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

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 BlA cher. This is their story. Born into one of Germany's best-known military and aristocratic families, the von BlA cher brothers were FallschirmjAger, 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 FallschirmjAger archive, this is the first full and accurate account of a little-known but remarkable story.