Ask the Author: Jonathan Byrd
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Jonathan Byrd
My most recent book, JUST ONE MORE, is an as of yet unpublished historical fiction novel about an obscure battle in World War II. Why pick an unknown battle in a town well off the beaten path? Well because once I heard what had happened, I could not resist.
The battle of Castle Itter was strangest encounter of the war. It was the last battle of the European theater (taking place after the suicide but before the surrender), and one of only two known instances where American and German forces teamed up to defend against the Waffen SS. It was also the only time US forces ever defended a medieval castle.
As a long-form writer I can tell you that summarizing is hard. But this is my attempt at back cover banter to describe the novel:
At the start of the war, the Nazis capture several political, military, and other leaders they deemed valuable to the Reich. These prisoners eventually end up at Castle Itter, in Austria. After the Führer commits suicide, the captors and guards at the castle abandon their posts, leaving the prisoners vulnerable to the ranging bands of Waffen SS in the area. Wehrmacht Major and recent addition to the Austrian Resistance, Josef Gangl, drives across the frontline and finds American tanker Jack Lee. Gangl and Lee ride back to recon the castle, then back to the rest of Lee’s unit. This time they return to Castle Itter with Sherman tanks and troops. The next day, the Waffen SS attack. Will the joint defense be successful? JUST ONE MORE tells the story of these pivotal days and of the last battle in the European Theater of World War II.
The battle of Castle Itter was strangest encounter of the war. It was the last battle of the European theater (taking place after the suicide but before the surrender), and one of only two known instances where American and German forces teamed up to defend against the Waffen SS. It was also the only time US forces ever defended a medieval castle.
As a long-form writer I can tell you that summarizing is hard. But this is my attempt at back cover banter to describe the novel:
At the start of the war, the Nazis capture several political, military, and other leaders they deemed valuable to the Reich. These prisoners eventually end up at Castle Itter, in Austria. After the Führer commits suicide, the captors and guards at the castle abandon their posts, leaving the prisoners vulnerable to the ranging bands of Waffen SS in the area. Wehrmacht Major and recent addition to the Austrian Resistance, Josef Gangl, drives across the frontline and finds American tanker Jack Lee. Gangl and Lee ride back to recon the castle, then back to the rest of Lee’s unit. This time they return to Castle Itter with Sherman tanks and troops. The next day, the Waffen SS attack. Will the joint defense be successful? JUST ONE MORE tells the story of these pivotal days and of the last battle in the European Theater of World War II.
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