The Last Hill

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Bob Drury and Tom Clavin's The Last Hill recounts the untold story of a Ranger battalion's heroism during World War II. Known as “Rudder’s Rangers,” this elite unit, led by Lt. Col. James Rudder, spearheaded the assault into Germany in December 1944. Tasked with taking and holding Hill 400 at all costs, the battalion faced overwhelming odds against several Wehrmacht regiments given the same orders. This brutal confrontation became one of the war's bloodiest encounters. Hill 400, a formidable 1320-foot mini-mountain, served as a critical gateway into Nazi Germany. Previous American divisions had been repelled by its entrenched defenders, unaware that the hill was pivotal to Hitler's plans for a counterattack during the Battle of the Bulge. The stalemate surrounding Hill 400 could not persist, and Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower recognized the urgency of the situation. Of the 130 Rangers who bravely stormed and captured Hill 400, only 16 returned down its treacherous slopes. The Last Hill is a gripping narrative filled with unforgettable action and characters, chronicling what the survivors of the 2nd Ranger Battalion would come to remember as “our longest day.”