Bøker av Phil Ward

In this sequel to Book XV, The War That Never Was, Col. John Randal reflects on Leros.Leros was a catastrophe. The Germans invaded, overran and captured the island leaving Castelrozzo (ABC) as the last one still in Allied hands. The Luftwaffe now has air superiority over the entire Aegean Theatre of Operations. Neither the U.S. nor Royal Navy will risk capital ships in the AO due to the threat posed by enemy air. The Long Range Desert Group has been reduced to approximately fifty patrolmen. The fabled reconnaissance unit is now attached to Raiding Forces as is the Small Boat Service which also suffered heavy causalities. Middle East Headquarters is paralyzed by the extent of the debacle caused by their bad command decisions which resulted in a total defeat of British Forces in the theatre. On ABC, Col. John Randal sees opportunity. Raiding Forces goes over to the attack.

The siege of the RAF base at Habbaniya is lifted after the defenders launch a surprise counter attach followed up by an intense air campaign and assault on Bagdad by Habforce that force marched to their aid. Back in Cairo, Raiding Forces is ordered to interdict the Via Balbia, Rommel's 1500 mile supply route along the Mediterranean coast. Maj. Randal forms Raiding Forces Desert Squadron (RFDS) and Raiding Forces Sea Squadron (RFSS) to conduct gunjeep and amphibious pinprick raids against the Afrika Korps exposed line of communication.

IN THIS SEQUEL TO DESERT PATROLLT. COL. JOHN RANDAL RETURNS IN PRIVATE ARMYRaiding Forces is undergoing a major reorganization to be better able to carry out smallscale raids against Rommel's only hard topped road, the Via Balbia. It runs along thecoast from Tripoli to Tobruk. The plan is for Raiding Forces to be able to strike from the desert out of the Great Sand Sea with gun jeeps and from the Mediterranean using amphibious DUKW's. While this is taking place, the unit is alerted for the invasion of Persia. US Army personnel who have resigned from the army in order to volunteer for the Middle East contingent of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) arrive and are integrated into the unit.