John, congratulations on the publication of your new novel Target Arnhem. It’s a great World War II story, combining battlefield action with a nail biting espionage plot. Could you tell us a bit about the different storylines?

Thank you Alan. This is the second book in the Manner of Men series, (although it can be read as a standalone). The story is set in September, 1944, and is about a Dutch scientist, Gerrit de Jaager, who has been coerced into aiding the Nazis with their V1/V2 rocket programme at Peenemünde on the Baltic coast. After stealing secret plans of another, as yet unknown facility, where the Germans are producing a new synthetic fuel for the rockets, he escapes. Connecting with the Dutch Resistance he finds himself in a safe-house near the bridge at Arnhem. Before the Resistance are able to get him to British lines, the area is suddenly flooded with British paratroopers of the 1st Airborne Division, who are trying to capture the bridge as part of Operation Market Garden. As most will know, they are quickly encircled by a German Panzer division and cut off.

With the Gestapo hot on de Jaager’s heels and the troops at the bridge suffering communications issues, it is decided to send in a separate band of paratroopers to locate him and bring him out.

This is where Sergeant Sean Harris and his team come in. Having fought well at D-Day (Operation Codicil – the first book in the series) and currently training in England,  they are quickly briefed and dropped in. Once on the ground, Harris and his men face the exact same problems as the men of the 1st Airborne, and are soon drawn into the battle. What was initially a rescue mission, quickly turns into a battle for survival.

What led you to write the novel and did you find it difficult to balance your fictional story with historical facts?

I’ve always been fascinated by the airborne forces in World War Two and wanted to write a series of books to pay homage to them. I wanted to include D-Day and Operation Market Garden, probably the two most well known of the battles they were involved in. The problem I had was placing the same soldiers in both battles, something that would not have happened, as the 6th Airborne fought at D-Day and the 1st on Market Garden. To get around this I used Market Garden as the ‘backdrop’ for Target Arnhem, rather than the main focus of the story itself. From the initial idea of Harris et al carrying out a rescue mission, I developed the story to include the V2 rocket element, as it was during September 1944 that they were initially employed, and then mainly fired from Holland. Once the idea was there, it pretty much all came together rather quickly.

Historical accuracy is all important when writing historical fiction. Placing fictional characters within real events has to be believable – the reader must think that this ‘could have happened’. I have integrated my characters with real people (e.g. Johnny Frost, Roy Urquhart, ‘Windy’ Gale, Kate ter Horst etc.) and real events (e.g. communications problems, the truce, positions of various units etc.). I hope I’ve written a story that’s both enjoyable and believable.

The book is set against the backdrop of Operation Market Garden, the Allied airborne landings intended to end the war in weeks, do you think there was any chance of the Allies ever pulling it off, should it even have been attempted?

The success of Operation Market Garden ultimately depended on all the elements of the plan working with little problem. There really was no room for error. It was a bold plan, one that would have been magnificent had it been pulled off. But too many things had to go right for it to work.

From the very beginning it was doomed to failure (in my view). The communications issues, the bad intelligence about the strength of the Germans in the area, which led to Frost being cut off at the bridge and Urquhart stranded in Oosterbeek, were just two of the reasons it was unlikely to work. The fact that 30 Corps were advancing up a long, narrow road, and the delay in taking the bridge at Nijmegen, all contributed to its ultimate failure. It was an audacious attempt. Was it worth trying? – I’m torn on that one, to be honest. A lot of lives were lost on Market Garden, but the lives it would have saved had it worked would maybe have made it worthwhile.

Why do you think such a major defeat has stuck in the collective consciousness? People never really talk about the victories at the end of the war.

I think Operation Market Garden sticks in the collective consciousness because of the sheer bravery shown by the airborne forces at Arnhem. They were supposed to hold the bridge for two days but instead held it for five, before they were forced to surrender due to their ammunition running out and the Germans systematically burning every building the British were occupying. And this with the majority of their forces cut off at Oosterbeek and not even reaching the bridge. Had 30 Corps not had the problems it had, then this would have been a glorious victory. Instead, it was something of a ‘glorious defeat’, for the ‘Red Devils’ more than proved their worth as a fighting force.

You give an interesting twist to the action adventure genre showing how your hero Sergeant Sean Harris suffered from PTSD and the effect it has on his mission, what led you to write about it?

I feel that PTSD was something never really talked about when it comes to World War Two. We know of ‘shell-shock’ from the First World War, and in modern times it is something that’s very much at the top of the agenda when it comes to our armed forces and veterans, as it should be. I wanted to show that these men suffered from it just as badly, and so decided to make the main protagonist a victim of it. Although Harris fights to overcome it, he is clearly suffering, particularly in the cellar scene, where it comes to the fore. But he knows that if he is going to get his men out alive, then he has to push through it.

Thankfully our armed forces personnel are much better looked after these days when it comes to PTSD.

Your characters really reflect the highs and lows of human nature. I think my favourite is Private Len Dunleavy a truly dark person. How do you create and develop your characters and are any of your fictional characters based on real people?

Yes, Len is something of an enigma and probably my favourite character too. A vicious killer, but at the same time weirdly endearing. A guy you want on your side and not against you! He’s a soldier with many secrets – all of which will be revealed in the third book! I have to admit that most of the characters are purely of my own imagination, although I have used some traits from people I know, or who I’ve come across. I’ve given them all back stories, to give depth and believability to them. Being ex-forces, I’ve tried to show the camaraderie that develops between men when put together in situations such as this.

For Sergeant Harris, I wanted to create a character that was multi-faceted. He is a tough soldier, a bit of a loner and as mentioned suffers from PTSD. Some of his characteristics I’ve based on Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne, the leader of 1SAS and Britain’s most highly decorated soldier during the war. Like Mayne, Harris leads from the front and cares deeply for those under his command. All this pressure has an affect on his own well-being but that’s unimportant to him as long as his men make it through safely.

You served in the RAF before becoming a writer, could you talk a bit about what you did and how much you drew from your experiences in your writing?

I served seven years in the RAF in the late 80s/early 90s. Fortunately for me, I was never sent anywhere where I could be shot at! I was a signaller and served at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire and at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Mons, Belgium. Being in the RAF, although some time ago now, has given me an understanding of forces camaraderie. I made very good friendships in the RAF that have lasted to this day. It’s this unique connection between soldiers/sailors/airmen that I am able to draw on when I’m writing my books.

What do you have planned next for Sergeant Harris and his elite pathfinders?

I’ll soon be working on the final story of the trilogy. Target Arnhem ends with Harris and what’s left of his unit about to be sent back into Holland on another mission. This will be the main focus, but I have many things planned for them, some of which are drawn from actual events and experiences of airborne soldiers during the period. We will also get to find out Len Dunleavy’s back story, which I promise will be quite unexpected.