Raiding Forces Series
Encyclopedia
The Raiding Forces Series is a sequence of World War II
novel
s, written by American
novelist and Vietnam
veteran
Phil Ward.
, makes his literary debut with the release of the Raiding Forces Series consisting, so far, of two books: Those Who Dare (2010) and Dead Eagles (2011).
The first book in the series, Those Who Dare, follows Lieutenant John Randal as he commands a group of men in carrying out small-scale, cross-channel attacks along the French coast. The second novel in the series, Dead Eagles, picks up where the first leaves off and is set to be released in 2011.
, which is normally credited to the founder of the SAS, David Stirling
.
When England stood alone after the Nazi's had conquered Europe, Special Operations Executive and the British Commandos were organized to carry out pin-prick cross channel raids to hit back, this is the story told in Those Who Dare.
Set in 1940, the novel opens with Lieutenant John Randal, a veteran of the U.S. 26th Cavalry Regiment, as he arrives in Calais, France to help the British stem the German Panzer
advance. The novel ends with a lead into the second novel when the protagonist is informed that he and his men will embark on the next mission within 48 hours.
, Lt. John Randal is given a 9mm Browning P-35 (Hi Power)
by his sergeant who claims to have taken it from a Belgium officer who “was wearing enough gold braid to be an admiral.” Later he picks up a 9mm Walther P-38 and a 9mm P-08 and an 9mm MP-38 submachine gun captured from the 10th Panzer Division.
Once Lt. Randal is back in England he has to surrender the MP-38 to the Port Authorities. He gives the P-38, a weapon he never cared for even though it is state-of-the-art, to Raiding Force’s sergeant major and the P-08 becomes a lethal (loaded) paperweight. He is then armed with a pair of short barreled Mark I Webley .455 revolvers
that were designed for shooting “fuzzy wuzzies” circa 1890. The revolvers have been hand tuned by a firearms expert.
Special Operations Executive provides Raiding Forces with 1911 Model Colt Super .38 Super automatics
that it has mistakenly purchased from the Colt Manufacturing Company, thinking they were getting .38 Specials
, to replace the units Webley .455’s. Major Randal has a pair of the Colt .38 Supers that were also hand tuned.
Major Randal requested and was finally issued a number of .22 Military Model Hi-Standard automatics
with silencers. He carried one, in addition to his primary sidearm, on virtually every mission thereafter. Major Randal was issued a Fairbairn Commando knife
created by the famous sword making firm of Wilkinson and Wilkinson
. Unexplainably, the stiletto designed to be a stealthy weapon used at night, was nickel plated.
Raiding Forces was initially issued Mark IV SMLE .303 rifles
. These bolt action weapons were not suitable for small-scale raiding so they were soon abandoned in favor of each Commando carrying a bag of grenades. Later Raiding Forces were provided cut down civilian sporting 12 gauge Browning A-5 shotguns
with an extension 8 round magazines. Major Randal carried one which he preferred over the .45 Thompson submachine guns
when they were eventually made available to Raiding Forces.
Lt. Terry Stone is initially armed with a 9mm Small Ring Mauser pistol
his grandfather carried in South Africa during the Boer War and his father in France in the Great War. Later he is issued a Colt .38 Super and a .22 High Standard Military Model w/silencer. A fan of American gangster movies, when they become available, he selects a .45 Thompson submachine gun w/drum magazine as his primary weapon. Lieutenant Stone carries a Fairbairn Commando knife.
Midshipman Randy Seaborn is initially armed with a Mark III .455 Webley revolver. Later he is issued a Colt .38 Super and a .22 High Standard Military Model w/silener. He carries a Fairbairn Commando knife.
Lady Jane Seaborn carried a Colt .38 Super worn on her Sam Brown belt. Later she is given a Walther 7.65 pocket pistol Maj. John Randal captured, to carry in her purse.
Marine Pamala Plum-Martin carries a Colt .38 Super when in uniform. It was rumored she wears a .25 “Baby Browning
” attached to her garter belt on the inside of her left thigh when in civilian dress.
Captain “Geronimo” Joe McKoy is armed with a matched pair of highly engraved ivory stocked Colt Model P .45 single action revolvers
for his shows but admits to having used a Colt .38 Super in the past because “It’ll shoot clean through an engine block”. He carries an ivory stocked 7” Bowie knife
in the middle of his back under his jacket.
Initially Sergeant Major Maxell Hicks was armed with a standard issue Mark III Webley .455 w/6inch barrel. Lt. John Randal gave him a .9mm Walther P-38 prior to Raiding Forces first operation. Later he was issued a Colt .38 Super. Sergeant Major Maxwell Hicks carries a Fairbairn Commando knife.
Sergeant Mike “March or Die” Mikkalis was initially armed with a Webley Mark II .455 revolver w/6 inch barrel. Later he was issued a Colt .38 Super. He carries a Fairbairn Commando knife. It was suspected Sergeant Mikkalis had at least one other small blade somewhere on his person at all times.
Squadron Leader Paddy Wilcox is armed with a Colt .38 Super. For certain clandestine operations he carries a 9mm Walther P-38. Squadron Leader Wilcox carries a Fairbairn Commando knife but only when in his RAF walking out uniform.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, written by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
Phil Ward.
Overview
Phil Ward, a decorated combat veteran and former instructor at the Army Ranger SchoolRanger School
The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...
, makes his literary debut with the release of the Raiding Forces Series consisting, so far, of two books: Those Who Dare (2010) and Dead Eagles (2011).
The first book in the series, Those Who Dare, follows Lieutenant John Randal as he commands a group of men in carrying out small-scale, cross-channel attacks along the French coast. The second novel in the series, Dead Eagles, picks up where the first leaves off and is set to be released in 2011.
Those Who Dare
The title is derived from the motto of the British Special Air ServicesSpecial Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, which is normally credited to the founder of the SAS, David Stirling
David Stirling
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
.
When England stood alone after the Nazi's had conquered Europe, Special Operations Executive and the British Commandos were organized to carry out pin-prick cross channel raids to hit back, this is the story told in Those Who Dare.
Set in 1940, the novel opens with Lieutenant John Randal, a veteran of the U.S. 26th Cavalry Regiment, as he arrives in Calais, France to help the British stem the German Panzer
German tanks in World War II
Nazi Germany had several tank designs during World War II. In addition to these domestic designs, Germany also made use of various captured and foreign-built tanks.- Development and uses :...
advance. The novel ends with a lead into the second novel when the protagonist is informed that he and his men will embark on the next mission within 48 hours.
Maj. John Randal
An American officer serving in the British Army. He had previously served two years in the jungles operating against Huk guerillas while attached to the Philippine Constabulary on loan from the US 26th Cavalry Regiment. As a lieutenant in The Rangers, a British Territorial Regiment that was an auxiliary of the Kings Royal Rifle Corp, Lieutenant Randal arrives in Calais, France in the middle of an air raid, the destroyer escorting his ship is sunk, and there is a riot in progress on the dock as the ship pulls in.Captain Terry ‘Zorro’ Stone
The black sheep son of a Duke is a graduate of Eaton, a member of the boys club Pop (whose members go on to run the empire), a member of the exclusive gentlemen’s club Whites and a member of the Beaufort Hunt (whose members are so powerful they are capable of influencing events worldwide even in the most remote corners of the empire), and an officer in the 2nd Life Guards (a unit described as the most exclusive military fraternity in the world). Lieutenant Stone is serving in MO-9 when Lt. John Randal comes to the attention of his commanding officer. He and Randal immediately strike up a friendship though the only thing they have in common is a desire to strike back at the Nazi’s and a taste for chasing women, which is Lieutenant Stone’s preferred sport.Midshipman Randy Seaborn
A member of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, the eighteen year old commanding officer of His Majesty’s Yacht Arrow, a sporting craft that belonged to his mother before being called up for use by the Royal Navy. Midshipman Seaborn is marking time waiting orders confirming his commission in the Regular Navy while commanding the HMY Arrow—a quirky practice that was not unknown in the navy—where an officer was allowed to command a craft that was owned by his family when they were both called up.Lady Jane Seaborn
Universally referred to as drop dead gorgeous, she is drop dead gorgeous. Lady Jane is the widow of a Royal Navy commander of a destroyer that was sunk off Norway at the beginning of the war. She is one of the wealthiest women in England and is member of the Five Hundred, the five hundred families that controlled the British Empire—you have to be born into the Five Hundred you cannot achieve your way in and marriages are generally arranged so that the number of families remains constant (members of the Five Hundred have been quietly advised that if the Germans invade as expected and conquer England they will be liquidated). Lady Jane is a member of the Beaufort Hunt (as is Lt. Terry ‘Zorro’ Stone who she had once referred to as a ‘Lounge Lizard’).Pamala Plum-Martin
Lady Jane’s driver. She is a platinum blond bombshell with a preference for Royal Air Force fighter pilots, the “Gallant Few”. When Lady Jane forms her Women’s Royal Marine detachment Pamala becomes the first female Royal Marine in the unit. Wearing the WRM uniform of jodhpurs, riding boots, Sam Brown belt over a tailored jacket and hat with a highly polished Marine Plum-Martin is described as looking like a Vargas girl. Like Lady Jane she is an SOE operative and may also have been in MI-6 the British Secret Service.Captain “Geronimo” Joe McKoy
An American Wild West showman who is in England entertaining the troops or so he says. He is a firearms expert and hand tunes Raiding Forces outdated revolvers and has the 12 gage Browning A-5’s built to give the Commandos equal to or superior to the Nazi’s they encounter on their raids. Captain McKoy claims to have fought Apache Indians, charged up San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, been an Arizona Ranger and a few other things which would make him about 102 years old. He spends a lot of time training Raiding Forces and Special Operations Executive personnel how to shoot pistols. “Geronimo Joe” is the unofficial Raiding Forces armorer. He does not devote much time to entertaining troops.Sergeant Major Maxwell Hicks
A member of the Grenadier Guards he is assigned as Raiding Forces senior NCO. The Grenadier Guards have a saying, “If you are on time you are five minutes late.” He is a ramrod stiff professional soldier that would have been at home serving in the Roman Legion. He brings discipline and order to a band of high spirited, polo playing Commandos. However, he is not a martinet. Sergeant Major Hicks is the backbone of Raiding Forces and highly respected by everyone in the unit.Sergeant Mike “March or Die” Mikkalis
The senior NCO of the two platoons of Green Jackets that along with five Royal Marines became Swamp Fox Force at Calais. He had earned his nickname because of a tour with the 13th Demi-Brigade of the French Foreign Legion in the bad parts of Africa before joining the Kings Royal Rifle Corp. Some think he looks like the dreamy eyed Foreign Legion soldier wearing a kepi staring off into the distance on the recruiting posters. Sergeant Mikkalis is a superb NCO. He is tough as nails.Squadron Leader Paddy Wilcox
A Canadian Air-Sea Rescue pilot. He flew fighters in the Great War shooting down thirty confirmed Hun’s and is dripping in medals. Between wars he made a living as a bush pilot. Squadron Leader Wilcox has perfect eyesight but he wears a black eye-patch over one eye at all times which makes him look like a rotund pirate. When it was noticed the patch was not always worn over the same eye he explained that he rotated it “to strengthen the eye muscles”.Weapons
Originally armed with nothing more than a swagger stickSwagger stick
A swagger stick is a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority. A swagger stick is shorter than a staff or cane, and is usually made from rattan.-History:...
, Lt. John Randal is given a 9mm Browning P-35 (Hi Power)
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
by his sergeant who claims to have taken it from a Belgium officer who “was wearing enough gold braid to be an admiral.” Later he picks up a 9mm Walther P-38 and a 9mm P-08 and an 9mm MP-38 submachine gun captured from the 10th Panzer Division.
Webley Revolver
The Webley Revolver was, in various marks, the standard issue service pistol for the armed forces of the United Kingdom, the British Empire, and the Commonwealths from 1887 until 1963.The Webley is a top-break revolver with automatic extraction...
that were designed for shooting “fuzzy wuzzies” circa 1890. The revolvers have been hand tuned by a firearms expert.
Special Operations Executive provides Raiding Forces with 1911 Model Colt Super .38 Super automatics
.38 Super
The .38 Super or .38 Super Automatic is a pistol cartridge that fires a diameter bullet. The Super was introduced in the late 1920s as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP or .38 Auto. The old .38 ACP propelled a bullet at . The improved .38 Super Auto pushed the same bullet at...
that it has mistakenly purchased from the Colt Manufacturing Company, thinking they were getting .38 Specials
.38 Special
The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...
, to replace the units Webley .455’s. Major Randal has a pair of the Colt .38 Supers that were also hand tuned.
Major Randal requested and was finally issued a number of .22 Military Model Hi-Standard automatics
High Standard .22 Pistol
High Standard target pistols are manufactured in a variety of models in .22 Short and .22 Long Rifle chamberings for use in competition. One selling point is the similarity in grip angle and manual safety location to the M1911A1 series, a pistol common in service pistol competition.A variant of...
with silencers. He carried one, in addition to his primary sidearm, on virtually every mission thereafter. Major Randal was issued a Fairbairn Commando knife
Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife
The Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife is a double-edged fighting knife resembling a dagger or poignard with a foil grip developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in Shanghai based on concepts which the two men initiated before World War II while serving on the Shanghai Municipal...
created by the famous sword making firm of Wilkinson and Wilkinson
Wilkinson Sword
Wilkinson Sword is a brand name for companies that make gardening tools and razors. Wilkinson Sword's origins are in the manufacture of swords. The company was founded in London in 1772. The brand is currently owned by Energizer Holdings. Past product lines have included guns, bayonets, and other...
. Unexplainably, the stiletto designed to be a stealthy weapon used at night, was nickel plated.
Raiding Forces was initially issued Mark IV SMLE .303 rifles
Lee-Enfield
The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century...
. These bolt action weapons were not suitable for small-scale raiding so they were soon abandoned in favor of each Commando carrying a bag of grenades. Later Raiding Forces were provided cut down civilian sporting 12 gauge Browning A-5 shotguns
Browning Auto-5
The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun designed and remained in production until 1998...
with an extension 8 round magazines. Major Randal carried one which he preferred over the .45 Thompson submachine guns
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
when they were eventually made available to Raiding Forces.
Lt. Terry Stone is initially armed with a 9mm Small Ring Mauser pistol
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
his grandfather carried in South Africa during the Boer War and his father in France in the Great War. Later he is issued a Colt .38 Super and a .22 High Standard Military Model w/silencer. A fan of American gangster movies, when they become available, he selects a .45 Thompson submachine gun w/drum magazine as his primary weapon. Lieutenant Stone carries a Fairbairn Commando knife.
Midshipman Randy Seaborn is initially armed with a Mark III .455 Webley revolver. Later he is issued a Colt .38 Super and a .22 High Standard Military Model w/silener. He carries a Fairbairn Commando knife.
Lady Jane Seaborn carried a Colt .38 Super worn on her Sam Brown belt. Later she is given a Walther 7.65 pocket pistol Maj. John Randal captured, to carry in her purse.
Marine Pamala Plum-Martin carries a Colt .38 Super when in uniform. It was rumored she wears a .25 “Baby Browning
Baby Browning
The Fabrique Nationale Baby Browning is a small blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Dieudonné Saive based on a design by John Browning and chambered in .25 ACP . The pistol features a 6 round magazine capacity and is a striker-fired, single action, blow back mechanism...
” attached to her garter belt on the inside of her left thigh when in civilian dress.
Captain “Geronimo” Joe McKoy is armed with a matched pair of highly engraved ivory stocked Colt Model P .45 single action revolvers
Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
for his shows but admits to having used a Colt .38 Super in the past because “It’ll shoot clean through an engine block”. He carries an ivory stocked 7” Bowie knife
Bowie knife
A Bowie knife is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife first popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie in the early 19th Century. Since the first incarnation was created by James Black, the Bowie knife has come to incorporate several recognizable and characteristic design features, although its...
in the middle of his back under his jacket.
Initially Sergeant Major Maxell Hicks was armed with a standard issue Mark III Webley .455 w/6inch barrel. Lt. John Randal gave him a .9mm Walther P-38 prior to Raiding Forces first operation. Later he was issued a Colt .38 Super. Sergeant Major Maxwell Hicks carries a Fairbairn Commando knife.
Sergeant Mike “March or Die” Mikkalis was initially armed with a Webley Mark II .455 revolver w/6 inch barrel. Later he was issued a Colt .38 Super. He carries a Fairbairn Commando knife. It was suspected Sergeant Mikkalis had at least one other small blade somewhere on his person at all times.
Squadron Leader Paddy Wilcox is armed with a Colt .38 Super. For certain clandestine operations he carries a 9mm Walther P-38. Squadron Leader Wilcox carries a Fairbairn Commando knife but only when in his RAF walking out uniform.