Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 The Tobruk was a widely used type of small bunker for local defence. It was a concrete casing set into the ground with a concrete cupola emerging at ground level, allowing a single soldier to fire a machine gun. The concept of the Tobruk was that the men would remain down in the box with the MG during a bombardment, and then one of them would come up to the cupola and fight any advancing infantry.#2 The Tobruk was a concrete plinth in the box, with the gun fixed on a rail around it. We were ordered to constantly rotate the gun, watching for any signs of a threat. We knew that the loss of France would be a dreadful blow if it happened, because it would give the Western Allies a platform to attack German soil in partnership with the Bolsheviks in the East.#3 The situation was unprecedented. There was a stream of twin-engined aircraft flying north, in a disorganized formation. They had black and white stripes on their wings, which were used for personnel transport and for paratroopers. This was clear evidence that an airborne attack was happening to the south of us.#4 The first explosion was between us and the strong house, and it was preceded by a low whining sound. The explosion was huge; I deduced from the whining noise that this was shell fire, not aerial bombing. The noise made my eardrums screech, and the blast wave flattened me in the cupola of the Tobruk.