The Last Battle (Harding book)
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Stephen Harding |
| Products | Historical book |
| Parent | Da Capo Press |
The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe is a historical work authored by Stephen Harding and published in 2013 by Da Capo Press. The book narrates the events of the Battle for Castle Itter, where an unusual alliance of United States Army troops, German Wehrmacht soldiers, and members of the Austrian resistance united to protect prominent French detainees at Itter Castle, Austria. This defense was mounted against an SS offensive intent on reclaiming the prisoners shortly after Hitler’s suicide.
Among the fourteen detainees were two former French Prime Ministers, specifically Paul Reynaud and Édouard Daladier, alongside two ex-French military leaders, the child of Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, and a Resistance fighter who was the sibling of General Charles de Gaulle.
Harding’s narrative is constructed from a variety of sources, including military documentation, interviews, firsthand memoirs, and official records from Germany, France, and the United States.
Movie adaptation
On 7 December 2015, it was revealed that The Last Battle would be adapted into a film by StudioCanal. The screenplay adaptation is undertaken by Bryce Zabel, who will also serve as producer with Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman from The Picture Company. A release date remains unannounced.