Sitting Ducks

by Steve Anderson

Sitting Ducks pieces together the story of an impossible and lesser-known WWII mission. In December 1944, during the bloody Battle of the Bulge, teams of German commandos disguised as American soldiers slipped behind the US front lines. Riding in captured US jeeps, they committed sabotage, sowed confusion and caused paranoia among American troops. Word quickly spread that the undercover commandos were out to kill US General Eisenhower.

Popular legend has made the false flag operation out to be a skilled and menacing ploy with cunning German spies speaking American English. Their commander, propaganda hero SS Lt. Col. Otto Skorzeny, seemed a mastermind. But the reality was much different, and all the more deadly. The planning and training were slapdash, the mission desperate, its chances slim to none. Sitting Ducks is a fast read equaling about 49 print pages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2011

About the author

Steve Anderson writes the Kaspar Brothers historical thrillers and other novels. His latest novels are Show Game and Lines of Deception. Anderson was a Fulbright Fellow and has translated bestselling German fiction. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

More about Steve Anderson:
Years ago, Steve Anderson planned to become a history professor. He even landed a Fulbright Fellowship in Munich. Then he discovered fiction writing — he could make stuff up, he realized, using actual events and characters to serve the story. Now he writes novels that often introduce a little-known aspect of history, mixing in overlooked crimes, true accounts, and gutsy underdogs.

Steve has also written narrative nonfiction, short stories, and screenplays. His day jobs have included busy waiter, Associated Press rookie, language instructor, and copywriter. As a freelancer, he translates bestselling German fiction and edits novels.

He lives in his hometown of Portland, Oregon with his wife René. He’s loved and played soccer since he was a kid and still follows Portland Timbers FC.

Reviews

[Russell Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a factual account of Operation Grief (Griffin), the German false-flag operation during the Ardennes offensive of late 1944. The operation and its leader, SS Lieutenant Colonel (SS-Oberstürmbannführer) Skorzeny, are the stuff of legend.

Anderson debunks the legend, and presents the facts, insofar as they can be determined (he notes in his blog that "Doomed secret agents don’t write journals or reports and their commanders didn’t keep intricate records". The result is a compelling piece of work that reveals the unvarnished truth of the operation's planning and execution.

This is an easy to read, well researched piece, covering a part of history that is well known, but about which few factual accounts have been written.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this Kindle Single format.

Like his other KS, Double-Edged Sword, in Sitting Ducks WWII scholar Steve Anderson mines the European Theater for little known but compelling stories of bravery and bravery mixed with just a touch of whackiness. This quick read brings to life the poor German schmucks who were coerced into infiltrating the American lines as saboteurs and spies without the aid of much training, skill, equipment or motivation in the waning days of the conflict.

Couldn't put it down but then again, it was only 50 pages!

Keep it up Herr Anderson.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sitting Ducks pieces together the story of an impossible and lesser-known WWII mission. In December 1944, during the bloody Battle of the Bulge, teams of German commandos disguised as American soldiers slipped behind the US front lines. Riding in captured US jeeps, they committed sabotage, sowed confusion and caused paranoia among American troops.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

WW2 histories tend to be on the long side. Here is a quick, fascinating historical read delivered instantly for 2 bucks. This is what's great about e-reading.

[John Findlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Kindle single, Sitting Ducks is a really short book that reads like a magazine article. But it was very interesting. It describes a secret mission that the Germans instigated during the Battle of the Bulge, in which they had German soldiers dressed as Americans to infiltrate the Allied lines. However, details of the mission had leaked in advance, so the Americans were looking for these impersonators, many of whom could speak only broken English. As a result, many were caught and executed as spies. Ultimately the mission was a failure, although some damage was inflicted. Most of the poor "sitting ducks" did not know what they had volunteered for, so they were victims themselves.

[Å · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short interesting book a about a not so famous part of WW2.

In 1944 Hitler decides to train soldiers in American language and culture, give them (captured) American military equipment and send them into enemy territory in order to do sabotage and spread confusion. These "volunteer" soldiers where trained for just for some weeks and some could hardly speak English at all. Many of them where captured and executed as spies.

This little kindle single is a fact based account of this history. It is well written and interesting.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Kindle single describing the German effort to infiltrate behind the American lines in the final days of WWII using soldiers with some to minimal knowledge of English.
This poorly thought-out plan accomplished little and was quite incredible for the number of mistakes that were made in implementing it.
Interesting.

[Michael A Zimmermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story

I thought this was an interesting story about a small, desperate mission I had heard of, but not in detail.

[L Jerome Krovetz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

Plot is well written. German are treacherous as expected. I enjoyed reading this as it brought back memories of this battle.

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and a short read

Enough details to understand the false flag nature of the operation and to understand why it failed- good as a short story.

[Alejandro Heracles al-Mu'minin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't heard of this glorified war story prior to reading this
I only say that because in the preface the author put a lot of emphasis that what actually happened was not as spectacular as Hollywood or later accounts have made out.

The story given from the evil Nazi's side of the war, going on a mission disguised as Americans to infiltrate and attack them or something. That is really the point, what we get is a look at how inept the German bureaucracy and desperate their military had been.

We connect through the characters through suspense while the writing remains harsh and unforgiving to the immoral leaders of the project.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, German military personnel dressed a American soldiers were released to cross the line, infiltrate the American forces and wreak havok on the allied operations. Poorly trained, and totlally inept, most were caught and executed as spies. This is thier story.

It is a very short book, do not pay a lot to get it. Use Kindle if you can

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nice offering in the Kindle Single format. This looks at a particular effort on the part of the German Army in the BATTLE OF THE Bulge to mount a "false flag" attack on the Allied armies. If yo have N interest in the WWII era this may interest you. But, like many of the Kindle Singles it may just whet your appetite to read further on the subject.

[Vlad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief account of Operation Greif

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read about the German war effort in my own country - at the Battle of the Bulge. A mission which seemed doomed from the beginning!