Several years ago I crossed the Atlantic for the first time in a Navy jet. It was early January and the weather was less than satisfactory. Our route of flight east included a stop in the Azores. I had never been to those islands and on the descent into Lages Airbase on Terceira Island, we broke out of the thick, gray winter clouds and there in front of our jet arrayed in its mysterious beauty, Terceira revealed herself amongst the dark blue surrounding seas. I will never forget the feeling of relief that we had gotten to our destination after flying hours and hours over endless ocean and also the beauty of those islands. One of my first thoughts as we prepared the jet for landing, “Wow, the Germans could have occupied this place and use it as a base in World War II.” I thought that such a concept would make for a great story maybe.My sole purpose with Impossible Target was to sketch out a ‘what-if’ scenario purely for your entertainment. I hope reading my story transports you back in time for a few minutes or hours and forget about your daily worries. I just hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I did writing it. I worked hard in the research process to provide the most accurate and realistic technical information within the story. However, I am human and am sure I missed a few things.
As this is an ‘alternate history’ story, I have taken some liberties with some World War II events and matters. Several of the German airplanes in the story were, in actuality, either just drawings on paper or were early in development at the end of the war.
There were numerous examples of examples of missions in World War II that were successfully executed in the face of nearly insurmountable odds that inspired me to write this story: Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo in 1942, the German aerial assault and capture of the Belgian fortresses in 1940, the German operation to rescue Mussolini from Allied custody.
by Mark Wade
June 24, 2018
452 pages
AIR RAID ON NEW YORK CITY X THIS IS NOT A DRILL. December 1943. The momentum of the Second World War has shifted in favor of the Allies, and American confidence in the security situation has soared in the past few months. City lights and radio stations are back on across the East Coast as normalcy has returned to America.
Unprepared for an attack on its homeland, only a limited number of air and naval units are available to react to the surprise attack on America’s most valuable asset — its will to fight.
It’s a race against time, with the fate of New York City hanging in the balance. You’ll experience breathtaking action and historical drama as the American homeland is attacked for the first time since 1812 by a foreign power. Can the Americans stop the German bombers before they release their weapons, or will the German forces fight their way through and destroy their impossible target?’
About the Author:
Mark Wade lives in the Washington, DC region and is originally from Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University. An aficionado of aviation history since childhood, he got his private’s pilot’s license at age 24. Two of his greatest passions are aviation and military history. He served in the United States Navy as a Naval Flight Officer with almost 2000 hours flying the EA-6B Prowler. He is the youngest of four children and grew up hearing the stories of the ‘greatest generation’ from his parents and other relatives. Among his favorite authors are aviators including Stephen Coonts, Mark Berent, the late Jeff Ethell and the late Marshall Harrison. On Wade’s bucket list is flying a radial-engine airplane coast-to-coast with his daughter and chronicling the experience.
