Book Reviews
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BY COMMENTING
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
The Second Objective
Mark Frost
c. 2007
ISBN: 1-4013-0222-X
Hyperion Books
New York, NY
319 pgs. $24.95
This historical fiction novel is based on actual events, but the author adds fictional main characters, both for the German commandos and the American soldiers they encounter. During World War II, the Germans sent a 500,000-man army to burst through the center of the Allied front after the Allies had gained a foothold on Normandy. Caught by surprise, the Allies fall back, allowing the Germans to recapture enough territory to form a large bulge in the Allied front.
The Battle of the Bulge is pretty much well known. What is not so well known is that the Germans hand picked two thousand specially trained English-speaking soldiers to don American uniforms and use captured American tanks and vehicles and to penetrate the front before the main German assault. Their mission, the “first objective,” was to spread havoc and sabotage behind the Allied front, disrupt Allied communication, and secure strategic brides on the Meuse River needed by the main German army when it come through.
Even less known is that the Germans also selected twenty specially trained German commandos to carry out a highly secret second objective that would give the Germans the upper hand during the main assault. Frost claims the Americans, after the war, classified this information and kept it from the public for fifty years because they foresaw oncoming problems with Communist Russia.
The twenty commandos were broken down into five teams of four men. Only the team leaders knew the purpose of the second objective. Any one of the teams could achieve it, but five teams were sent to insure that there were sufficient teams to accomplish the objective. The main characters are one of the four-man teams of German commandos and two American soldiers who try to track them down.
The Germans wanted commando leaders who spoke flawless American English. Some of them spoke flawless British English. The special training included building up fluency in American idiom, slang, and curse words. Frost makes it believable by having some commandos speak British English. The reader quickly recognizes the characters by the words they choose. It is interesting to see how the British idiom is recognized and weeded out.
The characterization reveals the backgrounds of the main characters and how their backgrounds influenced their personalities. When the commandos penetrate allied lines and encounter American soldiers, the characterization continues as Frost introduces the American soldiers he brings into the story.
This action-packed novel follows the rapidly shifting fortunes of the German commandos as they encounter more and more American soldiers. Frost first establishes the historical backdrop of the novel, and then skillfully focuses in on his fictional characters. The novel, itself, is a fast moving, very cleverly plotted cat and mouse game with many surprises.
This is a very interesting book, not only for the closer insight into what really happened during the Battle of the Bulge, but also in the adventurous interplay between the German commandos and the Americans who try to stop them. At the end of the book, Frost adds detail on what happened to some of the real historical characters in the book. I found “The Second Objective” very interesting.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1067 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Maurice A. Williams or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1067 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.