The brenner assignment

The Brenner Pass carries a four-lane motorway, one of the most important transit routes between Northern and Southern Europe. Brenner Pass (German: Brennerpass [ˈbʁɛnɐpas]; Italian: Passo del Brennero [ˈpasso del ˈbrɛnnero]) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria.

The Brenner Assignment by Patrick O’Donnell tells the story of two American agents in World War II who embark on a mission to destroy the crucial German supply line, through the Brenner Pass. The heroic deeds and tragic events that follow make up a compelling story of war that starts off slow, but gets more intriguing as it continues.

Older, obsolete theories suggested a connection of the name Brenner with the ancient tribe of the Breuni or the Gaulish chieftain Brennus, but since the pass name appears for the first time only in the 14th century, a more recent etymology is far more likely.

Like a scene from Where Eagles Dare, a small team of American special operatives parachutes into Italy under the noses of thousands of German troops. Their orders: link up with local partisans in the mountains and sabotage the well-guarded Brenner Pass, the crucial route through the Alps for the Nazi war machine.