Bloody Iced Bullet

Publisher Marketing: November 1942, Russia: As the German Sixth Army discovers just how vicious the fighting in Stalingrad can become, the Germans take troops from their flanks in final attempts to take the city before the onset of 'another bitter Russian winter.' To the south of Stalingrad, on a thinly held front line stretching hundreds of miles, small groups of German troops are dispersed across positions held by their allies of the Fourth Romanian Army. The Russian high command, STAVKA, are planning an opportunity to turn the tide of the war in the southern sector of the front as they see the weaker German allies occupy defensive positions either side of the city. Not everything is as it seems in the deepest cold of winter as a small group of men combat nature and a vicious and cunning enemy motivated by revenge to survive and escape. A realistic account of experiencing the extremes of human camaraderie and desperation facing the human spirit in one of histories most violent and desperate struggles, the Russian Front on the Volga during World War 2. With temperatures dropping to minus 25 to 40 degrees Celsius and a vicious struggle for survival against both nature and the cruelties of war, the portrayal of individual human reaction to fate and historical events is a gripping insight into the soldier on the frontline, thousands of miles from the decisions that will forge their individual destinies. The story weaves a path through the days of war on the Volga seen from the eyes of the individuals that fought it. Content Example: He paused, aware of a distant sound. Straining to hear, his eyes moving to the horizon, then upwards. A plane was approaching, flying relatively low it seemed. He watched as the fighter seemed to hang in the air as it flew directly towards his position. He stiffened, considering the pilot knew he was there? Then dismissed this, the plane was too high and far away. The flight path a coincidence, the pilot looking below, surveying the ground beneath him. The plane seemed to crawl across the sky, but this was simply the illusion of it flying directly towards him. He smiled beneath the scarf wrapped tightly across his mouth at his initial thoughts of being discovered. He was hiding from any potential enemy infantry patrols and he had briefly considered a plane above him could see him in bushes? How little faith he had in his concealment. His face hardened as he realised this response was an indication of how afraid he now was of discovery. The drone of the plane's engines were clearly audible now in the frozen expanse and he watched as the pilot slowly banked to the right, turning the aircraft east and probably now beginning to cross over above Lake Sarpa. He saw the yellow tips on the wings of the aircraft and could just briefly make out black crosses in the fading light before the plane levelled out and began to climb away to the east. He swallowed to clear his throat, a desperate sickly feeling rising from his stomach. The plane indicated to him how far safety was from him now, untouchable, out of reach and outwith his control. They were now truly alone. Having spent nearly thirty years researching World War 2, with particular emphasis on the eastern front, weaponry, tactics and strategy, this is the first submission from the author covering one of the most brutal and vicious campaigns history has ever experienced. All units and actions are in accordance with historical research and with the ultimate aim of complete accuracy to events and possible individual actions. In short, to create the most realistic fictional portrayal of events and human experience as possible. Please leave feedback as this enhances motivation. Thank you for joining the experiences of World War 2 in Russia. Contributor Bio:  McGregor, Andrew ANDREW McGREGOR is a graduate of the Near Eastern Studies Department of the University of Toronto. He is currently Director of Aberfoyle International Security, a Toronto-based agency specializing in strategic and political issues of the Islamic world. He is the author of a history of Darfur, has published many articles on historical and security issues, and frequently provides commentary for television, radio and print media outlets.