{"product_id":"taken-on-crete-1941-gary-hocking-9781764196949","title":"Taken On Crete 1941: CPL James Roberts' War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTaken on Crete 1941: Cpl James Roberts' War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn Australian soldier. A doomed island. A battle that changed the course of his life forever.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn early May 1941, Cpl James Roberts arrived on the Greek island of Crete after months of service in North Africa. He expected a brief posting. Instead, he walked straight into one of the most dramatic and desperate battles of the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe skies darkened first.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGerman paratroopers descended in their thousands, overwhelming the scattered Allied defenders. Roberts found himself fighting through confusion, chaos, and relentless enemy advances. Within days, the battle was lost. As escape routes collapsed and ammunition ran dry, he was captured.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHis war had only just begun.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTransported across Europe to a POW camp in Poland, Roberts faced starvation, brutal winters, forced labour, and the daily fight to stay alive. Yet through friendship, determination, and quiet defiance, he refused to surrender his spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on true events, \u003ci\u003eTaken on Crete 1941\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful and deeply human story of survival, endurance, and the strength of ordinary men thrust into extraordinary circumstances. It honours the courage of an Australian soldier whose journey across Crete and Europe reflects the wider suffering and resilience of Allied POWs during the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor readers of military history, true war narratives, Australian wartime stories, and anyone drawn to real accounts of courage in the face of overwhelming odds.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Gary Hocking\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1764196945\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781764196949\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Gary Hocking\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/24\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 332\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.74d","brand":"Gary Hocking","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48440656756991,"sku":"9781764196949","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_9da12177-cace-45a7-af0f-9aac0668b9a8.jpg?v=1777183923","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/taken-on-crete-1941-gary-hocking-9781764196949","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}