The Last Hill

The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle That Defined WWII

By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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 in the United States Army. In December 1944, Lt. Col. James Rudder's 2nd Battalion would form the spearhead into Germany, taking the war into Hitler’s homeland at last. In the process, Rudder was given two objectives: Take Hill 400 . . . and hold the hill by any means possible. To the last man, if necessary. The battle-hardened battalion had no idea that several Wehrmacht regiments, 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 most costly encounters of World War II.

Castle Hill, the imposing 1320-foot mini-mountain the American Rangers simply called Hill 400, was the gateway to a desperate Nazi Germany. Several entire American divisions had already been repulsed by the last hill's dug-in defenders as—unknown to the Allies—the height was the key to Adolf Hitler's last-minute plans for a massive counterattack to smash through the American lines in what would become known to history as the Battle of the Bulge.

Thus the stalemate surrounding Hill 400 could not continue. For Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, there was only one solution: Call in Rudder's Rangers. Of the 130 special operators who stormed, captured, and held the hill that December day, only 16 remained to stagger back down its frozen slopes. The Last Hill is replete with unforgettable action and characters—a rich and detailed saga of what the survivors of the 2nd Ranger Battalion would remember as “our longest day.”

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2022 Tom Clavin and Bob Drury (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Journalists Drury and Clavin have turned out a steady stream of well-received military histories … and their latest fits well with their previous titles … war stories remain a persistent genre, and this should satisfy its substantial readership.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Last Hill

"In this exhaustive history ... Drury and Clavin pack the narrative with biographical details about the Rangers and skillfully toggle between battle scenes and big-picture analysis. WWII buffs will savor this deep dive." —Publishers Weekly on The Last Hill

really good book!

The narrator was very good except he butchered German words. however, I would not let that stop you from purchasing this excellent book.

D Day from the new Rangers

Takes you from joining to training to D Day and beyond. Well developed characters and great story. Grabs your attention when they climb the cliffs of Point du Hoc

We’ll done

Fills in a lot of blanks of the actions of WWII Rangers. A must reading for all 2/75 Rangers.

A different breed human

such a great book. these and many like them. make me very proud of our armed forces. it was narrated very well.

Beautifully Learned

Loved the book, the beginning trumpet made me feel inspired to work harder at my work but man, after listening to the whole book after hearing how everyone fared after the war, hearing the last trumpet made me want to cry out of respect and honor, even thinking about it I get the feeling here and there. Thank god such amazing men had lived

Great book

Really appreciated the story telling of the Rangers toils throughout the beginning of the war to the end.

Great Story

Interestingly enough I was simultaneously watching band of brothers while reading. these were the bedraggled men coming off the hill that Easy Company replaced!

Slow start but otherwise excellent

Narration is a bit slow, ponderous.

Story begins with excessive information on principals’ backgrounds but then is riveting when fire fights and battles are described.

Rangers’ fighting spirit, endurance, bravery, and adeptness are far beyond spectacular.

If a movie has not been made based in this book, it should.

Excellent story!

Excellent story, well told.
Highly recommend, held my interest throughout the book. Good reader as well

Bravery, Courage. Tenacity. Discipline. Leadership. Citizen Soldiers All

I play golf regularly with Warren Half-crack Burmester's son, Dennis.
Small world! Col Rudder is a TEXAS LEGEND. Here's a salute to him & his Rangers from a proud LONGHORN!