The Iron Men [Mass Market Paperback]

Leonard B. Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1994

At the end of World War II, Axel Mader and Jorn Furman -- two young officers who wear Germany's highest class of Iron Cross -- barely escape the retribution of the SS. Decades later, their fates are entangled with that of Jake Tallon, an American soldier stationed in Berlin who falls in love with Mader's daughter. Tallon, too, is a decorated war hero, though from Vietnam, not WWII. Together, the three iron men join together in Berlin just before the fall of the Wall to confront the legacy of the past . . . and defeat it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Scott, whose previous novels ( The Expendables ; Charlie Mike ) focused on the Vietnam War, has written a readable but highly contrived thriller that spans the past 40 years in Germany. During the waning days of WW II, a band of battle-weary Luftwaffe paratroopers is tactically retreating on the outskirts of Berlin. Sadistic SS captain Horst Wolker orders his men to execute them as "traitors to the Fatherland." Paratrooper captain Alex Mader pleads with Volker, explaining that his unit is low on ammunition, and moreover, the soldiers are all "Iron Men," recipients of Germany's highest military honor, the Knight's Cross. Unmoved, Volker orders the mass execution to proceed, but Mader and two others are spared when the hum of Soviet tanks prompts the SS to flee. Decades pass; Volker, fittingly, has become the director of Stasi, the East German secret police, and the three surviving Iron Men are still bent on revenge. In 1989, Jake Tallon, a U.S. Army colonel (and former Special Forces hotshot in Vietnam), is assigned to West Berlin; he befriends Mader and assists the Iron Men in their attempt to settle an old score. Though the narrative is slow going in the interval between the wars, the novel's gung-ho characters and exciting climax redeem it from Scott's tendency to rely on coincidence.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

In 1945, Axel Mader and Jorn Furman are young officers and recipients of the Iron Cross. When SS Captain Horst Volker guns down their unit for retreating, they vow vengeance. Forty years later in West Berlin, American Lieutenant Colonel Jake Tallon gets mixed up with Mader's daughter and finds that as a soldier he has many of the same feelings as the "Iron Men" about manhood and honor. These new-found compatriots discover that Volker is running the East German secret police, but with the Wall coming down old Nazis need to make themselves useful to the West. Bloodshed and treachery result. Among these characters, only combat soldiers have true honor, and everyone else is either feminine or corrupt. Still, the action scenes are good. Recommended where there is demand for male-bonding thrillers. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/92.
- Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army TRALINET Ctr., Fort Monroe, Va.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books (October 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804113033
• ISBN-13: 978-0804113038
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,516,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight into the spirit of the warrior, January 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Iron Men (Mass Market Paperback)

Scott once again did an outstanding job, of bringing the horror and power of war to the reader. In each novel he brings the true feeling of the warrior to light. A must!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, April 11, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Iron Men (Mass Market Paperback)

Colonel Scott has written a very realistic novel, with the voice of "I was there." He portrays the military in a very positive and accurate manner. As a former soldier, I can vouch for those points-reading the colonel's books brought back a lot of good memories. I was especially laughing at his depiction of higher level Army politics-and the pool scene is not to be missed, an example of homemade Army humor. And the bonding between Jake Tallon and Axel Mader relects that of veterans, no matter the war, or the politics behind it, that there is a bond between those who were there. And the healing of Jake and Kristina was nice. I would recommend any of Colonel Scott's novels to anyone looking for good military fiction, or just good fiction. A fine tale of intrigue, adventure, romance,and humor

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This was a quick read that I really enjoyed., April 6, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Hoover, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Iron Men (Mass Market Paperback)

The characters were likeable. The story line was interesting. Scott's quick sweep of the characters past brought the story alive. A nice read.