Fortress in the desert

The true story of a Czech young man in the Foreign Legion on the threshold of the World War

A thrilling story of a Czech young man who joins the French Foreign Legion. The danger of a second war in 20 years looms over Europe. The hero of the book joins the resistance at the age of 16. When arrest is imminent, he flees to France, where he joins the semi-illegal Foreign Legion. With the idea that after completing the training he would go to help his native country. Drastic training takes place in the African desert. Unbearable heat and sand everywhere you look. Intrigue, deception, a fight for your life. Filip Jánský drew on his own experience when writing the book. It was he who, as a young man, escaped the impending occupation. After a stint in an African unit of the Foreign Legion, he moved to England where he joined the Royal Air Force and became one of the RAF's most successful air gunners. Twice he was severely wounded, eight times he was saved by emergency landings. He then elaborated his experiences from the war years in his legendary novel The Horsemen of Heaven. The fortress in the desert closely precedes the war years. It complements and clarifies the atmosphere in Europe before the outbreak of the Second World War. World War II and provides a vivid description of the unofficial military units, all masterfully rendered by David Novotny.