Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) - Hardcover

Ringo, John; Kratman, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743499182 ISBN 13: 9780743499187

Publisher: Baen, 2005

Synopsis

In the dark days after the events in the book Gust Front, but before the primary invasion, the Chancellor of Germany faces a critical decision. Over the years, with military cutbacks, the store of experienced military personnel had simply dwindled. After the destruction of Northern Virginia, he realized that it was necessary to tap the one group he had sworn never, ever, to recall: the few remaining survivors of the Waffen SS. Watch On the Rhine is perhaps the most unbiased, and brutal, look at the inner workings of the Waffen SS in history. Meticulously researched, it explores all that was good, and evil, about the most infamous military force in history using the backdrop of the Posleen invasion as a canvas.

About this title

About the Author

John Ringo is the author of the New York Times best-selling Posleen War series, so far comprising A Hymn Before Battle, Gust Front, When the Devil Dances, and Hell's Faire. He is also co-author with David Weber of the Prince Roger series, so far consisting of March Upcountry, March to the Sea, and March to the Stars. He has appeared on Fox News as a guest commentator and has written an op-ed column for the New York Post. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne, he brings first-hand knowledge of battle and the military life to his SF.

Tom Kratman is author of A State of Disobedience (Baen). In 1974, at age seventeen, he became a political refugee and defector from the PRM (People's Republic of Massachusetts) by virtue of joining the Regular Army. He attended Boston College after his first hitch, then rejoined the Army until after the Gulf War, when he decided to become a lawyer. Every now and again, when the frustrations of legal life and having to deal with other lawyers got to be too much, Tom would rejoin the Army (or a somewhat similar group, say) for fun and frolic in other climes. His family, muttering darkly, still puts up with this. Tom is currently an attorney practicing in southwest Virginia.

Reviews

Starred Review. An axiom of military science is that an army reflects the society it protects, but what happens when that society is confronted with a crisis its dominant ideology can't solve? In this provocative addition to the Posleen War series, a galactic civilization genetically predisposed toward pacifism offers humanity advanced technology so that we can defend ourselves (and them) from the only other sentient species capable of violence—think "Mongol horde in space." After the first enemy landings in 2004, the German chancellor decides, despite fierce opposition, to rejuvenate survivors of the Waffen SS. Eager to redeem their tarnished honor, these veterans display the same steadfastness and fortitude that they did in Russia and Normandy. Ringo (Hell's Faire) and Kratman (A State of Disobedience) pull no punches in this audacious and deliberately shocking effort, contrasting the ruthlessness of the (mostly) former Nazis with the contemporary politicians' disastrous insistence on forcing reality into a politically correct mold. Readers who can overcome their ideological gag reflex will be rewarded with an exciting view from "the other side of the hill." (Aug.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Baen
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743499182
• ISBN 13: 9780743499187
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352