Charge To Battle: A World War 3 Techno-Thriller Action Event

by Nick Ryan

"Nick Ryan knows his craft, and his topic. His World War 3 stories are tightly-written, fast-moving, with great characters."- LARRY BONDCo-author of Tom Clancy's 'Red Storm Rising' and New York Times bestselling author of 'Red Phoenix'.As Russian troops pour into northern Poland, an elite Platoon of American scouts in Stryker reconnaissance vehicles faces a dangerous assignment; they must clear the route ahead for a US Cavalry column preparing to counter attack the flank of the enemy spearhead before it reaches Warsaw. But the scouts' difficult mission is made even more complicated when a Company of Polish militia are added to the counter attacking force, and a vital bridge is found to be defended by the enemy. Faced with an impossible battle to win the bridge, and the challenge of unreliable Polish allies, the Cavalry scouts must find a way to fight through a dug-in Russian force that is determined to hold the vital crossing at all costs..From the book...The Russians had the range to the bridge already zeroed in. They didn’t need to know exactly where the Americans were. They only needed to know they were making another attempt to seize the bridge. Mortar shells began to fall like rain, churning the ground to a slurry of muddy furrows and spewing deadly shrapnel. Inevitably men on the road and along the riverbank began to fall. Some were killed outright, shredded to pieces by the booming barrage of explosions. Others were scythed down and fell into the long grass clutching at gruesome wounds. Cries of pain and agony filled the space between each fresh explosion, becoming shrill with panic and desperation. Freshly spilled blood spattered the blacktop and soaked the fields.The MGSs behind low cover to the east of the bridge returned fire, their muzzle flares lighting up the night. The wicked recoil of each round kicked up a swirl of dust around the rocking chassis. Ejected round casings shot out from a chute in the rear of the turret and clattered on the ground. The M1128s were operating in batteries to concentrate their fire, scouring the slope of the far crest with canister. The thrashing hail forced the Russian infantry deep into their trenches, but did nothing to slow the rate of incoming mortar fire...

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, War

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2021

Reviews

[Gilbert Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining, action packed war novel. I laughed way more than I should’ve. Awesome story

[SteVen Hendricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review – In Nick Ryan’s “Charge to Battle” book, Russian troops pour into northern Poland and an elite platoon of American Army soldiers in Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV) face a dangerous reconnaissance assignment of clearing a route for a US Army Cavalry unit preparing to counterattack the advancing Russians before they reach Warsaw. But the Americans’ difficult mission is made even more complicated when a less-military trained Company of Polish militia are added by NATO to the counter attacking force, and the now joint-force runs into a vital bridge along the route that is unexpectedly defended by the Russians. Faced with an impossible battle to win the bridge, and the challenge of the unreliable Polish allies, the American Cavalry must find a way to fight through the dug-in Russian force that is determined to hold the vital crossing at all costs. The light-armored Stryker is an eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle produced by for the United States Army. It has four-wheel drive (8×4) and can also be switched to all-wheel drive (8×8). Significantly lighter and more transportable than existing tanks and armored vehicles, the Stryker fulfills an immediate requirement to provide combat readiness with a strategically and operationally deployable brigade of troops capable of rapid movement anywhere in the world. Unlike a super heavy Abrams tank or a Bradley fighting vehicle, the Stryker is a medium-weight vehicle that can carry 11 soldiers and weapons at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. The short and sweet of this story is that it is of military fiction. It’s a heavily military cliché ridden narrative - the good are great, the enemy brutal and the European allies are weakly led and somewhat ineffective. Nevertheless, the tale is entertaining, and the action in the battle scenes is unrelenting. The book was mostly focused on one battle event – the Russian occupied bridge - with little on the strategic side of the clash. That said, Ryan does not disappoint and provides a very entertaining read that's hard to put down. The plotline was a little stretched at times, but again, the battle sequences were first rate. A worthy read, and I am looking forward to the next book in author Nick Ryan’s chillingly authentic collection of action-packed combat novels.

[Jan Jaap]

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[Greg Oaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. Non stop action, felt like you were in the fight. Even though it was relatively short, it was well written.

Can’t wait to finish to start he next book

[Michelle Medhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, riveting military thriller that grabs you to the end...

It’s fabulous! That’s the short cut to essentially what this book is. If you like a good military thriller that takes you into the heart of the theatre, you’ll adore Mr Ryan’s novel.

Charge of Battle is a powerful, brutal book that strips back the veneer of war being a romanticized notion of patriotism and flag waving, to that of what it is - a bloody, painful and almost soul-destroying experience. A place where in one second you’re firing everything you’ve got, and the next moment, you’re blown apart, your limbs scattered in all directions.

It isn’t for the faint of heart, or even those thrill seekers that want sanitized versions of the battlefield. But if you want a book that will grab you, captivate you and hold you with an undeniable magnetism, you’ve found it.

The book is set in a altered reality where Russia has invaded the Baltics and is making advances into Poland. Their sudden and vicious attacks has pulled nations into a world war III status, with NATO troops fighting the Russia assaults. Unlike all the supposed press the button type nuclear scenarios, this WW3 is fought on a blood stained battle field, with the indefatigable goal being survival.

Within the first few pages, the reader is brought quickly into the action at the Bemowo Piskie Training Area near the Drygaly Village in Poland. The main protagonists, Sergeant First Class Tom Edge and Scout Team Leader Sergeant Vince Waddingham arrive in an inimitable ‘buddies who watch each other’s backs’ style. These moments of camaraderie keep things on a lighter path. Their need to keep spirits up is expected given that they are Scouts, part of the ‘Outlaw Troop’ – the brave soldiers that surveil and scout out the enemy’s advance position, whilst the rest of their Cavalry colleagues attack the enemy’s flank. The tension of politics, and play offs abound, with strategic priorities focusing on shoring up Warsaw’s protection and defense against Russia’s attack, at the expense of resources and military might else where. What that really means is a lot of people lose their lives as back up isn’t there when it’s needed.

The main battle in the book takes place on the bridge on the River Sypitki near a village called Norwid-Slowack. It is the Cavalry’s job to get across the bridge if they are to attack the Russian flank. If they capture the bridge, they’ll be able to dent Russian onslaught significantly. Of course, the Russians know this too, and there in begins a battle to the death.

Of course, this book isn’t just a war drama, for all its excellent factual accuracy (and it’s spot on!), it’s also a thoroughly realistic thriller demonstrating what happens when the cold, hard hand of politics smashes into the ferocity of war. The political standoff with Edge and the Polish Major Nowakowski is tense, nail biting and reflective of how cowardly, inadequate people with the right connections get on, and get promoted to the point where they can demean and dominate all. I really felt for Edge through out the conflict, and could feel my jaw-dropping as his Strykers and the soldiers inside were obliterated to dust, just because Major Nowakowski had a slight headache and couldn’t allow his Company to enter the fight. It’s really one of those moments when I almost hit my Kindle with anger, such is Mr Ryan’s powerful, poignant writing.

The brilliant characterisation of the key characters is what makes this military thriller come alive, and I found myself deeply invested in Edge, Waddingham and Kalina – the long suffering but tough daughter of the Nowakowski, and even in Nowakowski, although I hated his character, I was still engrossed in what he would do after Edge humiliated him in an perfect moment of skill and capability, that demonstrated Edge was clearly the better solider.

The relationship between Kalina wanting to be a fighter, and her father being the opposite, was an interesting dynamic, giving Mr Ryan the opportunity to explore aspects of courage and bravado. He who shouts isn’t always the one who is the bravest.

The treachery and spiteful actions that resulted in so much bloodshed were affecting and painful to read, but this reaction only serves to demonstrate the power of Mr Ryan’s story-telling. I raced through the pages, my heart hammering as hard as the protagonists skulking around the enemy command post, to reach the final denouement. Giving no spoilers, but it is a moment of genius -satisfying, authentic and perfectly imagined. If you like hard-hitting military thrillers with a superb twist you’ll love this. Very highly recommended.

[Darren Bourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever looked at the number of books that you have loaded onto your reading device (be it a tablet, a Kindle, or an iPad) and wondered what it was that piqued your interest in a particular book or a certain author (currently I have over two hundred digital e-Pubs on my tablet - and that is after having culled the TBR pile recently). This is just one of those books that was at the bottom of the pile that, due to being medically waylaid from work and recovering from a knee-replacement surgery, I recently read and decided to post a review of this book, Charge to Battle by Australian author Nick Ryan (that I am pretty sure was posted in the Military Thriller Book Group towards the beginning of my journey down this particular rabbit hole about a year and a half ago)

Thanks to Steve Lepper and the many authors who post their books in this group.

The synopsis of this book is that in the opening days of World War III, that the Russian forces have begun their march across Western Europe and face an elite platoon of American scouts working in concert with a company of Polish militia, led by a politically-motivated officer.

The mission of this elite platoon of American scouts is to clear the route ahead for an armoured column of US Cavalry preparing to counterattack the flank of the enemy spearhead before it reaches Poland's capital city, Warsaw. This mission is made even more complicated when this platoon of American scouts are faced with the political difficulties of being forced to act in concert with a company of unreliable Polish militia and are faced with the unenviable task of fighting their way through a dug-in Russian force in an attempt to win access to a vital bridge.

The American scouts are transported largely by medium-weight Stryker IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles). The light-armored Stryker is an eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle produced by for the United States Army. It has four-wheel drive (8×4) and can also be switched to all-wheel drive (8×8). Significantly lighter and more transportable than existing tanks and armored vehicles, the Stryker fulfills an immediate requirement to provide combat readiness with a strategically and operationally deployable brigade of troops capable of rapid movement anywhere in the world. Unlike a super heavy Abrams tank or a Bradley fighting vehicle, the Stryker is a medium-weight vehicle that can carry eleven soldiers and weapons at speeds up to 60 miles per hour.

This platoon of light-armoured Strykers is faced by a force of Russian military forces supported by a pair of dug-in T-90 main battle tanks, a third-generation medium-weight (47.5 tonnes) Russian chassis developed from, and designed to replace the T-72 utilizing a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun.

The platoon of American scouts eventually makes it past the tactical bottleneck formed at the bridge. They are joined by the remnants of the Polish militia, ultimately leading to a victory in this battle. World War III has just begun and Nick Ryan is leading the charge with the first volume of action-packed military action.

This book narrowly focuses on one battle with little of the strategic picture. That said, it does not disappoint and provides a very entertaining read that's hard to put down.

On a five-star scale, I would easily give this book a solid four stars. Even though this was a relatively short novel (175 pages), based on the gut-wrenching and stark descriptions of the combat, I would drive comparisons with other authors of this genre including Harold Coyle (Team Yankee), Larry Bond and Tom Clancy (Red Storm Rising), and James Rosone (Monroe Doctrine).

I would highly recommend this book (and likely this series, as this is only the first of Ryan's series that I have read) to aficionados of the techno-thriller and military fiction genres.

As with most of my literary ramblings, this is just my five cents worth.

[Cody Engdahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly what I was looking for.

I’m normally a historical fiction reader and I write 19th-century military novels. I decided to reward myself after finishing a Franco-Prussian War book by reading something contemporary. 

I’ve recently become fascinated with modern mechanized warfare, especially how it compares and contrasts with the mounted warriors of the 1800s I write about. I was particularly interested in Stryker and Bradley armored personnel carriers. I found this book after some searching, and boy was I happy I did! 

Charge to Battle is an absolute action-packed romp through the opening scenes of a speculative World War III. Nick Ryan certainly knows his stuff and if you read the acknowledgments at the end, you’ll see he had a lot of help from those on the inside.

The setup feels quite familiar although this book was written before the Russo-Ukrainian War. In Charge to Battle, the Russians have begun the reconquest of their lost empire. They quickly roll through the Baltic States and are now driving toward Warsaw to take back Poland. 

NATO has been caught with their pants down. They scramble to meet the challenge,  rallying their thinly spread troops to protect the Polish capital. A small force of American Strikers and Polish militia sally forward to harry the Russian advance in a desperate attempt to buy the allies time. 

It all comes down to a bridge that the Stryker force must cross without air support, as all air assets are concentrated at Warsaw. The Russians are dug in deep and ready to contest every inch of the crossing. 

Sergeant First Class Tom Edge leads his mechanized cavalry platoon of four Strykers to recon the bridge. With him are a company of green Polish troops mounted in KTO Rosomaks, which are their version of the American Stryker. However, Sergeant Edge and his soldiers find themselves in the heart of a desperate, bloody battle as the Russians defend the bridge to the death.

As I said before, this is an action-packed novel which spends most of the time in detailed battle scenes. Nick Ryan is a master of this. He’s also good at explaining how the weapons and vehicles work and the tactics using them. Still, I found myself looking things up, mostly because I was fascinated and wanted to see what they looked like.

If you want to see how a modern conventional battle would play out between equally advanced adversaries, this is a great book and it is only one out of eleven in a series.

The series is called Nick Ryan's World War 3 Military Fiction Technothrillers. The novels are about 50,000 words and take place in this imagined but very realistic war. The books are not sequential, so you can start with any one. They each feature a different window into the war and different technologies. One book is about submarines, another is about fighter jets, and so forth. 

Honestly, I was just going to read the one about Stryker armored personnel carriers but I might have to read more now that I’m hooked.  They’re all rather short so it’s easy to burn through one in less than a week.

If you want a realistic look into what a modern conventional war might look like among highly advanced equals, I think any of these books would give you a good taste. Great job, Mr. Ryan. I look forward to reading more.

[John Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't decide if I like this book or not. It's a rip-off of Team Yankee, but with Strykers instead of tanks, but the idea is kinda the same. A small team of American soldiers have to stop the might of the Russian Army as it invades Poland. To do so, they must work with a team of Polish militia, and their arrogant commander.

While the story itself is ok, and the characters are alright as well, the tactics displayed by the Americans and Poles are awful. They basically frontally attack the Russians who are heavily entrenched and dug in defending a bridge, and get massacred. The Americans line their vehicles up along the road, which ends up allowing a Russian Frogfoot SU25 to attack and destroy many vehicles and cause loads of casualties. The Russians are a mostly faceless foe, and we only get to know one of the officers, whereas we get to know 3 or 4 of the Americans, and a couple of the Poles.

To be honest, I found the online link to the Timeline of more interest than the actual book. I hope the story improves in the next one.

[Michael Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling nonstop action!

From the first chapter to the last this was a terrific read. I couldn't put it down, couldn't stop until the last word. My adrenalin was high throughout, coursing through my veins bringing my nerves to a fever pitch. Like I stood amidst the action myself, I flinched with every passing bullet, my muscles twitched as I tried to roll away from a burning Stryker, my eyes searched off the page for the grenade thrown too close. I'm gloriously cheered by a successful operation, but I am so tired, like I just slogged through the mud and the blood with the heroes in the fight. I was one with Edge, tied to his waist with bullets whining overhead and shrapnel flying.

Amazing, intense action so thoroughly described it was truly possible to imagine myself in the midst. Realistic and terrifying, I couldn't put it down.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

INCREDIBLY REALISTIC - A FIVE STAR THRILLER

WOW! The intensity of this story and the grip it had on me was something I was unprepared for. The detailed descriptions drew me right into the nonstop action and enabled me to visualize each scene as it played out. The characters are intense and authentic, perfect for bringing the reader directly into the battle. Clearly Nick has extensively researched the precise information he used to build this story. He has created a riveting, fast-paced novel that will not easily be forgotten. I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in this collection.

[Fred Schwarz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an okay book and an easy quick read. What I liked about this book, it was not like many of the genre that jump around from unrelated characters to character that end up with too many stories going at once that it is hard to keep track. The author staying focused on one sergeant and his actions was good. yet this story did lack character development, they wall seemed a bit black and while and the polish major was contrived. One thing I would have to say is that the US officers would not have put up with the Polish major, one of them, likely the squadron XO, and XOs are usually the "bad cop," would have taken the Polish Major aside and have stern words, or maybe more, to adjust his attitude.

[Chance · Rating 3 out of 5]

the Amazon tile burb needs to be shorter

I really put off on this series for a long time but after seeing it’s 11th book coming out I decided to see if they’d short stories that cover single battles at different times of a future WW.

The backstory is bit dry has you have to go off Radom stuff chacthers say and use a secondary website that lists the events of this universe has they happen. Which lay helpful to look for information makes it annoying has at time you full like your knowing half the story and that ruins the enjoyment of the world building experience.

[Roland Laking · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstandingly good quality reading and the plot twists and turns

Brilliantly written plot that you will have to keep following as the battle is joined soldiers who have been in action against an enemy who is well trained and experienced cannot easily be overcome and the cost is always higher than the ground gained is worth , remembering my own experiences in a world few understand or experience first hand I cannot wait until the next book in this series

[Hilary H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written action novel

The only weakness in this book is the tactics employed by the CAV. The deployment of the mortars, the lack of security, ADA readiness, and just the unCAV like assembly area were well bogus.
The action was well written which made up for a lot. BTW, the current CAV TO&E sucks. Should be Brads and M1A2e3’s with each Squadron having a 8 Gun Battery of M109’s. But that is another story.

[Mark Lynd · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fast-paced read with a pretty accurate depiction of what a battle in Europe during WW III might look like. However, I would say he tends to underestimate NATO's capabilities a bit, while overestimating the Russians capabilities. It is pretty clear given Russia's struggles in Ukraine currently that they would struggle mightily in a larger theatre war. But it does make the story more interesting to read.

[G. Mark Kelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

If You Ain’t Cav...

Outstanding and on par with Team Yankee and Red Storm Rising. WW3 has just begun and Nick Ryan is leading the charge with the first volume of action packed military action. It’s been a long time since Team Yankee was published and Charge To Battle has toppled it from the top of my favorite military fiction list.

[lisa m walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story.

I really like these types of novels and alternate military history novels. A lot of authors ruin them by trying to make them a political statement bolstering their political beliefs, ruining the story. This book did not do that. It was a well written battle story. Looking forward to more from this author.

[Robert Hrzic · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing novel! I love the way Nick Ryan describes the combat of World War III being similar to that of World War I and the way NATO defends Poland. I also love the way the Americans and the Polish defend the nation. I noticed that a sequel has come out! I'm getting it this coming month. A must read if you're a technothriller fan.

[Tom Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of people focused action, not a techno- thriller

I was expecting something along the lines of Team Yankee updated for the modern battlefield. This book was more narrowly focused on one battle with little of the strategic picture. That said it does not disappoint and provides a very entertaining read that's hard to put down.

[S.David Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great First Read

Was curious to see what this book
had to offer. Pleasantly surprised to find a book that was very engaging and difficult to put down. The action was non stop and very believable. The characters were well developed and also very believable. Will start on book 2 immediately.

[Jon Theisen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Ripping good read

If your looking for a damn fine Ripping good read, look no further! Action, action, action…. I saw this on Amazon and thought it sounded good, boy was I right, great characters that you can both love and hate, and a great story line makes this book one I just couldn’t put down. I highly recommend this book.

[Mark Payton]

I was very impressed with the flow of this book and all Nicks' military books. He sticks close to one battle or skirmish and the details and reactions of the troops depicted are very accurate.

[Tom Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

War IS hell!

Mr. Ryan's gut wrenchng tales of war are stark and graphic. Terribly descriptive and should warn men not to start wars, but alas, the men who start wars are not the men who fight wars. Highly recommended series.

[wiliam athanas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simpler words, that reader can read and understand

Realistic story and good storytelling but choice of words made reading difficult at times, especially when describing battlefield combat action

[Kenn Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle with the Cav

A well written description of what the modern Cavalry is about. If you ain't Cav, you AIN'T... I really enjoyed reading this book. If you are a military fiction fan, you should too. Fast paced and hard to put down.

[Ken Griffeth]

A decent read.

I could have done with less cussing - descriptions of carnage and the huffing and puffing of soldiers. The story was alright but I have to say that to me me, personally, this was not up to the authors normal standard of story telling.

[Richard E. Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Cav action

As a 20 year US Army veteran, I enjoyed the book! The author has a great writing style, that mostly holds your attention to the point of not wanting to put the book down.
Great story line.

[Lelia Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garry Owen

You have a book that was hard to put down. This book is a winner. Your Characters are good CM

[Richard A Lambing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though a work of fiction; I found it to be very exciting. I’m interested in books, with a military theme.

[Bernard Siebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action Packed

Combat story that is constantly action packed. Easy to follow and well told. Will continue to follow author’s next novels.