The Allies

by Maurice Sellar

Belgium, 1944 Sergeant Wally Shaw has been on the run across the war-torn Belgium countryside for longer than he’d like. Weary and disillusioned by the senseless risks of war, and unable to keep up the fight when everything he holds dear is gone, he deserted his platoon and is now a fugitive. He makes his way by stealing supplies and selling them on the black market. It’s not the most honourable way of life, but Shaw stopped caring about honour a long time ago. Fleeing British MPs, he races across the Nazi-ravaged fields and plunges into hiding — only to find himself in the company of three Germans who, like Shaw, are deserters. Forced by circumstance to trust each other, an uneasy alliance is formed that ultimately leads the four men to hatch an incredible, daring and impossible plot. In a concentration camp in the heart of Germany, millions of pounds of perfect British banknotes are being printed — the forgery entirely undetectable, even by the experts at the Bank of England. Their aim – to flood and destroy the British economy. The allies’ plan is devastatingly simple – steal the counterfeit money from beneath the noses of the SS and retire to Sweden, free to live out the rest of their days in a life of luxury. The plan may be simple, but there’s no denying the dangers involved. No one walks willingly into a concentration camp, and even fewer walk out again alive. Each man knows the risks facing them, but the reward is too great an opportunity to pass up. And when you’re officially listed as dead, is there really anything left to lose? Set against the war-torn backdrop of Europe, The Allies is a fast-paced World War Two thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat with excitement. Praise for Maurice Sellar “Tense and exciting” — Brighton Evening Argus “Rough, tough yarn” — Irish Times “Compelling reading — couldn’t put the book down” — Hugh Williams, L.B.C. Radio Maurice Sellar is an author, screenplay and television writer and the producer of the classic 93 episode BBC1 Best of British, narrated by Sir John Mills and the award-winning BBC1 Hitler’s Death, the Final Report which was broadcast in over fifty countries.

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

GNAB I received a free, electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Maurice Sellar, and Endeavour Press on August 8th, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, for sharing your work with me.

The Allies was originally published in 1979. I am quite pleased that it has been released again - I managed to miss it, first time by. And I have to admit that if simply told the premise of this novel, I would most likely not have read it even back then. The whole idea of a WWII novel set in the European Theatre and peopled with deserters from many different nations armed forces attempting to make a fortune stealing counterfeit British 5 pound notes from the German SS seems - a little creepy. But this is a great book. The main protagonist, Sergeant Walter Shaw of the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment is a very sympathetic character, as is his American buddy PFC Leslie Harris, 2nd Infantry Division, or Indian Heads, as they preferred to be known. It is one I would recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction, WWII novels and military based tales.
pub Aug 5, received Aug 8th
Endeavour Press

[Peter Coster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Allies Earns Another

Writing a novel with an antihero creates a number of problems. The first is to create adequate reasons for the main character to perform the nefarious deeds they do without descending into some sort of bleeding heart justification. This the author does very well.
As for the rest, there's good characterisation, with understandable reason for the conflict between these characters. There is also a good plot and it is well written.
I might quibble over a few points but I'll leave other readers to make up their own mind. This is a book I don't hesitate to recommend.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it was pretty good. The story moved at a decent pace. My only complaint was that the ending was a let down. Without giving anything away... the wrap up for some of the characters was fitting but for the others it was unfulfilling.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally published at Book of Bogan

The Allies is the story of a small band of deserters who escape from opposing sides of the second world war. Deep behind the lines, one British and three German soldiers must work together to evade capture by their respective sides, who are either desperate to capture (in the case of the British/Americans) or mildly indifferent towards them.

Their attempts at escape take them on a wild and strange journey into the heart of Berlin, into and out of concentration camps under the guise of SS, as they discover a German plot to ruin the English economy, and decide to exploit the opportunity to become rich men.This is a caper novel, plain and simple, and any historical accuracies exist only for the author's convenience. (although the plot to flood England with fake currency is accurate)

I find many of the events in this novel completely unbelievable, and it seemed like every choice the group made seemed to be sending them into even greater danger. It seemed like they were almost immune to any events which were actually going on in the war, and the capers ever more improbable than the last. Which deserters - German or otherwise - in their right mind would want to head deeper into Germany during the inevitable closing stages of the war, let alone stop into some of the highest security facilities along the way?

I was surprised to find out that this book was first published in 1999, although I received a review copy of it through NetGalley. This felt so much like a book written in the immediate post-war years, or in the 1970s. It felt like a throwback to Alistair Maclean-style action, and I just felt that the world had moved on from this sort of story. I didn't find the characters particularly interesting, beyond the examination of the character of fear which occurs in anyone who goes to war. The book also broke me out of my suspension of disbelief more than a few times.

[Michael Bully · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has taken until 21st century to tackle the question of deserters in World War 2 : There has been the occasional exception such at the poet Vernon Scannell whose candid autobiography 'Argument of Kings' was published in 1987, and was prepared to discuss his time as a World War 2 'serial absconder' .But now studies concerning how numerous deserters were, and their links to the criminal underworld have now come to light, particularly with Charles Glass' 'Deserter' from 2013.
And the adventures of deserters is a great subject matter for novelists. 'The Allies' consist of a small posse of deserters from both sides, who band together in the last year of World War 2, operating near the Franco-Belgian border. Able to swap uniforms, forge papers, commit various robberies, using their knowledge of life in forces to infiltrate military depots, life seems to be one jolly wheeze. They plan a daring heist , venturing into the Third Reich itself, which doesn't quite go to plan. Greed overtakes them, and they find that they've overreached themselves, and the squalling that starts reminds one of a Medieval morality tale.
All a bit far-fetched and it's not a demanding read, and very much a boys' book. And great fun.

[Cecilia · Rating 1 out of 5]

In this WWII heist novel, deserters scheme to pull off a heist worth of a book; but this book wasn't it. The plot was OK, but the elements couldn't hold it together. The characters weren't developed or believable, the friendship among them implausible, and the events came together unrealistic ways. The novel was probably well researched, but the writing had way too many adjectives coupled with every noun, and some of the non-conversational prose ended in "!," that stood out like sore thumbs. I love a good robbery novel and I love WWII literature, but my "willing suspension of disbelief" was not able to be applied to this book.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.