By Blood Spilt: Steele's Death March

Sergeant Steele watched with growing unease from the ramparts of the Citadel in Lang Son at the number of Japanese troops patrolling the narrow streets. Heavy artillery pieces pointed in the direction of the small French Foreign Legion unit.

Under command of the French Vichy government an uneasy truce between the French in Indochina and Japanese forces was about to erupt into all out war.

The Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, known as Meigo Sakusen (Operation Bright Moon), took place on 9 March 1945 towards the end of World War II. Japan was losing the war, an Allied invasion and an uprising of French troops in Indochina was inevitable. Simultaneously the Japanese attacked the French garrisons across the country.

Steele had attempted to persuade all the senior officers not to attend a dinner in their honour held by the Japanese. Tortured and executed the senior officers walked straight into a deadly trap.

Now the troops, led by battle hardened veterans like Steele resist massively overwhelming odds. After witnessing hundreds of prisoners massacred along the banks of the river the Legionnaires must fight their way through the Japanese lines in the hope of linking up with surviving Legion units and French Regulars. They must move towards Son La and Dien Bien Phu where they will fight costly rearguard actions.

Separated from the main column Steele must lead his small unit through enemy held areas, across raging rivers and over towering mountains all the while pursued by the relentless Japanese. Hunger, disease and the dense jungle lay ahead. Their objective, hold off the advancing Japanese long enough for the Regulars and civilians to cross over into China a thousand miles away.

Based on actual historical fact and first hand accounts by survivors, this novel describes the brutal Japanese Coup and the extraordinary feats of courage by the Legionnaires fighting every step of the long journey to safety. Sergeant Steele must not only contend with the Japanese but also his nemesis, Jean. Their eternal feud carries on with Jean leading a Japanese unit set on annihilating Steele and his men.

Steele looks at the men under his command. "How many of them will make it to China?" Setting off into the night the sounds of gunfire erupt further up ahead. It is going to be one hell of a march!

"1124564597"
By Blood Spilt: Steele's Death March

Sergeant Steele watched with growing unease from the ramparts of the Citadel in Lang Son at the number of Japanese troops patrolling the narrow streets. Heavy artillery pieces pointed in the direction of the small French Foreign Legion unit.

Under command of the French Vichy government an uneasy truce between the French in Indochina and Japanese forces was about to erupt into all out war.

The Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, known as Meigo Sakusen (Operation Bright Moon), took place on 9 March 1945 towards the end of World War II. Japan was losing the war, an Allied invasion and an uprising of French troops in Indochina was inevitable. Simultaneously the Japanese attacked the French garrisons across the country.

Steele had attempted to persuade all the senior officers not to attend a dinner in their honour held by the Japanese. Tortured and executed the senior officers walked straight into a deadly trap.

Now the troops, led by battle hardened veterans like Steele resist massively overwhelming odds. After witnessing hundreds of prisoners massacred along the banks of the river the Legionnaires must fight their way through the Japanese lines in the hope of linking up with surviving Legion units and French Regulars. They must move towards Son La and Dien Bien Phu where they will fight costly rearguard actions.

Separated from the main column Steele must lead his small unit through enemy held areas, across raging rivers and over towering mountains all the while pursued by the relentless Japanese. Hunger, disease and the dense jungle lay ahead. Their objective, hold off the advancing Japanese long enough for the Regulars and civilians to cross over into China a thousand miles away.

Based on actual historical fact and first hand accounts by survivors, this novel describes the brutal Japanese Coup and the extraordinary feats of courage by the Legionnaires fighting every step of the long journey to safety. Sergeant Steele must not only contend with the Japanese but also his nemesis, Jean. Their eternal feud carries on with Jean leading a Japanese unit set on annihilating Steele and his men.

Steele looks at the men under his command. "How many of them will make it to China?" Setting off into the night the sounds of gunfire erupt further up ahead. It is going to be one hell of a march!

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By Blood Spilt: Steele's Death March

By Blood Spilt: Steele's Death March

by Ricky Balona
By Blood Spilt: Steele's Death March

By Blood Spilt: Steele's Death March

by Ricky Balona

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Overview

Sergeant Steele watched with growing unease from the ramparts of the Citadel in Lang Son at the number of Japanese troops patrolling the narrow streets. Heavy artillery pieces pointed in the direction of the small French Foreign Legion unit.

Under command of the French Vichy government an uneasy truce between the French in Indochina and Japanese forces was about to erupt into all out war.

The Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, known as Meigo Sakusen (Operation Bright Moon), took place on 9 March 1945 towards the end of World War II. Japan was losing the war, an Allied invasion and an uprising of French troops in Indochina was inevitable. Simultaneously the Japanese attacked the French garrisons across the country.

Steele had attempted to persuade all the senior officers not to attend a dinner in their honour held by the Japanese. Tortured and executed the senior officers walked straight into a deadly trap.

Now the troops, led by battle hardened veterans like Steele resist massively overwhelming odds. After witnessing hundreds of prisoners massacred along the banks of the river the Legionnaires must fight their way through the Japanese lines in the hope of linking up with surviving Legion units and French Regulars. They must move towards Son La and Dien Bien Phu where they will fight costly rearguard actions.

Separated from the main column Steele must lead his small unit through enemy held areas, across raging rivers and over towering mountains all the while pursued by the relentless Japanese. Hunger, disease and the dense jungle lay ahead. Their objective, hold off the advancing Japanese long enough for the Regulars and civilians to cross over into China a thousand miles away.

Based on actual historical fact and first hand accounts by survivors, this novel describes the brutal Japanese Coup and the extraordinary feats of courage by the Legionnaires fighting every step of the long journey to safety. Sergeant Steele must not only contend with the Japanese but also his nemesis, Jean. Their eternal feud carries on with Jean leading a Japanese unit set on annihilating Steele and his men.

Steele looks at the men under his command. "How many of them will make it to China?" Setting off into the night the sounds of gunfire erupt further up ahead. It is going to be one hell of a march!


Product Details

BN ID: 2940153711218
Publisher: Ricky Balona
Publication date: 06/30/2016
Sold by: Smashwords
Format: eBook
File size: 817 KB

About the Author

Ricky Balona is the author of hard hitting and graphic military fiction novels. Steele is a military fiction series centered on the character Sergeant Steele. It charts Steele's experience as a Templar during the Crusades where he is cursed to an eternity of military servitude. We follow Sergeant Steele's battles in the French Foreign Legion, all based on some of the Legion's most epic and bloody battles.

French Foreign Legion Adventures is collection of short stories beginning with the Legion's involvement in the Crimean war through the North African desert era, W.W.1 and W.W.2 through Indochina and Kolwezi and Sarajevo. Written from a simple soldiers point of view caught up in merciless combat using the names of fellow Legionnaires I had the honour of serving with as the characters in the stories.

Ricky Balona was born in South Africa, now living in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Served in 1 Para S.A.D.F and 5 years in 2 Parachute Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. Author of By Blood Spilt series Steele's Dien Bien Phu, Steele's Verdun and Steele's Death March.

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