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

The Last Hill tells the story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, known as "Rudder's Rangers," during World War II. In December 1944, Lt. Col. James Rudder led this elite unit across the Rhine into Germany with two objectives: capture Hill 400 and hold it at all costs, even to the last man. Castle Hill, a 1,320-foot elevation the Rangers called Hill 400, stood as a gateway to Nazi Germany. Multiple American divisions had already failed to take the heavily fortified position. Unknown to the Allies, the hill was central to Adolf Hitler's plans for a massive counterattack that would become the Battle of the Bulge. With the stalemate unbreakable, Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower ordered Rudder's Rangers to assault the position. The Wehrmacht had stationed several regiments at Hill 400 with identical orders to hold the ground. The resulting clash became one of the bloodiest and most costly encounters of World War II. Of the 130 Rangers who stormed the hill that December day, only 16 survived to descend its frozen slopes. The account combines detailed action and character portraits from the 2nd Ranger Battalion's experience.