Code name Viper (novel)
Codename Viper (English original title Ghost Force , published 2006) is the ninth novel by Patrick Robinson , which can be qualified as a submarine or high-tech thriller.
Table of contents
Domestic political difficulties are increasing in Russia as Siberia shows ever stronger tendencies towards independence. The Russian government tries to undermine these tendencies by assassinating influential Siberian people. At the same time, however, Moscow also wants to secure further sources of crude oil. Therefore the plan to secure the oil fields around the British Falkland Islands is maturing, but a British-American oil consortium is already on site. But the Russian leadership allies with the Argentine military in the hope of securing the sources of crude oil after an Argentine victory.
Shortly thereafter, Argentina occupied the Falkland Islands for the second time, with Great Britain suffering 150 losses. Great Britain is sending its fleet as expected, as it does not want to have the islands and its oil fields hunted down. The fleet, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, is ready to retake the archipelago.
The Argentines can sink two modern Daring- class destroyers - HMS Daring and HMS Dauntless - at the start of the fighting and severely damage a Type 42 destroyer - HMS Gloucester , causing it to sink. Russia is providing weapons aid almost at the same time, with the Russian nuclear submarine Viper K-157 sinking the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal with its entire crew. In addition, the Russian nuclear submarine escapes undetected. Without air coverage by its own aircraft, the British fleet suffers further heavy losses. By the Argentine air attacks further three frigates of the Duke class - HMS Portland , HMS St Albans and HMS Iron Duke - sunk. On the landing beach, the HMS Albion and a landing ship of the bay class RFA Largs Bay are sunk and the ground forces that have now landed are also badly hit. The senior naval officer and the landing force general surrender. HMS Ocean must be handed over to the Argentine armed forces.
The landed British troops are flown to Great Britain. Only a small group of SAS commandos are left on the islands.
The Argentine government is reassigning the drilling rights in the interests of national interest in Russia, which means that the British-American consortium has to vacate its position. The American government cautiously begins a commando operation. The Argentine forces on the islands are said to suffer painful losses and the last British SAS soldiers are to be brought back.
The SAS soldiers and American SEALs destroy an Argentine air base in two operations and sink four warships in a naval base on the Falkland Islands.
After another operation on Tierra del Fuego, the Argentine government gives in. The British-American oil consortium will get its drilling rights back and Great Britain will have to hand over the islands to Argentina within the next two years.
meaning
The author also takes a look back at what happened in 1982 and includes some well-known anecdotes. The original of the book was published in 2006 and therefore fits the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War following 2007.
Like all of Patrick Robinson's novels, it depicts a situation in the future. In this scenario, the Falklands are invaded again 30 years after the 1982 invasion.
The German edition differs from the original
The strategy paper Delivering Security in a Changing World sold HMS Grafton . In the German edition, its place is therefore also taken by the HMS Portland . Some other changes to this strategy paper have been partially changed but also overlooked.
information
The book was first published in German on May 26, 2008 by Heyne Verlag with 480 pages and 3 maps under the ISBN 3453018672 . The English edition Ghost Force was published by William Heinemann in June 2006 under ISBN 0434013137 .