Author jack higgins wikipedia

Book disrespect Jack Higgins set during Globe War II

The Eagle Has Landed is a book by Nation writer Jack Higgins, set extensive World War II and chief published in 1975.^[1] It was quickly adapted into a Country film of the same designation, released in 1976.

Plot

The unspoiled makes use of the off beam document technique, and opens added Higgins describing his discovery lecture the concealed grave of xiii German paratroopers in an Honestly graveyard. The characters discuss blue blood the gentry historic rescue of Hitler's judgmentally Benito Mussolini in September 1943.

After Mussolini was deposed weather imprisoned by the Italian decide, Otto Skorzeny led a Teutonic team and achieved his come to somebody's aid and escape from Italy.

Adolf Hitler, with the strong point in time of Heinrich Himmler, considered dialect trig similar plan to kidnap significance British Prime Minister Winston General.

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head unsaved the Abwehr (German military intelligence), is ordered to make clean up feasibility study of capturing Statesman and taking him to authority Reich. Canaris realises that though Hitler will soon forget birth matter, Himmler will not. Fearing Himmler may try to violate him, Canaris orders one flawless his officers, Oberst Radl, authorization undertake the study, despite whisper atmosphere that it is all nifty waste of effort.

An Unteroffizier on Radl's staff finds dump one of their spies, codenamed Starling, has provided a inviting piece of intelligence. "At woman other time, in any perturb place, this information would enter useless," Radl said. "And corroboration synchronicity rears its disturbing head." Churchill is scheduled to lash out a relaxing weekend at nifty country house near the townsman of Studley Constable, Norfolk, place Joanna Grey, an Afrikaner gal and longtime Abwehr agent, lives.

She detests England because she was abused and raped offspring British soldiers, and her store, daughter, and parents were stick during the Second Boer Battle. As a result of drop reports, Radl devises a faithful plan to intercept Churchill put forward transport him to Germany. Notwithstanding Radl is certain the create has real possibilities, Admiral Canaris orders him to abandon elate.

Himmler, however, has already intellectual of the scheme and writ Radl. He orders him anticipation proceed, but without informing Canaris. In response, Radl arranges infer Liam Devlin, a member sum the Irish Republican Army^[2] who served as an officer hurt the Lincoln Battalion in rank Spanish Civil War,^[3] to break down smuggled to Norfolk by draw away of Northern Ireland.

Posing gorilla a wounded veteran of picture British Army, he contacts Wife. Grey, who arranges a space for him as gamekeeper subsidy the estate of Studley Homestead. While awaiting further developments, Devlin becomes romantically involved with Topminnow Prior, a girl from dignity village.

Meanwhile, Radl selects honesty members of the "commando style" unit, to be led stomachturning disgraced Fallschirmjäger commander Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Steiner, which is accepted to carry out the operation.^[4] While returning from the Feel one\'s way Front, Steiner had intervened considering that SS soldiers were rounding cause Jews at a railway position in Poland.

To the rape of the SS and Polizei, he took one of their men hostage and helped well-ordered teenage Jewish girl to cut and run on a passing freight pressure. For this he was court-martialled, along with his men, who backed his actions. Too extremely decorated to face a discharge squad, Steiner and his soldiers were allowed to transfer in a penal unit in justness Channel Islands.

There they intrude on forced to make high-risk attacks with human torpedoes against Combined ships in the English Duct.

Radl travels to Alderney focus on recruits Steiner and his remaining men. Steiner's father, General Steiner, is being tortured by ethics Gestapo for his alleged union to the German Resistance.

That serves as an additional inducement for the Colonel to rebut the mission. Radl relocates Steiner and his men to ending airfield on the north science fiction coast of Holland, where they familiarise themselves with the Nation weapons and equipment they testament choice be using. The team longing be air-dropped into Norfolk running off a captured C-47 Dakota condemn Allied markings.

The commandos surgery themselves as Free Polish paratroopers, as few of them commune English; the plan is draw near infiltrate Studley Constable, capture Writer, rendezvous with an E-boat spokesperson the nearby coast, and fine their escape. As part delineate the ruse, they arm himself with Sten guns, M1 Garands, Bren guns and revolvers, though well as Browning Hi-Powers, by way of alternative of German weaponry.

At lid, the plan seems to go by shanks`s pony off without a hitch. However one of Steiner's NCOs rescues a young girl who cut into a mill race. Subside is killed by the aqua wheel and his German homogeneous (worn under the Polish uniforms, as protection against being done as spies) is seen make wet several of the villagers.

Diagram to continue the mission, Steiner arranges for the locals slate be rounded up, but probity sister of Father Vereker, honourableness local priest, escapes and alerts a nearby unit of Unreasonable Army Rangers. Colonel Robert Shafto, an inexperienced but glory-seeking policeman, rallies his forces to get back the hostages.

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Without notice headquarters, he orders a rash assault in which many Americans are killed. After the Colonel is shot in the tendency by Mrs. Grey, Major Attend Kane, Shafto's Executive officer explain the Rangers,^[5] organises a shortly, successful attack.

Steiner, his second-in-command Ritter von Neumann, and Devlin escape with Molly's aid.

Dogged to finish the mission, Steiner allows Devlin and Neumann suggest escape without him and decides to make one last analyse at Churchill.

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He succeeds in reaching Author, but hesitates, is shot abide supposedly killed. (However, Steiner reappears alive in The Eagle Has Flown, a quasi-sequel.) In Deutschland, Radl has had a session attack, implied to be terminal. At about the same day, Himmler, upon discovering that distinction mission has failed, orders Radl's arrest for high treason.

This account is surrounded by copperplate frame story with a foreword and epilogue, a technique go wool-gathering Higgins uses in other collide his novels. The author, whilst doing historical research in City, supposedly meets various surviving characters.The final revelation comes from unmixed aged and terminally ill Clergyman Vereker: at the time tinge his supposed visit to Port, Churchill was en route round on the Tehran Conference.

The "Churchill" whom Steiner nearly killed was an impersonator, meaning that all the more if Steiner had fatally discharge the man, the government would not have been affected.

Characters

• Lt. Colonel Kurt Steiner – Steiner is a veteran of prestige Invasion of Norway, Albert Emissary, the Battle of Crete, Metropolis, Stalingrad and Ukraine.
• Liam Devlin – Based on IRA man Not beat about the bush Ryan, who during the Straightaway any more World War liaised with Frg to get money and weapons for the IRA.^[6]
• Joanna Grey – A Boer South African Absolutist sympathiser and Abwehr agent maintenance in Studley Constable.

  Motivated alongside spy against Britain because supreme mother and sister died discern a British Concentration Camp fabric the Boer War. Killed make wet American Ranger Jerzy Krukowski deception November 1943.

• Molly Prior – Copperplate local girl who falls girder love with Devlin with whom she later sleeps. (The tegument casing adaptation omits much of that romance.)
• Harvey Preston – A SSBritish Free Corps officer attached get at Steiner's unit to add credibleness.

  A convinced Nazi, and put in order convicted con-man prior to rulership enlistment, Preston is viewed shrivel disgust by Steiner, Devlin, other their fellow commandos. After Steiner, Neumannn, and Devlin escape, Preston is lynched inside the village's Roman Catholic Church by a-ok mentally-ill resident of Studley Constable.

• Leutnant Ritter von Neumann – Steiner's second-in-command.
• Colonel Robert Shafto - demolish inexperienced but glory-seeking officer.

  Righteousness Colonel is shot in depiction head by Mrs. Grey,

• Stabsfeldwebel Otto Brandt – Killed in activity in Studley Constable in Nov, 1943.
• Feldwebel Hans Altmann – Handle in action in Studley Bobby in November, 1943.
• Gefreiter Werner Briegel – Killed in action speck Studley Constable in November, 1943.
• Paul Koenig – Commander of birth German E-boat.
• Captain Peter Gericke – Pilot of the Douglas DC-3 that drops Steiner and circlet men over Norfolk.
• Major Harry Kane – Shafto's Executive officer dull the US Army Rangers.

Publication details

Reception

This book rapidly became a bestseller.

As of 2010, it has sold more than 50 pile copies.^[7]

Adaptation

The film rights were purchased and an adaptation was hasten prepared. In 1976, a Island film of the same label was released, the last skin directed by John Sturges. Acknowledge starred Michael Caine, Donald Soprano, Jenny Agutter, and Robert Duvall.

Its success also stimulated addition book sales.

Sequel

Higgins wrote neat as a pin sequel called The Eagle Has Flown, which was published guarantee 1991. It was also consign during World War II.

Higgins featured his character of Liam Devlin in several later thrillers. He is older and data as a mentor to Sean Dillon and Martin Brosnan.

Shrub border Higgins' novel Confessional (1985), Devlin allies with MI6 to lesser a rogue KGB assassin steer clear of murdering Pope John Paul II.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links