The Odin Mission

 

The Odin Mission by James Holland is an adrenaline-fueled adventure starring, by the book, no-nonsense soldier Sgt. Jack Tanner of the 2^nd Battalion of The Yorkshire Rangers during the Blitz in Norway in 1940. When Jack is posted to a new platoon in Norway, he feels a bit out of place. The platoon CO, Lt. Dodlinger, asks him to do a “ low-risk, routine recce (reconnaissance) mission.” This “low-risk” mission turns into a nightmare as Tanner and his stranded patrol fight back waves of Nazis to not save their own lives, but also to protect a mysterious Norwegian professor who may turn the tide of the war in the Allies favour if he’s brought back safely to their lines. But it isn’t that easy. Their mission is fraught with danger and the soldiers must bond together to survive one of the most disorganized retreats in British history.

 

James Holland like all historical fiction writers needs to have done his homework and know his history to write a believable book like this. In fact, for me it was so believable that I was astonished to find out that Jack Tanner didn’t exist! Holland’s writing style is to cram twists, amazing fighting scenes and unforgettable dialogue in every chapter and in every window of opportunity. Many times that doesn’t work out, and authors go bust. But James Holland is very talented, which is what enables him to write a good book such as this.

 

My favorite parts of the book were the fighting sequences. My heart was pumping as I read over the pages that had amazing descriptions of massive gunfights between the desperate British and the ruthless Nazis. I always cheered for Jack and his men, and when one of them died, I felt sad!

 

While doing my research on the Internet, I couldn’t find out anything more about the 

author except that there is a second book in the series, The Darkest Hour. So I decided to explore the Norwegian campaign, which is not as well known as some of the other campaigns. The Norwegian campaign essentially started because vital shipments of iron ore from Sweden had to cross through Norwegian port of Narvik to get to Germany. Hitler was worried that if the Allies took Norway these shipments would be destroyed. So he sent a good-sized force of 20,000 men to Norway and within weeks the Blitzkrieg had done its damage. An emergency force of British and French troops was dispatched to destroy the Nazi presence in Norway. But after nearly a year of bitter fighting, the Allies knew this was one battle they could not win. They lost because all the British and French supplies were on one ship, which was sunk, and the British were stupid enough to push forward even as casualties mounted. But the evacuation from Andalsnes was one of the best pieces of organization in history, enabling many lives to be saved. But it was also a defeat for the Germans. By the end of the campaign, the Kreigsmarine had just three cruisers and four destroyers left. The Norwegian Resistance was a constant fly in the ointment, and by 1945 the country had lost any strategic significance.

 

The Odin Mission was an awesome book, and I hope to read the next book in the series. As with Under a War-Torn sky, this is a must read for historical war fiction lovers.