Raiding Forces Series

The Raiding Forces Series is a sequence of World War II novels, written by American novelist and Vietnam veteran Phil Ward.
Overview
Phil Ward, a decorated combat veteran and former instructor at the Army Ranger School, 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 (released in September 2010), 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 (released in December 2011), picks up where the first leaves off. The third novel in the series, Blood Wings moves to Abyssinia, and is set to be released in 2012.
Those Who Dare
The title is derived from the motto of the British Special Air Services, 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.
Major Characters
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’).
Minor Characters
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 stick, Lt. John Randal is given a 9mm 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.
Dead Eagles
The second book in the series, released in December 2011, is called Dead Eagles. Dead Eagles picks up where Those Who Dare ends, off the coast of the Gold Coast colony as Maj. Randal and his men set out to foil Hitler’s Third Reich.

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