To Climb Cold War Mountains

by Gary R. Hall

At the height of the Cold War, Sergeant Peter Ackerman and his wife, Trudi, are sent to Berlin to rescue a fellow Western agent. Eventually, they all find themselves in hot water and must make a perilous escape across East Germany and Czechoslovakia-with only Peter's scientific mind, Trudi's faith in God, and a surprising defecting Soviet pilot to guide them.

To Climb Cold War Mountains is a novel of history, adventure, and the complexity of the aftermath of World War II. Gary R Hall arrived in West Germany in 1956 at the age of eighteen, beginning a soldier's career that would include over twelve years in Germany. Based on his experiences on both sides of the Iron Curtain, he has written a page-turning "what might have been" story based in steely fact.

218 pages, Paperback, Kindle

Published October 14, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Gary R. Hall was a career Army NCO with over 12 years of Cold War duty in West Germany and one year in Vietnam. He received four Army Commendation Medals and a Bronze Star for meritorious performance of duty in Vietnam. He was an instructor and course chief of the Communications Officer/Communications NCO courses at the United States Army School, Europe. Upon retirement, Gary earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Resources at the University of Washington. Gary now lives in Everett, Washington. He is also the author of The 5K Zone: Cold War Border Intrigue and Sacrifice and Salvation: Mission GDR.

Reviews

[Gary Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Teufelsberg (cover) to tunnel Mo, this novel is packed with twists and turns, science and religion, and personal remorse about the deeds of the WWII Nazis. Trudi's father was a Nazi who died in the Black Sea Campaigns, Peter's parents were murdered by the Soviets during a Sudetenland ethnic German expulsion. Together, and with their military-trained Belgian Malinois. Zara, they lead an escape group from Berlin to a compromised escape tunnel in Czechoslovakia. The group has added a defecting ethnic-German helicopter pilot and a defecting STASI agent. The group must abandon Peter and Zara durng their successful escape, but will Peter's science knowledge and Trudi's faith enable Peter to findtunnel Mo and reunite with Trudi in West Germany?

An excellent novel of young German war survivors who risked their lives to support allied Cold War efforts.