Amidst the secluded valleys of Bavaria, 1940, lies a covert Nazi stronghold, the womb to the sinister Project Sea Eagle. Here, in hidden chambers beneath the earth, Nazi scientists toil over an innovative menace: a fleet of aqua-planes intended to unleash a torrent of terror upon Britain’s shores once more. Against the dark tide rises a band of unlikely allies: four anti-Nazi Germans, two audacious SOE operatives, and twenty captive RAF officers. With scarce resources yet unyielding resolve, they plot to dismantle this aquatic harbinger of invasion. At the heart of their mission lies the experimental ‘aquaplane,’ a swift maritime vessel conceived to ferry troops and weaponry across the Channel, a dire threat to England’s already beleaguered coast. The citadel of Sea Eagle, veiled beneath the earth, eludes the reach of aerial bombs, and a direct military assault is a gambit Britain can ill afford. Amidst the storm of war, Major Archie Wellings of the SOE forms a daring coalition with two German couples and others, orchestrating a clandestine assault on Wolfgang’s Castle, the nexus of Sea Eagle. They turn Nazi ideology against itself, employing ingenious subterfuges to thwart the looming peril. Wolfgang’s Castle is more than a tale of espionage and warfare. It delves into the essence of patriotism, the indomitable spirit of resistance, and the unexpected corridors of camaraderie amidst the horrors of war. With a sprinkle of satire, a glimpse into wartime’s gender dynamics, and a tender vein of romance, this thrilling narrative is not just a journey through the shadows of war, but a venture into the myriad shades of human valour and ingenuity.
During a lifetime in publishing, writing, translating and editing, Rex W Last authored many books including studies of Remarque, Erich Kästner, AI and language learning, and an account of a carer’s life dealing with Parkinson’s and dementia, and has produced translations including Willy Brandt’s wartime memoirs and the works of Max Ernst. Taking early retirement from academic life to concentrate on novels set in Germany during the Nazi period, he has been inspired by his own family background in these powerful accounts of Germans challenging the Hitler regime.