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The Rat Patrol #2
Desert Danger
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 10, 2023
The book is one of five paperback tie-in novels based on the 1960s TV series. (There was also a Whitman hardcover, which I read and re-read until it fell apart when I was a kid.)
This one starts pretty much in the midst of action. The Rat Patrol's commanding officer (Col. Wilson) has been captured and is being held at a German-occupied town by the Patrol's arch-enemy, Capt. Dietrich. The Patrol is already speeding their two machine-gun-equipped jeeps behind enemy lines to rescue the colonel.. Dietrich knows they are coming and sets a trap.
The first half of the novel involves the Rat Patrol sneaking into the town and rescuing Wilson. This involves a lot of sneaking around, the occasional knifing of a sentry, getting captured themselves, then escaping and playing a lot of cat-and-mouse as they dodge Germans while trying to find a way back out of the town.
The second half is their escape back to American lines after finally get out of the town. They dodge or ambush pursuing Germans and try to avoid dive bombers that have been sent after them. At one point, they have to swap their jeeps for a German patrol car, but this results in getting shot at by their own side when they finally near American lines.
The action is over-the-top. This is appropriate, as the action in the TV series was also over-the-top. But it's fun, exciting action, with an emphasis placed on both the Rat Patrol and their nemesis Dietrich all improvising intelligently as their situations rapidly change. Like the show, the novel is entertaining as long as you don't look for anything remotely resembling realism.
This one starts pretty much in the midst of action. The Rat Patrol's commanding officer (Col. Wilson) has been captured and is being held at a German-occupied town by the Patrol's arch-enemy, Capt. Dietrich. The Patrol is already speeding their two machine-gun-equipped jeeps behind enemy lines to rescue the colonel.. Dietrich knows they are coming and sets a trap.
The first half of the novel involves the Rat Patrol sneaking into the town and rescuing Wilson. This involves a lot of sneaking around, the occasional knifing of a sentry, getting captured themselves, then escaping and playing a lot of cat-and-mouse as they dodge Germans while trying to find a way back out of the town.
The second half is their escape back to American lines after finally get out of the town. They dodge or ambush pursuing Germans and try to avoid dive bombers that have been sent after them. At one point, they have to swap their jeeps for a German patrol car, but this results in getting shot at by their own side when they finally near American lines.
The action is over-the-top. This is appropriate, as the action in the TV series was also over-the-top. But it's fun, exciting action, with an emphasis placed on both the Rat Patrol and their nemesis Dietrich all improvising intelligently as their situations rapidly change. Like the show, the novel is entertaining as long as you don't look for anything remotely resembling realism.
November 26, 2024
ahh, returning to childhood. A good story to remind me all about the fun I had watching the Rat Patrol racing across the desert and engaging in battle. This story is about a crazy rescue gone wrong, very wrong. However, the Rat Patrol never fails so everything turns out fine in the end. A fun trip down memory line.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews