Five Minutes Longer - A World War II Story

Book excerpt: "A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer." - Ralph Waldo Emerson September 1942: The once unstoppable German Army has been halted in Russia. The German advance in Africa is no longer the threat it was. For the first time since 1939, there is hope for the Allies. But there have been no decisive victories on the ground since Operation Crusader. The Commandos, an elite fighting force, called upon to conduct daring operations behind enemy lines, like Operation Chariot, have brought hope back to beleaguered Britain with their hard won successes. But the war is far from over. And Winston Churchill warns his country, ‘It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning’. Captain Jimmy McKay of the Commandos, and his men, must fight against great odds to snatch elusive victory in the face of deep personal loss. Though time and history have marched on since those years when the fate of the free world hung in precarious balance, the deeds of valour of the many unsung heroes who fought and fell for the cause, continue to fill our hearts and minds.