**Bob Drury and Tom Clavin's The Last Hill is the incredible untold
story of one Ranger battalion's heroism and courage in World War II.
**
They were known as "Rudder's Rangers," the most elite and experienced
attack unit the Army had. In December 1944, they would be the spearhead
into Germany, taking the war into Hitler's homeland at last. Their
colonel was given this objective: Take Hill 400. The second objective:
Hold Hill 400. To the last man, if necessary. The battle-hardened
battalion had no idea that the German Volks-Grenadiers, who greatly
outnumbered the Rangers, had been given the exact same orders. The clash
of the two determined forces was one of the bloodiest and costly ones of
World War II.
Castle Hill, the imposing 400-foot mini-mountain the grunts simply
called Hill 400, was the gateway to still-powerful Nazi Germany. Even an
entire division had been repulsed by the desperate defenders. The Allies
had to have it to drive a dagger into Germany's heart. Hitler had to
hold onto it because hidden behind it was the massive army of men and
machines poised to smash their way through Allied lines in the Battle of
the Bulge.
The stalemate could not continue. For Gen. Dwight Eisenhower and his top
brass, there was only one solution: Send in the Rangers. After two days,
when they were finally relieved, only 16 Rangers remained to stagger
down from the top of Hill 400. The Last Hill is filled with
unforgettable action and characters--a gripping, finely detailed saga of
what the survivors of the battalion would call "our longest day."
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.
