Publisher's Synopsis
New Zealander Second Lieutenant Neil Rankin and his platoon find themselves on the back foot, with limited supplies and dented morale, facing a coup de grâce from the relentless Axis forces...
After the fall of Greece in April 1941, the Allies regroup on the island of Crete to make their next stand against the German forces. Bruised and short of weapons and equipment, the story follows New Zealand troops evacuating the mainland and arriving on Crete, the navel of the Mediterranean. Control of Crete was paramount for dominance of sea and air operations, and the defeat in Greece weighed heavily on the exhausted and under-supplied troops... Following from The Rabbit Hunter: The Battle of Greece, this eagerly awaited sequel thrusts the reader back into the chaos of battle alongside Second Lieutenant Neil Rankin and his platoon as they are pitched headlong into the real events of 1941. Under the command of a New Zealand general, the gruelling historical battle might even be seen as a setback in Hitler's violent campaign. A pivotal moment in the Second World War, Crete represented a last-ditch effort to retain a foothold in Greece, demanding everything of the Allied soldiers in resisting the aggressive advance of the German forces and the indomitable Luftwaffe. A vivid tale of gallantry and sacrifice, The Battle of Crete sucks the reader into the explosive bedlam of World War Two. Based on the true events of the New Zealand 1941 campaign in Greece, The Rabbit Hunter sequel once again delivers on impact, setting the bar for realism in war fiction.
