Product Description

It’s 1948. The war is over but there is still tension in Germany. The allied forces have been divided by politics and economics. Now there is a new enemy is lurking on the horizon…

Charlie thought he’d done his part for the war effort and could enjoy peacetime with a bit of grace. Having a job with a commercial airline means he can do what he does best, but without getting shot at. Or so he thinks. When the situation in Berlin between the allies and the Russian forces begins to escalate – every company with aircraft and able pilots is pulled back to the action.

Plane after plane is flown into Germany making essential drops of food and medicine to help the starving populace survive. Charlie has a girl in each airport and a scheme in every country. But when the people he loves are threatened by the effects of the blockade he must take a desperate chance to smuggle them out of the country…

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #96947 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 492 pages

About the Author

David Fiddimore was born in 1944 in Yorkshire and is married with two children. He worked for five years at the Royal Veterinary College before joining HM Customs and Excise, where his work included postings to the investigation and intelligence divisions. The Hidden War is the fourth novel in the Charlie Bassett series. With his first novel, Tuesday's War, David Fiddimore reached the final of the first ever Richard & Judy 'How to Get Published' competition.

Customer Reviews

THE HIDDEN WAR
The Hidden War

I started reading this after a chance encounter in a pub! Like others I was put off by the Richard and Judy link (intellectual snobbery raises its ugly head!) but am so pleased I read it. I believe this book should be made available for all senior school kids to read - those who lived through these times are either dead or soon will be, and the atmosphere is so intense that the next generation need at least to get a feel for this. The military detail is spot on and although initially I thought there was perhaps a bit too much of the bad sex prize in it, we need to remember that Charlie was only 19 or 20 and had lived through things that hardly any of today's generation (in the UK at any rate) could even imagine. The characters draw you in and you really want to know what's happening next and what happened in the past.

The feel of the military life is really well captured the majority boredom, the moments of terror and the hilariously funny pointless acts of serendipity which you never forget.

Can't wait to read the other two (or is it three as I thought I saw one in Border's not listed in the Amazon list but hadn't time to check)

Would I advise you to read it? YES YES YES

Charlie's on the march again.
This is the fourth Charlie Bassett story. Very readable, it cracks along at a pace with a good feel for the Berlin airlift and the period in general. In the afterword there is a teaser by our author of more to come and he can probably squeeze one more out of our hero. With his contacts and experience Charlie would probably do well in the Cold War era without taking on George Smiley. Anyway, wherever he ends up, I'll look forward to it.

A Brilliant Follow up!
'The Hidden War' is a brilliant follow up to Charlie's adventures, i loved the way past characters were brought back! The end was sad (poor Tommo :-(!) but optimistic at the same time. I have loved all of the Charlie books but this one is amazing! I think David Fiddimore gets better and better as he writes! For those of you thinking to buy it dont, but ALL of them! Bring on more Charlie!