopers and glider-born forces. The invasion was a success but at the cost of terribly high casualties.
The author lays out the battle for Crete in detail, giving nearly equal coverage from both the German and Allied perspectives. Many mistakes were made by both sides.
I enjoyed the 11.5+ hours I spent reading this 429-page WWII history. I had known very little about the battle for Crete before reading this book. I like the cover art that was chosen. I give this novel a rating of 3.6 (rounded to 4) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this book as R.
This book looks at the German invasion of Crete in 1941. Specifically, it looks at the battle for Hill 107 and the struggle around Maleme and the airport. The battle for Crete lasted only a few days. The Greek, British, and Commonwealth forces defending the island had only recently escaped from the relentless advance of the German Wehrmacht in mainland Greece. They were ill-prepared, having left much of their equipment behind in their struggle to avoid capture.
Germany was attempting to use its airborne force to quickly overwhelm the defenses of Crete, much like they had in Belgium in 1940. This was their opportunity to strike quickly utilizing their paratroopers and glider-born forces. The invasion was a success but at the cost of terribly high casualties.
The author lays out the battle for Crete in detail, giving nearly equal coverage from both the German and Allied perspectives. Many mistakes were made by both sides.
I enjoyed the 11.5+ hours I spent reading this 429-page WWII history. I had known very little about the battle for Crete before reading this book. I like the cover art that was chosen. I give this novel a rating of 3.6 (rounded to 4) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
April 2, 2024
A detailed narrative of the seldom discussed battle of Crete, which occurred in May/June 1941. Crete's location was strategically important and needed to be captured from the British, by elite German airborne forces.
After eight days of bitter fighting the British allies suffered a humiliating defeat, with 6000 casualties. It is clear in the book that the Allies were not a coherent force, lacked effective communications, heavy weapons, and close air support. The Germans had total air superiority during the battle.
It was a disastrous mistake for the British to abandon the strategically placed Hill 107, allowing German reinforcements to land at the airfield.
I enjoyed learning about the battle from the perspective of both sides of the fighting. The author has undertaken an amazing amount of research.to gather many first-person narratives together.
I've read one of the author's earlier books, Dunkirchen 1940, which in my opinion has a slight edge in terms of readability. However, I recommend The Hill to any military buff.
After eight days of bitter fighting the British allies suffered a humiliating defeat, with 6000 casualties. It is clear in the book that the Allies were not a coherent force, lacked effective communications, heavy weapons, and close air support. The Germans had total air superiority during the battle.
It was a disastrous mistake for the British to abandon the strategically placed Hill 107, allowing German reinforcements to land at the airfield.
I enjoyed learning about the battle from the perspective of both sides of the fighting. The author has undertaken an amazing amount of research.to gather many first-person narratives together.
I've read one of the author's earlier books, Dunkirchen 1940, which in my opinion has a slight edge in terms of readability. However, I recommend The Hill to any military buff.
April 23, 2024
An intriguing and well-written novel regarding the fall of Crete in WW2. The author made good use of firsthand accounts from both sides of the conflict. The stories were full of heroism and bravery on both sides. The author also did a good job of explaining the faults in leadership that led to the outcome of the battles.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
January 21, 2025
DNF, not what I was expecting.
October 23, 2025
An informative book on a unique WWII campaign. We see how the Germans take possession of the island, ironically while suffering a tactical defeat. The planning on both sides was deeply flawed.
The book's at its best when focusing on those command issues. The battlefield descriptions are done very well too, although it's difficult to keep the locations and situations in mind. That's mostly due to the dispersal and isolation of the "ink spot" German paratroop drop strategy.
There's little doubt that had the British mounted a counterattack the night following the initial attack, the Germans might well have been defeated decisively. It seems that the Germans were as overconfident as the British were pessimistic.
Describing a fluid campaign of this type benefits from having an abundance of maps, in various scales. The maps themselves are good, especially the one showing how the actual paratrooper drops varied significantly from their predermined zones.
The author is undoubtedly correct in stressing the importance of Hill 107, which commanded the airfield. In some ways, the poor intelligence and infighting amongst commanders on both sides gives the battle an eerie archaic quality, in which small group initiative, leadership, and morale counted for more than planning and orders.
I did feel lost at times in that many actions and events were told more than once. Also, the degree of military jargon had me scrambling for clarity--why "co-located" when "adjacent," or "along-with" will do? A "stick" of guys? Having just started reading a book on Market-Garden, I feel better equipped with paratroop terms, mostly because that author explains the terminology or makes in clear in context.
Then there's a few non-military terms that are jumbled.
I enjoyed the book, though it would rate higher if it had better editing.
The book's at its best when focusing on those command issues. The battlefield descriptions are done very well too, although it's difficult to keep the locations and situations in mind. That's mostly due to the dispersal and isolation of the "ink spot" German paratroop drop strategy.
There's little doubt that had the British mounted a counterattack the night following the initial attack, the Germans might well have been defeated decisively. It seems that the Germans were as overconfident as the British were pessimistic.
Describing a fluid campaign of this type benefits from having an abundance of maps, in various scales. The maps themselves are good, especially the one showing how the actual paratrooper drops varied significantly from their predermined zones.
The author is undoubtedly correct in stressing the importance of Hill 107, which commanded the airfield. In some ways, the poor intelligence and infighting amongst commanders on both sides gives the battle an eerie archaic quality, in which small group initiative, leadership, and morale counted for more than planning and orders.
I did feel lost at times in that many actions and events were told more than once. Also, the degree of military jargon had me scrambling for clarity--why "co-located" when "adjacent," or "along-with" will do? A "stick" of guys? Having just started reading a book on Market-Garden, I feel better equipped with paratroop terms, mostly because that author explains the terminology or makes in clear in context.
Then there's a few non-military terms that are jumbled.
I enjoyed the book, though it would rate higher if it had better editing.
May 25, 2024
9/10 I highly recommend this book. It jumps right into an airborne assault so even the introduction is interesting. It doesn't waste time on politics or what Churchill thought. It tells personal stories and tactical details about a battle from both sides. The scale of this 2-3 day battle isn't overwhelming; the area covered in the book could be walked in a few hours. Other parts of this large island invasion are mentioned enough to give the big picture. I've read about the invasion of Crete before, and this book has details I didn't know.
My minor complaint is it often jumps backwards in time to cover the same time period. Sometimes it's interesting such as when the same attack is told from two perspectives. Other times it jumps from a nightfall to a morning, and then I realize it means the previous morning. My personal preference in history books is stricter timelines. If this doesn't bother you, enjoy.
My minor complaint is it often jumps backwards in time to cover the same time period. Sometimes it's interesting such as when the same attack is told from two perspectives. Other times it jumps from a nightfall to a morning, and then I realize it means the previous morning. My personal preference in history books is stricter timelines. If this doesn't bother you, enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews