CONNECTICUT LIBRARIES
November 2003, Vol. 45, No. 10
The thrill of receiving and reviewing a book so new that it is only available as an uncorrected proof is not something I take for granted. I had had the thrill only twice before when I was offered the opportunity to sneak an early peek at a book by a brand new novelist. James Benn may be a newly published writer of fiction, but he is an old friend and library colleague. He demonstrates admirably that librarians (and now, in his case, information technology professionals) may not only select, acquire, catalog, circulate, and read literature; they may also create it.The title, Desperate Ground, comes from Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese author of The Art of War. Sun Tzu tells us that an army is on "desperate ground" when it cannot find refuge anywhere. The commander of an army on desperate ground must recognize that he and his soldiers can only survive by giving up all hope of life.
In this novel, World War II is in its closing stages. Nazi Germany is gradually crumbling under the relentless advances of the Allies: the powerful Americans and British on the west, the vengeful Russian troops of the despised Soviet Union in the east. Out of desperation and audacity, Hitler seizes upon a strategy conceived by a decorated veteran of the Fatherland. "Operation Gambit," Colonel Erich Remke proclaims, will save the Reich by exploiting the long-standing distrust and ideological conflict between the democratic West and the communist East. If the Fuhrer provides the resources and his support, Remke promises to have the Russians and Americans shooting at each other within weeks. Hitler, in a masterful stroke, could then reshuffle the alliance. Nazi Germany, in league with the Americans and British, would destroy the communist menace once and for all. The thousand-year Reich, though now on desperate ground, would live on.
The war plan requires flawless timing and bold execution. Germany must carefully withdraw troops from an area, using tactics that force advancing American and Russian armies into close proximity. German troops dressed as American GI's are to stage an attack on the Russians, as another contingent disguised as Soviet soldiers storm the American lines.
Colonel Remke appears to be the perfect leader for this stratagem. In the early, glorious days of the war, Remke commanded the Brandenburg Regiment, a secret military group comprised of men with covert warfare talents, including fluency in several languages. Cool and fearless, he led the Brandenburg Regiment on pre-invasion, undercover missions into Poland and Holland; his soldiers clad in the uniforms of their enemies, their officers speaking the language of their foe. But, unbeknownst to Hitler, Remke's unswerving devotion to Operation Gambit rests more on the colonel's need to prolong the war than on his dedication to Fuhrer and Reich. Personal loss in Remke's beloved East Prussia has turned the hero from a dutiful soldier to an obsessed avenger.
In chess, a gambit is a tactic that sacrifices one or more weaker pieces in order to gain a strategic advantage on the board. Operation Gambit calls for the sacrifice of territory and troops so that the Nazi regime may turn the tables on the Allies. By the same token, several characters face gambits of their own: tough choices, risks and losses taken for the greater good. These well-drawn characters keep us involved in an exciting story that contains more than one plot twist along the way.
Lieutenant (later Captain) Dieter Neukirk of the Brandenburg Regiment is a protagonist with whom we can relate. We meet him as a young officer, anxious about his first mission and in awe of Major (later Colonel) Erich Remke. We are introduced to Elsa Klein, Neukirk's fiancé, a hospital worker who risks her life throughout the war to save helpless innocents from the Gestapo and the concentration camps. We witness a gradual transformation in Neukirk. Although a hardened combat veteran, he never loses his humanity. His tenacious, admirable humanity finally places him at cross-purposes with his hero, Remke.
American Captain Billy Boyle is the reluctant warrior. Distantly related to General Eisenhower, Boyle seeks rest, recreation, and a soft assignment following one tough mission after another. Still, he cannot say no to his charismatic "Uncle Ike" when the Allied commander asks him to do a little special intelligence and reconnaissance work. Boyle knows that the general and the country are counting on thousands of soldiers just like him to bring Hitler to his knees, to bring the war to a close, and to bring an end to the killing.
James Benn treats the reader to a good story, lots of action, and believable personalities in his first novel. And, it looks like he has more coming.
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