"David Drake - The Hammers Slammers Handbook" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

rebellion and coalesced into an elite unit. Their methods were effective but brutal involving hostage taking
and the gassing of rebel villagers.

The battle for theMelpomoneStarport demonstrated that Hammer was a master of set piecearmoured
engagements and this tactical talent was demonstrated repeatedly over the next three decades. However,
MelpomoneStarport also showed that Hammer had two further skills, for military strategy and political
infighting. Individuals who have all three skills are extremely rare and they tend to leave their mark on
history; these are the Caesars.



Danny Pritchard

Pritchard was born on Dunstan, an agricultural planet that grew wheat to feed the industrial planets of
Hagener ,Weststar , Mirage andJackson 's Glade. The industrial worlds set up a cartel to keep wheat
prices low. Pritchard's life changed when warfare erupted between the Scots and Hindi settlers on
Weststar . The Hindi agent for the cartel on Dunstan recruited a battalion of Dunstan farm boys and
shipped them in a grain freighter's hold toWeststar . Danny flipped a coin with his brother Jig and lost; he
shipped out that day.
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Jig never inherited the farm, five years later his tractor overturned crushing the cab. Danny was lucky; the
Slammers landed onWeststar the same day as the freighter and needed replacements after the heavy
attrition on Lost Dreams. They bought the Dunstan recruits as a job lot. Seven years and seven contracts
later Danny Pritchard was Sergeant-Commander of a tank platoon in the attack on Foster's regiment at
Starhome . The tanker showed promise as a leader and was given a commission after a two-year crash
course in theGr├╝ningenAcademy onFriesland .

Pritchard was promoted to Captain for his skilful fighting retreat in the face of superior forces on the
Messenine Plain atHellenika . On Kobold, Captain Pritchard was the officer that Hammer trusted to
carry out a complex political deception onBarthe's Company before crushing the regiment in a tank
assault. Kobold was a defining moment in Danny Pritchard's career as it was here he began to have
severe doubts about his career choice, appalled by the casual way soldier's civilian's lives were expended
in the pursuit of political objectives.

After Kobold, Pritchard was promoted to major and appointed S-3, the Slammer's Operations Officer.
He fulfilled this role for five years right up to the incorporation of the Slammers in the FrieslandDefence
Force. He then resigned his commission and marriedMargritteDiManzo who had been hiscommo tech
when he was a company commander in tanks. Pritchard servedFriesland and President Hammer as
Minister of Reconciliation and then Interior Minister. On Colonel Hammer's death of old age Pritchard
succeeded him as President.

Joachim Steuben

Major Steuben came from the highlycivilised ancient colony of Newland. Steuben was a classic
sociopath. It was not that he was wicked or mentally ill but simply that he lacked any ability toempathise
with anyone else and there was a hole in his thinking where most people have a conscience. In the wrong