Kurt Jaeger – författare

Im Auftrag der nigerianischen Zentralregierung wurden von der Interglobe Airlines in Lagos Transportflüge in den Südosten des Landes durchgeführt, die zunehmend militärisch genutzt wurden, um die aufständischen Ibos und ihren neu ausgerufenen Staat Biafra zu bekämpfen. Der Chefpilot, Flugkapitän Fischer, verliert nach und nach mehrere seiner Piloten durch Abstürze und kriegerische Auseinandersetzungen.Der Autor führt den Leser sachkundig in diese ganz eigene Welt der Piloten und Mechaniker ein, die eigentlich nur das abenteuerliche Fliegen und Arbeiten im Afrika der 60er-Jahre erleben wollten. Die dazugehörigen, sich zunehmend verschlimmernden authentischen Lebensumstände des Personals und die entstehenden Konfliktsituationen werden bestmöglich dargestellt.Spannungen innerhalb des Betriebes von Interglobe Airlines in diesen Zeiten des Krieges sind unausbleiblich. Sie werden aber durch entspannende Auswüchse von sarkastischem Humor bekämpft. Schlussendlich stellt sich die Frage, warum sich Aussenstehende in dieser Zeit in Afrika in Gefahr begaben.

A crew member of an oil-and-gas exploration syndicate working in the Arctic North of Canada suffers from a broken leg and receives first aid at the camp. In the meantime, an aircraft got ordered by radio to bring him urgently to Yellowknife''s hospital. The plane arrives late with the patient''s wife, who is a nurse. At the same time, an adverse weather front moves in rapidly from the north. Although the first gusts of wind and driving snow sweep over the camp, the pilot decides to take off and right away gets into horrible weather conditions.Close to the ground and dodging high-rise terrain, the pilot manages to fly ahead of the storm, but then suddenly, the engine quits, and he has to attempt a forced landing immediately. Due to bad visibility, the aircraft strikes a frozen lake''s shoreline. It ends up severely damaged the woods. Although nobody is hurt, the chances of getting out and back to civilization are practically zero. Hit by roaring winds and freezing temperatures, they hope in vain for a search aircraft and subsequent rescue.After days, the situation becomes desperate, but then the pilot comes up with the idea that seems completely unreal. Although the Cessna aircraft''s damage is substantial, he wants to get it back into the air. However, there is no help around. Hit by hunger and bitter cold, he works on a solution that might be disastrous.

It''s 1941 and the last days of the war in Italian-occupied Ethiopia. A small Italian arms convoy is destroyed in an air attack and its sole survivor, Major Umberto Mancino, stumbles across a load of gold bullions hidden in one of the lorries. He seizes this once-in-a-lifetime windfall and hides the fortune in hopes of cashing in, once the war is over. Fates collide, and he gets orders for a covert operation: hiding two beautiful Bugatti automobiles brought to the Horn of Africa on Mussolini''s instructions. Not allowed to fall into enemy British hands, the clock is ticking, and absolutely no witnesses to the hideout will be tolerated.The task is achieved with the help of Captain Silvio Falone but ends in bloody horror and the two officers in British prison camps. Some 30 years later, their hidden fortune beckons them back to Ethiopia. The ensuing recovery is daring and full of suspense.New and revised version.