Heroes in Death: The von Blücher Brothers in the Fallschirmjäger, Crete, May 1941

by Adrian Nisbett

Overview

Crete, May 20, 1941. An amazed world watched as the first great airborne invasion in history began. Among the 8,000 German paratroopers taking part in Operation Mercury were three brothers: Wolfgang, Lebrecht, and Hans Joachim von Blücher. This is their story. Born into one of Germany's best-known military and aristocratic families, the von Blücher brothers were Fallschirmjäger, among the elite of the German armed forces. Illustrated throughout with family photographs and many other rare illustrations, Heroes in Death recounts the brothers' lives before the war, their training as paratroopers, the action for which Wolfgang was awarded the coveted Knight's Cross, how they died in the invasion of Crete, and the aftermath of their deaths. Based on family recollections, letters, and documents, and on records from the Fallschirmjäger archive, this is the first full and accurate account of a little-known but remarkable story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764346316
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	06/28/2014
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 7.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Adrian Nisbett lives in South Africa and, following his retirement from full-time work, has spent much of the past ten years working with wildlife, particularly with cheetahs in Namibia. He has had a life-long interest in military history and in collecting militaria. He has spent the past two years researching and writing Heroes in Death.