The Rabbit Hunter: Part 2 The Battle of Crete

If the Greek campaign in 1941 was the curtain-raiser, then the subsequent battle in Crete can best be described as the main event. This sequel to the well-received The Rabbit Hunter again focuses on Second Lieutenant Neil Rankin and his platoon of fictional soldiers from the New Zealand Division as they are pitched headlong into the real Battle of Crete.
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When the battle opens, it is man against man, individuals pitting their wits against an implacable enemy, resulting in the New Zealand soldiers suffering the kind of reaction that is now internationally recognised as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The battle was a technical defeat for the Allies, but the invading elite units receive such a mauling that Hitler never again commits them to a large-scale airborne assault. Both thrilling and tragic, The Battle of Crete sets the bar for realism in war fiction.