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Zero Hour Trilogy: Deep Trouble:
Written by a retired British soldier, Deep Trouble is the first in a trilogy of novels telling the breathless, vivid story of one young recruit's experience of one of the greatest military invasions ever launched.
6 June 1944 - Somewhere over the Normandy coastline, Robbie Stokes sits in a glider, his Bren resting on the floor between his outstretched legs. The nose lowers and the glider descends ten minutes of stomach-churning twists and turns until suddenly the call goes up to 'BRACE'. The belly makes contact with the ground and the first Allied troops tumble out into occupied Europe.
For Robbie Stokes it is the beginning of 72 hours of brutal and relentless a test of character, a test of nerve, a test of comradeship, of the band of brothers around him. If they fail, then the Allied invasion fails. They must succeed on their longest day.
The operation to Pegasus Bridge is one of the most famous of the Second World War. Taking place six hours before the famous Normandy landings, when six gliders deposited the 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry behind enemy lines with the orders to take and hold the bridges at Bénouville and Ranville.
Part of this work has been previously published under the title, Well Past Trouble.
6 June 1944 - Somewhere over the Normandy coastline, Robbie Stokes sits in a glider, his Bren resting on the floor between his outstretched legs. The nose lowers and the glider descends ten minutes of stomach-churning twists and turns until suddenly the call goes up to 'BRACE'. The belly makes contact with the ground and the first Allied troops tumble out into occupied Europe.
For Robbie Stokes it is the beginning of 72 hours of brutal and relentless a test of character, a test of nerve, a test of comradeship, of the band of brothers around him. If they fail, then the Allied invasion fails. They must succeed on their longest day.
The operation to Pegasus Bridge is one of the most famous of the Second World War. Taking place six hours before the famous Normandy landings, when six gliders deposited the 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry behind enemy lines with the orders to take and hold the bridges at Bénouville and Ranville.
Part of this work has been previously published under the title, Well Past Trouble.
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 12, 2018
Deep Trouble is set in Normandy during D-Day. Before the beach landings, troops were dropped behind enemy lines by glider and parachute to take and hold bridges and vital road links in order to stop German forces getting to the beaches and to aid the Allied troop movement off the beaches into Normandy. The protagonist is Robbie Stokes, a Bren gunner.
This book is all about the action during the drop, the raid on the bridges and the counter-attack by the Germans. The battle scenes are described vividly and you almost feel you're there, in the thick of it.
The problem I have is that it is all about the fighting. You don't really get to know Robbie or any of his mates because there are only about 128 pages and Rob Lofthouse is completely focused on the action. I would rather have seen some flashbacks of his family life before, the training he went through, the doubts he had, etc. He could have put some flesh on the protagonist's bones. Now you don't really feel engaged as much. You're more an onlooker on the sidelines.
Still, this is a well-written book about the first confusing hours of Operation Overlord.
This book is all about the action during the drop, the raid on the bridges and the counter-attack by the Germans. The battle scenes are described vividly and you almost feel you're there, in the thick of it.
The problem I have is that it is all about the fighting. You don't really get to know Robbie or any of his mates because there are only about 128 pages and Rob Lofthouse is completely focused on the action. I would rather have seen some flashbacks of his family life before, the training he went through, the doubts he had, etc. He could have put some flesh on the protagonist's bones. Now you don't really feel engaged as much. You're more an onlooker on the sidelines.
Still, this is a well-written book about the first confusing hours of Operation Overlord.
March 29, 2018
As part of the D Day landings, British gliders were sent behind enemy lines to take control of two key bridges in Normandy to deny German re-enforcements to the Normandy beaches. These bridges were later named Pegasus Bridge (after the shoulder patch on the tunics of the airborne troops) and Horsa Bridge. The dangerous but successful mission to seize and hold the bridges was critical in reducing a German counter-attack to the troops landing at the beaches.
This short novel tells that story, seen through the eyes of a fictional Robbie Stokes, a Bren-Gun operator. From the point of landing to that of the end of the battle we are walked through the action through the actions of Robbie, luckily the author chooses not to make him a super warrior, he is just an in-experienced squaddie thrown into action and doing his best to do his job, and survive. It’s a bit light on character development, but historically accurate and (obviously) full of action. Good way to understand the conflict and the bravery of those involved.
This short novel tells that story, seen through the eyes of a fictional Robbie Stokes, a Bren-Gun operator. From the point of landing to that of the end of the battle we are walked through the action through the actions of Robbie, luckily the author chooses not to make him a super warrior, he is just an in-experienced squaddie thrown into action and doing his best to do his job, and survive. It’s a bit light on character development, but historically accurate and (obviously) full of action. Good way to understand the conflict and the bravery of those involved.
December 6, 2021
Captured the unpredictability and tension of an airborne invasion, but didn't quite involve me as a reader.
November 8, 2024
An excellent novel based around the glider landings of D-Day that resulted in the capture of Pegasus Bridge. Fact based it brings the action to a realistic level.
March 8, 2019
Excellent
Fitted on nicely with my physical visit to Pegasus bridge and surrounding area. Could see places fitting book descriptions around battle scenes
Fitted on nicely with my physical visit to Pegasus bridge and surrounding area. Could see places fitting book descriptions around battle scenes
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews