Task Force Baum
Shipman captures the tension and anxieties of a two-day mission into Germany to liberate the son-in-law of General George Patton on the eve of the war’s end in this action-packed adventure. Lieutenant Sam Hall is a brash, well-connected soldier who just wants to see a little action, earn a medal, and go home a hero. But when he circumvents his superior and goes right up to Patton, he finds that instead of a nice, soft patrol, he’s about to be thrust deep into the heart of the war.
Major Alexander Stiller has been tasked by Patton to liberate Oflag XIII and retrieve his son-in-law, Lt. Col. John Waters. Commanding this small force of 300 men is Captain Abe Baum. As the task force fights across the border, they are hounded by Hauptmann Richard Koehl and his anti-tank company. After a day of bloody fighting, the task force enters the Oflag, but their ordeal is far from over, and not everyone will make it back home.
Shipman packs a punch in the two days that the book covers. Tactics and countertactics and fuel and ammunition shortages add to the tension. Mixing both real and fictional characters, Shipman maintains the history while also conveying a message about the type of men who served and how a “modern” view of warfare and loyalty differs from the men who fought as the Greatest Generation. Fans of technical war stories will be engrossed by the action. A nice retelling of the real history of Task Force Baum.
