Erich piled into the back of his command vehicle. It was the first to load into the strategic airlift, along with three others like it.
The airstrip Germany had seized in Northern Luzon swarmed with motion, cargo crews hauling crates, mechanics shouting over the roar of engines, medics prepping triage stations.
Rows of armored vehicles stood aligned like steel beasts waiting to be unleashed.
The German Army was already advancing toward Manila, and its airborne brigades were preparing to drop at the exact moment the outer assault began.
Those who remained at the air base, QRF teams, sentries, medics, administrators, had gathered near the runway to salute the men now tasked with executing the most daring operation in human history.
There were few precedents for this.
A single brigade of men, dropping directly into a hostile city, into a labyrinth of enemy defenses, entrenched infantry, armor, artillery, and anti-air batteries.
