The Thin White Line (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Thin White Line is a novel by Rhodesian author Daniel Carney
, it became better known when it was turned into the film The Wild Geese
. At first Carney could not get his novel published, but for a chance meeting with film producer Euan Lloyd
. Lloyd loved the story about Mercenaries in Africa
on a mission to rescue a deposed leader. In order to purchase the rights to film the novel, Carney asked for his novel to be published. Lloyd fully agreed, as he had already had an offer from an American
publisher when he had first taken the novel to Hollywood. The novel was finally published in 1977 just before the film's release.
Deposed Congolese President Julius Limbani is on a flight to Israel
, when his bodyguard is murdered. The CIA have hijacked the plane as part of a Cold War
deal with current Congo president General Ndofa. Waiting in the Tel Aviv
airport for Limbani is British mercenary soldier Colonel Allan Faulkner. Faulkner is under contract to take Limbani back to the Congo and mount a coup d'etat. When Limbani fails to arrive, Faulkner is left unemployed and returns to South Africa.
November 1970
Over two years have passed and Faulkner is summoned to London
by Merchant Banker Sir Edward Matherson. Faulkner learns that not only is Limbani alive but he is held in Algeria
and is to be returned to the Congo for execution. But what Matherson proposes is for Faulkner to raise and lead a mercenary unit to rescue Limbani and bring him to London. With this chance to redeem his reputation after Limbani was kidnapped under his contracted safety, Faulkner agrees and sets about assembling his team. Three men are top of Faulkner's list, all have served under him in the past and are trusted beyond question. First to be recruited is American Rafer Janders, who at that time is in hiding from the Mafia
. They've put out a contract on Janders' life after he killed a local godfather's nephew after tricking Janders into being a courier of heroin. As Matherson persuades the mafia into lifting the contract, Faulkner finds Janders holed up above a friend's shop. Whilst waiting for Matherson to deal with the mafia, Faulkner learns about what has happened to Janders since they last served together 10 years ago. With Janders now part of the operation Faulkner turns to two more comrades from the Congo, Jeremy Chandos and Sandy Young.
After recruiting two more officers (Fynn and Coetzee) and 49 NCOs and enlisted men, the goup travels to Mozambique
for training. Once Young begins training, he quickly becomes resented by most of the men because of his rigid and harsh methods. While Faulkner remains popular with the men, it is not the same for the RSM, who easily defeats an attempt by a few disgruntled mercenaries to kill him. Now respected as well as disliked by the men, Young transforms aged old soldiers and young rookies into a formidable fighting force. As Faulkner and Janders procure their transport and weapons, Chandos, Fynn and Coetzee explore the local nightlife of Lourenenco Marques. There Fynn falls in love with a local escort girl, and finds himself once again with a reason not to go on the mission. Fynn eventually recognises that he has a responsibility to his comrades and flies out with the rest of the mercenaries.
The plane belonging to Mad Malloy, takes them to their drop zone
in the hills surrounding Albertville
. The jump goes well except for Fynn, whose chute
fails to deploy properly but manages to land safely after using his reserve chute. Faulkner gathers his men, then the group splits in two and each march on their respective objective. As Chandos and Fynn's group approach the local Airport
, Faulkner's group manage to find the army barracks after a little scare. The barracks which hold a garrison of the Congolese army as well as the imprisoned Limbani, cannot be approached easily as there is no cover for a hundred metres. To take out the three sentries, Coetzee shoots them with crossbow armed with cyanide
-tipped bolts. The mercenaries enter the barracks quickly and quietly as most of the garrison is asleep, it is now they split into three further groups. As RSM. Young leads one team to destroy the armoury, Janders' group enter the dormitories and wearing gas masks proceeds to kill the sleeping soldiers with cyanide gas. While these two groups get on with their tasks, Faulkner's group burst in on the guard-house under cover of the mercenaries guns. Coetzee relieves one of the Congolese Officers of the keys to the cells located beneath the room and along with a Scottish
mercenary (McTaggart) Coetzee storms the basement, and after a short firefight they free Limbani.
With their mission complete, Faulkner's group leaves the barracks for the airport in captured trucks. After being told over the radio that Faulkner had been successful, Chandos' team attacks the main building while Fynn's team take over the control tower. With the airport under the conrol of the mercenaries they await the arrival of Faulkner's group, but unfortunately the perimeter guards start to come under attack from Ndofa's Simbas. As they hold off the Simbas and await Faulkner, Fynn uses the control tower's radio to talk the waiting transport plane down onto the runway
. The plane lands just as the Simbas break through the perimeter at the opposite end of the runway to the plane and start shooting at it. At this time Faulkner's group arrives, but the plane's pilot under strict instructions from Mad Malloy refuses to wait for the mercenaries and promptly takes off. Leaving the mercenaries stranded, Faulkner organises a fighting withdrawal taking with them all the fuel, spare arms and ammunition they can pile on the trucks and jeeps.
The mercenaries ambush the following Simbas and are still in good order, only losing a few men killed. As they make their way south, heading for Limbani's home tribal land they approach an old rickety wooden road bridge. Only the first few vehicles make it across, as the bridge collapses under the weight of a fuel tanker leaving the last jeep stranded on the northern river bank. In that jeep is Limbani, Coetzee, McTaggart and a homosexual medic (Arthur Whity).
As Faulkner's party reached the village of Limbani's people and found a sort of sanctuary there, Coetzee's party was ambushed by the Simbas. Whity was killed and McTaggart missing (later turned out to be killed on his own terms), and Coetzee was also killed while trying to save Limbani. RSM Young, sent by Faulkner, arrived just in time to save Limbani and bring him to the village.
Ndofa contacted Faulkner, and the two made a deal: Limbani for one million dollars. Janders disagreed and, holding Faulkner at gunpoint, forced a vote among the officers. RSM Young voted to follow Faulkner, but Janders, Fynn and Chandos voted against Faulkner's plan. It was finally decided to take over a Dakota on an airstrip nearby and use it to escape, with Fynn to pilot it all the way to Rhodesia
.
The taking over of the Dakota went well, but not the fighting retreat. Many of the mercenaries were killed, and Faulkner himself was gravely wounded. Unable to carry Faulkner to the plane, or put him out of misery, RSM Young decided to stay with him and fight the coming Simbas to death. Fynn managed to fly the Dakota, but Janders and several others who were providing cover were nearly forgotten. They rushed for the plane, under the gunfire from the Simbas. Janders helped one mercenary who was shot, but his chance was gone. He pleaded to be killed, and Chandos finally did shoot him. The Dakota suddenly slowed down on the runway, because Fynn was shot, making the killing of Janders unnecessary. The wounded Fynn guided Chandos and Benson (the last of NCOs) into flying the Dakota all the way to Rhodesia.
Daniel Carney
Daniel Carney was a white Zimbabwean novelist. Three of his novels have been made into films.-Biography:Daniel Carney was born in Beirut in 1944. In 1963 he settled in Rhodesia and joined the British South Africa Police, where he served for three and a half years...
, it became better known when it was turned into the film The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese is a British 1978 film about a group of mercenaries in Africa. It stars Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger...
. At first Carney could not get his novel published, but for a chance meeting with film producer Euan Lloyd
Euan Lloyd
Euan Lloyd is a British film producer.He began his career directing short travelogue documentaries, starting with April in Portugal in 1954...
. Lloyd loved the story about Mercenaries in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
on a mission to rescue a deposed leader. In order to purchase the rights to film the novel, Carney asked for his novel to be published. Lloyd fully agreed, as he had already had an offer from an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publisher when he had first taken the novel to Hollywood. The novel was finally published in 1977 just before the film's release.
The story
May 1968Deposed Congolese President Julius Limbani is on a flight to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, when his bodyguard is murdered. The CIA have hijacked the plane as part of a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
deal with current Congo president General Ndofa. Waiting in the Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
airport for Limbani is British mercenary soldier Colonel Allan Faulkner. Faulkner is under contract to take Limbani back to the Congo and mount a coup d'etat. When Limbani fails to arrive, Faulkner is left unemployed and returns to South Africa.
November 1970
Over two years have passed and Faulkner is summoned to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Merchant Banker Sir Edward Matherson. Faulkner learns that not only is Limbani alive but he is held in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and is to be returned to the Congo for execution. But what Matherson proposes is for Faulkner to raise and lead a mercenary unit to rescue Limbani and bring him to London. With this chance to redeem his reputation after Limbani was kidnapped under his contracted safety, Faulkner agrees and sets about assembling his team. Three men are top of Faulkner's list, all have served under him in the past and are trusted beyond question. First to be recruited is American Rafer Janders, who at that time is in hiding from the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
. They've put out a contract on Janders' life after he killed a local godfather's nephew after tricking Janders into being a courier of heroin. As Matherson persuades the mafia into lifting the contract, Faulkner finds Janders holed up above a friend's shop. Whilst waiting for Matherson to deal with the mafia, Faulkner learns about what has happened to Janders since they last served together 10 years ago. With Janders now part of the operation Faulkner turns to two more comrades from the Congo, Jeremy Chandos and Sandy Young.
After recruiting two more officers (Fynn and Coetzee) and 49 NCOs and enlisted men, the goup travels to Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
for training. Once Young begins training, he quickly becomes resented by most of the men because of his rigid and harsh methods. While Faulkner remains popular with the men, it is not the same for the RSM, who easily defeats an attempt by a few disgruntled mercenaries to kill him. Now respected as well as disliked by the men, Young transforms aged old soldiers and young rookies into a formidable fighting force. As Faulkner and Janders procure their transport and weapons, Chandos, Fynn and Coetzee explore the local nightlife of Lourenenco Marques. There Fynn falls in love with a local escort girl, and finds himself once again with a reason not to go on the mission. Fynn eventually recognises that he has a responsibility to his comrades and flies out with the rest of the mercenaries.
The plane belonging to Mad Malloy, takes them to their drop zone
Drop zone
A drop zone is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes...
in the hills surrounding Albertville
Kalemie
Kalemie, formerly Albertville/Albertstad, is a town on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is next to the exit of the Lukuga River flowing out from Lake Tanganyika to the Lualaba River....
. The jump goes well except for Fynn, whose chute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
fails to deploy properly but manages to land safely after using his reserve chute. Faulkner gathers his men, then the group splits in two and each march on their respective objective. As Chandos and Fynn's group approach the local Airport
Kalemie Airport
Kalemie Airport is an airport in Kalemie, Democratic Republic of the Congo....
, Faulkner's group manage to find the army barracks after a little scare. The barracks which hold a garrison of the Congolese army as well as the imprisoned Limbani, cannot be approached easily as there is no cover for a hundred metres. To take out the three sentries, Coetzee shoots them with crossbow armed with cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
-tipped bolts. The mercenaries enter the barracks quickly and quietly as most of the garrison is asleep, it is now they split into three further groups. As RSM. Young leads one team to destroy the armoury, Janders' group enter the dormitories and wearing gas masks proceeds to kill the sleeping soldiers with cyanide gas. While these two groups get on with their tasks, Faulkner's group burst in on the guard-house under cover of the mercenaries guns. Coetzee relieves one of the Congolese Officers of the keys to the cells located beneath the room and along with a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
mercenary (McTaggart) Coetzee storms the basement, and after a short firefight they free Limbani.
With their mission complete, Faulkner's group leaves the barracks for the airport in captured trucks. After being told over the radio that Faulkner had been successful, Chandos' team attacks the main building while Fynn's team take over the control tower. With the airport under the conrol of the mercenaries they await the arrival of Faulkner's group, but unfortunately the perimeter guards start to come under attack from Ndofa's Simbas. As they hold off the Simbas and await Faulkner, Fynn uses the control tower's radio to talk the waiting transport plane down onto the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
. The plane lands just as the Simbas break through the perimeter at the opposite end of the runway to the plane and start shooting at it. At this time Faulkner's group arrives, but the plane's pilot under strict instructions from Mad Malloy refuses to wait for the mercenaries and promptly takes off. Leaving the mercenaries stranded, Faulkner organises a fighting withdrawal taking with them all the fuel, spare arms and ammunition they can pile on the trucks and jeeps.
The mercenaries ambush the following Simbas and are still in good order, only losing a few men killed. As they make their way south, heading for Limbani's home tribal land they approach an old rickety wooden road bridge. Only the first few vehicles make it across, as the bridge collapses under the weight of a fuel tanker leaving the last jeep stranded on the northern river bank. In that jeep is Limbani, Coetzee, McTaggart and a homosexual medic (Arthur Whity).
As Faulkner's party reached the village of Limbani's people and found a sort of sanctuary there, Coetzee's party was ambushed by the Simbas. Whity was killed and McTaggart missing (later turned out to be killed on his own terms), and Coetzee was also killed while trying to save Limbani. RSM Young, sent by Faulkner, arrived just in time to save Limbani and bring him to the village.
Ndofa contacted Faulkner, and the two made a deal: Limbani for one million dollars. Janders disagreed and, holding Faulkner at gunpoint, forced a vote among the officers. RSM Young voted to follow Faulkner, but Janders, Fynn and Chandos voted against Faulkner's plan. It was finally decided to take over a Dakota on an airstrip nearby and use it to escape, with Fynn to pilot it all the way to Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
.
The taking over of the Dakota went well, but not the fighting retreat. Many of the mercenaries were killed, and Faulkner himself was gravely wounded. Unable to carry Faulkner to the plane, or put him out of misery, RSM Young decided to stay with him and fight the coming Simbas to death. Fynn managed to fly the Dakota, but Janders and several others who were providing cover were nearly forgotten. They rushed for the plane, under the gunfire from the Simbas. Janders helped one mercenary who was shot, but his chance was gone. He pleaded to be killed, and Chandos finally did shoot him. The Dakota suddenly slowed down on the runway, because Fynn was shot, making the killing of Janders unnecessary. The wounded Fynn guided Chandos and Benson (the last of NCOs) into flying the Dakota all the way to Rhodesia.
The Characters
- Colonel Allan Faulkner - A former British Army Officer and veteran mercenary soldier of the Congolese Civil WarCongo CrisisThe Congo Crisis was a period of turmoil in the First Republic of the Congo that began with national independence from Belgium and ended with the seizing of power by Joseph Mobutu...
, now residing in South Africa. He is a self confessed alcoholic whose reputation has been severely hit when Limbani was kidnapped. - Rafer Janders - American soldier of fortune, also veteran of the Congo. Has a son Emile, who lives in Switzerland and attends a private schoolPrivate schoolPrivate schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
there. - Jeremy Chandos - Younger officer of Faulkner's team, he is single with no attachments and is a mercenary for the money and the action.
- Shawn Fynn - a former pilot and currently a party-loving playboy in London. As a friend of Chandos he initially rejects the offer of work in what could be a one way journey. Changes his mind after being kicked out by his girlfriend, homeless and penniless he reluctantly joins Faulkner's mercenaries.
- Peter Coetzee - A former Rhodesian police anti-terrorist officer also broke living in London. Coetzee is described as big, burly, slow witted, also slightly racist after years of fighting black terrorists and an expert jungle fighter.
- Regimental Sergeant Major Sandy Young - A former Guards Warrant Officer and veteran comrade of Faulkner. He is described as a short man (5 foot 5 inches) with a fierce nature, with one motivation in life - to serve Faulkner.
- Julius Limbani - Former Congolese Prime Minister, now living in exile in ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Limbani hires Faulkner to mount a coup d'etat on his behalf. Based on Moise TshombeMoise TshombeMoïse Kapenda Tshombe was a Congolese politician.- Biography :He was the son of a successful Congolese businessman and was born in Musumba, Congo. He received his education from an American missionary school and later trained as an accountant...
. - General Ndofa - Former head of the Congolese Army and comrade of Faulkner's mercenaries. Now rules the Congo with an iron fist, even created a secret police unit called the SimbasSimba RebellionThe Simba Rebellion was a 1964 rebellion in the former Republic of the Congo which began as a result of alleged abuses by the Congolese central government...
to create fear in the populace. Based on General MobutuMobutu Sese SekoMobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...
.