The  battle at Galatas during World War II  is the story of ordinary New Zealanders achieving  extraordinary  things : first in defending the small Greek village against overwhelming German  military  might ; and second, when the territory was lost to the enemy, fighting a bloody, bayonet-style  engagement  in what has been described as the first time that any force stood up to Germany. This was New  Zealand’s   own trial  by fire.  Along with many historic and contemporary photographs, featuring a  recreation  of  the  battle through the streets of Galatas, the voices of those Kiwi soldiers who survive tell of the desparate struggle of hand – to – hand  combat. Their personal  stories – honest, modest  and unsentimental – remind us of the resilience of the New Zealand spirit.