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Blitzing Rommel
For Joe Milburn, Geordie to the core and son of a tenant farmer, war presents an intoxicating mix of terror, tragedy, bloodshed, adrenalin and opportunity.
As his wartime exploits earn him admiration and respect, he begins to mix in circles very different from those he grew up in — and to take part in military operations that go not only beyond his own previous experience, but beyond the expectations of the most practised of soldiers.
Gradually, he feels his north country past, and what he assumed would be his future, slipping away. War, it seems, when needs must, has as much to do with loss — of comrades, of identity, of social structures, of assumptions — as it has to do with strategy and politics.
When Joe finds himself in North Africa he discovers, among all the loss, love, in the flawless form of Nurse Alice Fleming. Yet as he makes plans for a safer future, one more challenge calls. What else can a man expect when he keeps company with the newly-born SAS?
And that is when Joe discovers that while service on the battlefield may end, the battlefield is just one of many theatres of war — and the war fought in the soul and mind may be the most painful battle of all.
'Patriotism, daring, cynicism and survival 1940s style. It's all here.' - M.C. Smith, author of The Northern Blockade and Fire in the Fjord
John Sadler is a British historian specialising in the Anglo-Scottish Border conflicts during the Middle Ages. Sadler is a regular contributor to military and historical journals and has published a number of books on the subject. He has taught and tutored history as well.
As his wartime exploits earn him admiration and respect, he begins to mix in circles very different from those he grew up in — and to take part in military operations that go not only beyond his own previous experience, but beyond the expectations of the most practised of soldiers.
Gradually, he feels his north country past, and what he assumed would be his future, slipping away. War, it seems, when needs must, has as much to do with loss — of comrades, of identity, of social structures, of assumptions — as it has to do with strategy and politics.
When Joe finds himself in North Africa he discovers, among all the loss, love, in the flawless form of Nurse Alice Fleming. Yet as he makes plans for a safer future, one more challenge calls. What else can a man expect when he keeps company with the newly-born SAS?
And that is when Joe discovers that while service on the battlefield may end, the battlefield is just one of many theatres of war — and the war fought in the soul and mind may be the most painful battle of all.
'Patriotism, daring, cynicism and survival 1940s style. It's all here.' - M.C. Smith, author of The Northern Blockade and Fire in the Fjord
John Sadler is a British historian specialising in the Anglo-Scottish Border conflicts during the Middle Ages. Sadler is a regular contributor to military and historical journals and has published a number of books on the subject. He has taught and tutored history as well.
- GenresNovels
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2018
7 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
John Sadler
110 books22 followersBorn in 1953, John Sadler has law degrees from Northumbria University and the University of Westminster. A part-time lecturer in military history at Sunderland University Centre for Lifelong Learning, he is currently studying toward a PhD in history and is soon to begin an Imperial War Museum Fellowship in Holocaust Studies. He is the author of over 20 books, including Scottish Battles, published by Birlinn in April 2010. He is married with two children and lives in Newcastle.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 25, 2018
This novel tells the story of Joe who as a young man joins up to fight in the war, he is fired with determination, grit and a whatever it takes attitude to put the enemy out of business. His adventurous spirit leads him to attempt things that others would not try and his succeses in these operations get him noticed and he reaches the ranks of becoming a member of the SAS in North Africa. It is during his time there that he meets a nurse and falls in love, it is a relationship which forms between military operations. War takes a heavy toll on Jo and he is left wondering about his life and future.
I enjoyed reading this book, I thought the way that it is written really brings home the rawness of war the terror and fear that the soldiers must of faced, the awfulness of the dirt and dust that they lived in. It also doesn't shy away from the emotions of the men as we see how Joe feels and the heartaches he suffers. A very good read for lovers of historical ficton.
I enjoyed reading this book, I thought the way that it is written really brings home the rawness of war the terror and fear that the soldiers must of faced, the awfulness of the dirt and dust that they lived in. It also doesn't shy away from the emotions of the men as we see how Joe feels and the heartaches he suffers. A very good read for lovers of historical ficton.
November 2, 2018
WOW!!
This is a stunning, amazing and altogether bonechilling account ..... based on fact ... of a rather ragtag special force of British secret military during WWII in North Africa.
This book has had a most sobering effect on my
perspective of war, the military, and governments both prior to and during wartime when we decide to send our young men and women to fight.
The story here of Joe Milburn, basically a farmboy from a country town in England, and his comrades throughout the early years of the war is no-holds-barred in its description of war on the ground where life is a veritable dice roll as an order by your commander is an order regardless of how lame or idiotic it may be.
It is powerful and hard to put down as the story of Joe, the teen, begins his military service as a private and ultimately ends up in a specialized force based in North Africa assigned to some of the most insane and brave missions I have ever seen, heard of read about and yet it happened.
This damn book should be a movie! It's a thrilling read. I'm even more astounded by the young ages of these heroes. Their courage and skill, most of the time with no official acknowledgement of their company by their own high command or government, while being asked to go on suicide missions is more than commendable.
The idea that a sweet romance could spark up in a military hospital is so well written it truly adds a realistic and very human touch to this story.
I received an advanced of this amazing book and I highly recommend it to readers of historical fiction.
This is a stunning, amazing and altogether bonechilling account ..... based on fact ... of a rather ragtag special force of British secret military during WWII in North Africa.
This book has had a most sobering effect on my
perspective of war, the military, and governments both prior to and during wartime when we decide to send our young men and women to fight.
The story here of Joe Milburn, basically a farmboy from a country town in England, and his comrades throughout the early years of the war is no-holds-barred in its description of war on the ground where life is a veritable dice roll as an order by your commander is an order regardless of how lame or idiotic it may be.
It is powerful and hard to put down as the story of Joe, the teen, begins his military service as a private and ultimately ends up in a specialized force based in North Africa assigned to some of the most insane and brave missions I have ever seen, heard of read about and yet it happened.
This damn book should be a movie! It's a thrilling read. I'm even more astounded by the young ages of these heroes. Their courage and skill, most of the time with no official acknowledgement of their company by their own high command or government, while being asked to go on suicide missions is more than commendable.
The idea that a sweet romance could spark up in a military hospital is so well written it truly adds a realistic and very human touch to this story.
I received an advanced of this amazing book and I highly recommend it to readers of historical fiction.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews