Steel Armageddon: Steel Warfare, #1

By Jorgen Flood

STEEL ARMAGEDDON is the first of five adventure stories from WW 2, all dealing with tank warfare. In book one we follow a tank commander in the 6th Panzer Division, Carl Johnsen. He is one of the many volunteers from the occupied countries that served in the German forces. We follow him through one of the last tank battles in WW II to postwar battles in Palestine in 1948.

During World War II, particularly the early years, the final outcome of the conflict was not as obvious as it appears with the benefit of hindsight. As such it is hardly surprising that many people in the occupied countries hedged their bets by cooperating with the Germans. In addition to the millions of collaborators, thousands of men and women went one step further and volunteered for service with the foreign units of the Waffen SS. Their reasons varied, from idealistic, like strong anti communism, to racial prejudice or outright financial gain. In some cases it could be sheer self preservation, as it probably was for the Jews that served in the German Army.

As the war progresses, the main character gradually realizes what a colossal mistake he has made by fighting for Hitler. However, changing side is easier said than done in the middle of a war. He also falls in love with a Jewish/Italian woman and ends up in Palestine during the creation of the State of Israel. The description of the tank battles and types of tanks used are accurate, and the story is not as far fetched as it may sound like. Stranger stories than this emerged form the ruins of World War II. The story should appeal to all who enjoy WW II adventure stories and have an interest in tank warfare.

Book 2, STEEL QUEEN, introduces his cousin, Tommy Fletcher, serving in the British armored forces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jorgen Flood
• Release date: Jun 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458066220

Jorgen Flood

Jorgen Flood resides in West Chester PA, with his family. He is a member of Brandywine Valley Writers Group. A writer of several magazine articles, he has pubished two books about the Viking age: "Twilight of the North" and "To Live and Die in 1030." Last mentioned book is not yet available as e-book. "Armageddon Coming" is the first of five adventure stories dealing with Tank Warfare in WW 2 and following conflicts. Book two in this series, "Steel Queen," can be downloaded for only $0.99.

Book preview

STEEL ARMAGEDDON

Tank Battles, Love and Survival among the ruins of World War II.

Published by Jorgen Flood at Smashwords

Copyright 2011, Jorgen Flood

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Books Written by Jorgen Flood

MEDIEVAL

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- To Live and Die in 1030

- The Twilight of the North

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20th. CENTURY

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- Steel Armageddon

- Steel Queen

- Steel Vengeance

- Steel Trek

- Steel Menace

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COVER PAGE BY

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Arne Ragnar Johannesen

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AUSTRIA, APRIL 1945

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Guderian’s Duck, what a name for a tank. Whoever came up with that one had to have a pretty sick sense of humor. Carl-Fredrik Johnsen (Carl to his friends) was peering through the telescope of his Jagdpanzer IV Lang, towards the Russian lines. Well, at least it was a hell of an angry duck, he chuckled, laughing quietly at the thought of an angry duck attacking a tank. He suddenly became aware that the rest of the crew was eying him strangely, wondering if he had finally lost it.

Ha,hrm he cleared his throat to hide the smear on his face. At least this killer duck had the excellent L-70 long barreled 75 mm gun, able to smash any Russian, or Allied, tank that ventured into its path. Previous models had the L-48, same caliber but less powerful. The only disadvantage with the heavier L-70 was it made the tank a bit front heavy and unwieldy, but its power more than made up for that inconvenience. The popular name of Guderian’s Duck was unofficial, but had caught on. Guderian was of course the brilliant and respected German Panzer General, popularly called ‘schneller Heinz’, while the origin of the duck name was more obscure. It was probably the low silhouette and somewhat wobbly movement that gave the vehicle its unofficial name.

Carl, can you see the enemy? Fritz asked. He was the loader. Inside the tank they were on a first name basis. Outside they used officer titles.

No, not yet, he answered, but, I am sure they are right around the corner. Check that you have AP (Armor Piercing) and not HE (High Explosive) he said, rather unnecessarily. Fritz was far too experienced to make that kind of mistake, and now he looked a bit annoyed at being asked to double check his work.

Fritz had, yet hated, the ultimate German name, but he was a nice guy, quiet and reliable. They all knew the Soviet nickname for any German soldier was Fritz, and often teased him it was all due to his looks. He took it well, but the jokes were a bit worn by now. In fact Carl’s full crew of three were great guys. They had been together for two years, a very long time for any tank crew in this war.

Their current vehicle was named Mutti 6, indicating it was the 6th. vehicle Carl had commanded. The first two had been Panzer Mk. III models, then various versions of the Panzer Mk. IV. Their current Jagdpanzer IV was essentially a Mk. IV without a turret, which allowed a bigger gun and a lower silhouette. It also facilitated a reduction in crew size from