Karl-Heinz Golla, born in 1939, joined the Fallschirmjäger of the Bundeswehr in 1958. After completion of officer training, he served as a platoon leader and company commander and then passed the General Staff course. He undertook several assignments as a General Staff officer in the fields of operations, war planning and doctrine in senior national and NATO commands. In between he was also a commander of an armored infantry battalion. He retired in 1994 with the rank of colonel. Since then he has authored several military history books, including Zwischen Reggio und Cassino: Das Kriegsgeschehen in Italien im zweiten Halbjahr 1943 (2004) and Der Fall Griechenlands 1941 (2007).