Battle on 42nd Street : War in Crete and the Anzacs' bloody last stand

At what point does the will tosurvive on the battlefield give way to bloodlust? What turns men into killers?TheBattle of Crete was one of the most spectacular military campaigns of thetwentieth century. For the first time in history, German forces carried out aninvasion entirely from the air while poorly equipped Anzac and British forces,and local Cretans, defended the island. Duringthe campaign, one battle stands out for its viciousness. When the Germansapproached the Allies' defensive line, known as 42nd Street, on 27 May 1941,men from the Australian 2/7 and 2/8 Battalions, New Zealanders from severalbattalions and British soldiers counter-attacked with fixed bayonets. By theend, bodies were strewn across the battlefield. Later, a German doctor reportedthat many of the bodies of the German soldiers had been mutilated.Acclaimedhistorian Peter Monteath draws on records and recollections of Australian, NewZealand, German and British forces and local Cretans to reveal the truth behind one of the most gruesomebattles of World War II.'This is military history at its best: deeply researched, powerfully told and proving that the essence of war is men killing other men.' — Joan Beaumont At what point does the will to survive on the battlefield give way to bloodlust? The Battle of Crete was one of the most spectacular military campaigns of the twentieth century. For the first time in history, German forces carried out an invasion entirely from the air while poorly equipped Anzac and British forces, and local Cretans, defended the island. During the campaign, one battle stands out for its viciousness. When the Germans approached the Allies' defensive line — known as 42nd Street — on 27 May 1941, men from the Australian 2/7 and 2/8 Battalions, New Zealanders from several battalions and British soldiers counter-attacked with fixed bayonets. By the end, bodies were strewn across the battlefield. Later, a German doctor reported that many of the bodies of the German soldiers had been mutilated.Acclaimed historian Peter Monteath draws on records and recollections of Australian, New Zealand, British and German forces and local Cretans to reveal the truth behind one of the most gruesome battles of the Second World War. At what point does the will to survive on the battlefield give way to bloodlust? The Battle of Crete was one of the most spectacular military campaigns of the twentieth century. For the first time in history, German forces carried out an invasion entirely from the air while poorly equipped Anzac and British forces, and local Cretans, defended the island. During the campaign, one battle stands out for its viciousness. When the Germans approached the Allies defensive lineknown as 42nd Streeton 27 May 1941, men from the Australian 2/7 and 2/8 Battalions, New Zealanders from several battalions, and British soldiers counter-attacked with fixed bayonets. By the end, bodies were strewn across the battlefield. Later, a German doctor reported that many of the bodies of the German soldiers had been mutilated. Acclaimed historian Peter Monteath draws on records and recollections of Australian, New Zealand, British, and German forces and local Cretans to reveal the truth behind one of the most gruesome battles of the Second World War. At what point does the will to survive on the battlefield give way to bloodlust? The battle for Crete was at once the most modern and the most ancient of wars. For a week Australian and New Zealand forces were relentlessly hammered from the skies by the Luftwaffe and pursued across Crete by some of the most accomplished and best equipped forces Hitler could muster. On the morning of 27 May 1941, however, all that was about to change. When a unit of German mountain troops approached the Allies' defensive line - known as 42nd Street - men from the Australian 2/7th and 2/8th Battalions and New Zealanders from several battalions counter-attacked with fixed bayonets. By the end, German bodies were strewn across the battlefield. Acclaimed historian Peter Monteath draws on recollections and records of Australian, New Zealand, British and German soldiers and local Cretans to reveal the truth behind one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War At what point does the will to survive on the battlefield give way to bloodlust? What turns men into killers? Acclaimed historian Peter Monteath draws on records and recollections of Australian, New Zealand, German and British forces and local Cretans to reveal the truth behind one of the most gruesome battles of World War II.