The war might be coming to an end but the missions do not get any easier for Tom Harsker and his elite Commando unit. With new men to replace the dead they are sent to destroy a factory making parts for V-2. As the war enters its final months they are attached to the 1st Commando Brigade in Montgomery’s Army and they lead the drive to the German heartland. Tasked with trying to save the lives of as many of the inmates of a death camp they have to go deeper behind enemy lines and, once again face the S.S. A fast-moving novel which brings the Commando’s war to an end.
We have reached the end of the war. Tom and his team are in Germany. Although the Germans are almost defeated their V-2 rockets continue to cause indiscriminate damage to the free parts of Europe. The Germans are also working on atomic power and Tom and his team have a race against time to try to destroy the terror weapon.
I hope my readers have enjoyed the series so far. I have enjoyed writing the Harsker saga!
Excerpt
“Freddie, hard down!” The petrol from the motorcycles appeared to have a beneficial effect on the truck for we actually accelerated. The Germans opened fire. I leaned out of the cab and fired three shots. I hit one of them. I smashed the porcelain cap on the grenade and primed it. As Freddie drove over the body of the man I had killed I dropped it.
“Take the road on the right!”
The windscreen had borne the brunt of their bullets but, luckily the Germans had been below us and they had finished up in the cab roof. I heard my men firing. I lifted up my foot to kick out the windscreen. It was worse than useless in its present condition. And then the grenade went off. If the Germans hadn’t heard the bullets then they would most certainly have heard the grenade.
I holstered my Colt and took out the MP 34. The time for subtlety was gone. If we came across anyone else then we had to hit them and hit them hard. “Anyone hurt?
“No sir. You alright?”
“Yes Lieutenant but we are not safe yet.”
If there were roadblocks on one side of the town then there would be others on the other two. Our best hope was to head into the last vestiges of the Black Forest. We would have to get as far in as we could and then use our feet to get to the river. It was then I realized that we were now on the edge of the forest. There would be more farmland than trees soon.
“Sir, Germans. They are setting up across the road.”
“Drive at them!”
With no windscreen I was able to fire directly ahead. I leaned the MP 34 on the dashboard. It helped to keep it level. The Germans were setting up an MG 42. That could do serious damage to us. Its shells were more than capable of penetrating the radiator and that would be a disaster. I aimed slightly below the gun and fired. Our rapid approach and the tendency of the MP 34 to pull up meant that some bullets bounced off the tarmac to hit them and my bullets tore into the gun and gunner. I finished the magazine and reloaded as Freddie smashed the lorry through the bodies, over the gun and into two men who felt certain we were going to stop. I took in that they were Volkssturm, they were the German reservists; old soldiers and young soldiers. They had regular training but they were not line troops. We had a chance. Behind me I heard my men firing as we raced away from the town.
We had to risk the main road again. We would make better time. “Sir, Jerry is following. There are two Kubelwagens.”
“Beaumont,” I shouted, “there are two empty petrol cans. Make them into a bomb of some kind. Slow them up. I want to get off the road as soon as I can. We want to do it out of anyone’s sight!”
I heard his voice, “Right sir.”
I heard the guns from my men behind as they fired at the two vehicles pursuing us. I saw, in the one remaining side mirror that one of the Kubelwagens had spun around. Its dim lights disappeared. Behind I saw two more sets of dim lights pursuing us.
Freddie almost turned us over as he threw the lorry onto the main road. I saw two vehicles coming the other way but they probably thought we were just a crazy driver. Then I saw that the road ahead was clear. According to the map there was a road which turned off the main road. It looked to be a narrow track which ran parallel to the main road. I wanted us to take that one. We would use the smaller back roads to get to the river. My plan to get to the dock area had gone. We now just needed to get to the river.
I heard Lieutenant Poulson shout, “Bomb ready sir.”
I knew the side road was less than half a mile ahead. It was now or never. “Throw it.” I turned to Emerson. “We need another right turn. Up ahead. It is only narrow so be careful.”
“Right sir. It will be slippery sir.”
“I know. Do your best.”
Suddenly the sky behind was lit up by Beaumont’s bomb. I heard screeching. Then there was a second fireball. Just at that moment Emerson threw us from the road. There was a house on the corner of the road and we scraped the wall which ran alongside it. I think the wall helped to keep us upright.
“Turn out your lights and slow down.”
“Sir.” We were pitched into what appeared to be total blackness. “Bloody hellfire!” Emerson slowed so much we almost stopped but I could see more clearly and, from the other side of the trees which were to our left I heard the sound of engines as the Germans headed north.
