The invasion of Crete in 1941 should have been a textbook battle, a swift and decisive blitzkrieg, based on tactical surprise. In fact it was based on a series of misjudgements which were to result in large and bloody losses and Crete became the graveyard of the German parachute troops. In this account, Callum MacDonald shows how the interception of German plans by British intelligence allowed them to create a carefully prepared trap for the German parachute troops, and also how the German victory proved a hollow one, as their forces suffered greater losses in the battle for Crete than in the entire Balkan campaign. MacDonald has made use of new material previously kept secret, to create a narrative of one of the vital battles of World War II.