This is a historical novel about The United States Marine Corps in the Pacific theatre during WWII.

It is not an account of sweeping strategies and bold tactics of admirals and generals. It’s a story about the “gyrenes,” the “devil dogs” of Alpha Company, a rifle company fighting in the island-hopping campaign that brought the war to the doorstep of Imperial Japan.

 The Marines fought two enemies: the fanatical and tenacious Imperial Japanese Army and the jungle.

 The jungle was as formidable an enemy as the Japanese. A poisonous morass, alive with biting, stinging, sucking insects. Spiders as big as a man’s fist and wasps as long as his finger. And malarial mosquitoes. Clouds of them, following the Marines around like a humming shadow. Swarms of filthy black and green flies competed with the men for their food and fed on the dead. Open wounds and cuts became festering ulcers. A steaming, sweltering, insect-infested collection of islands. When it was hot, it became a steam bath. When the rains came, which was often, it became soggy with soft, squishy, stinking decomposing vegetation. There were two seasons of weather: wet and wetter.

 Letters from home were read as soon as received before they disintegrated into a sodden mess. Precious cigarettes were stored underneath helmets, lit by matches kept dry inside condoms. Hot chow was soon turned into a cold wet slop by the rains. Machine gun bullets had to be removed from their belts and oiled almost daily so they wouldn’t jam the guns. Rifles also needed to be oiled daily against molding.

 Always there was the jungle. And the jungle killed.

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Reviews

“I haven’t read a book in 15 years. Good job on the book. I cried when Black Jack announced ‘the war was over.’
“Hap P. , NC”

“….an excellent job! It sounds like you were right there with them…..research was commendable.”
Jerry F. Seattle

In the early morning hours of June 6th, 1944, an Allied force of some 12,000 various aircraft, 6,900 vessels of all types transporting 13,000 vehicles and about 156,000 men, supported by parachute landings, massive air attacks and naval bombardment, invaded a 61.7 mile stretch of five beaches on the Normandy coast of northwestern France. The Allies included many of the countries of the then free world. Primarily, the United States, Great Britain and Canada, together with a smaller force of Free French and Poles made the assault.

Code-named Operation Overlord, it was the largest amphibious assault in human history. Its mission: invade Hitler’s Festung Europa (fortress Europe), crush Nazism and put Der Fuhrer out of business.

This is the story of a recent small town high school graduate who had joined the U.S. Army shortly after Pearl Harbor. After training, he was assigned to the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division.

It turned out that the 116th was the tip of the spear (first wave) to go ashore at Omaha Beach. Omaha was the largest (five miles long) of the beaches attacked.

This story follows our hero from enlistment, through basic training in the U.S. and advanced training in England, to that fateful day when he goes over the side of his transport ship, boards a landing craft and sails to his appointment with destiny on “bloody Omaha.”

You’ll experience the terror, fear, bravery and valor of thousands of young men, mostly teenagers like himself, through his eyes.

Meet Harry Calhoun, Private First Class, rifleman, 1st Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, United Sates Army.

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This is a collection of stories about the world’s second oldest profession. It is the world of clandestine, irregular behind-the-lines guerrilla warfare and spying. It includes assassinations, sabotage, espionage and other secret agent activities in Europe prior to, during and after D-Day.

Forget Hollywood and James Bond. Forget tuxedos, vodka martinis, five-star hotels and tearing around in sports cars with beautiful women. Agents were French farmers, smugglers, tycoons, prostitutes, policemen, telephonists and peasants, to name a few. They all played a part as informers, saboteurs, agents and partisans. Their credentials were courage, fortitude, patience and a devotion to freedom.

Among other stories, you’ll read about young Jewish men who fled Europe and formed a commando unit to fight Hitler; a commando team who parachuted behind German lines to destroy a plant making a component for an atomic bomb for the Third Reich; a team of assassins sent to liquidate the 3rd highest ranking Nazi and a group of brave women who parachuted behind German lines to secure intelligence for the Allies.

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Reviews from Amazon

“Book is short, well laid out. Stories are interesting, providing insight into little know stories and people who gave the their all for freedom. Recommend to those interested in a little know or appreciated side of WW2.”

“It is amazing what these dedicated hero’s did to stop the horror of WWII. This is a compilation of stories of real courage, adventure and intelligence.”

 

This is an additional collection of stories about sabotage, espionage and behind-the-lines special operations combat during WWII in Europe. Incidentally, the word sabotage comes from the French word sabot, the wooden clogs French industrial workers wore. Disgruntled workers would throw their clogs into the working parts of machines.

Acts of sabotage and espionage ranged from simple acts of giving false directions to German Army units to blowing up trains and bridges, sabotaging Nazi communications facilities and assassinations of German officers.

In this volume, you’ll read about “The Most Dangerous Man in Europe” (Churchill’s description); the enormous contribution to Allied victory made by The French Resistance, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and “Wild Bill” Donovan and other stories about brave people who risked their lives to achieve an Allied victory and a better world.

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Review:

“If you’re a World War 11 history buff, or even vaguely interested, especially in the European theater, you need to read Black Ops, volume 1, and/or Black Ops, volume 2. The war itself has been documented and written in great detail. The part that is much less known is the great sacrifices of the secret agents of US, British, and French decent who were dropped on beaches, or parachuted into France to work with brave members of the French resistance. The sacrifices of these people are at times difficult to comprehend, except for their willingness to give their lives for their country. These are truly heart-wrenching stories!” — Jerry F., Seattle, Washington