It’s summer, 1939, and a shadow is falling over Europe. Czechoslovakia has been invaded by the Third Reich, and the country dismembered. In its place, the Nazis have declared a “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”, centred on the former capital of Prague. And yet, amidst the restive populace in the surrounding countryside, resistance is growing—led by a triumvirate of patriots known only as the “Three Kings”.
The British government, not yet at war with Nazi Germany, has received intelligence from the nascent Czechoslovak “government-in-exile” in London that a Czech priest working for the resistance in the vicinity of Prague has information about atrocities committed by the Third Reich—information which will provide priceless propaganda if war does break out. According to British intelligence, the priest—codename ANGEL—is hiding Czechoslovakian children and preventing them from being transported to Castle Karlstein, some 25 miles (approx. 40 kilometres) southwest of Prague, reportedly where the atrocities have been committed. British intelligence is also very interested in any possible military significance to these atrocities.
Under instruction from the mysterious “Section D”, part of the British secret intelligence service, the British army has assembled a special operations group to parachute into occupied Czechoslovakia to contact the Czech resistance. The operations group is undercover, not in military uniform, and will likely be shot as spies if captured by the Nazis. They are each given poison capsules to take in the event of capture. Briefed at the Section D headquarters in central London by Czech resistance leader in exile, Frantisek Moravec, and provided with a handwritten letter of introduction by him (with no reference to the British government, who are determined to maintain deniability), their mission is to establish communications with the resistance on the ground (including, if possible, contacting a group of resistance leaders known as the “Three Kings”), contact Codename ANGEL, find out just what the Nazi atrocities at Castle Karlstein are, and return with the information. They should also take any measures to prevent these atrocities from continuing.
