The plans are stolen. The clock is ticking. The enemy is closing in.
MISSION BRIEF
Two people who were never supposed to meet. One mission that cannot fail.
France, 1944. British operative Jenny has just stolen something the Germans desperately want back. Her plan to get rocket intelligence, that could shift the balance of the war, safely to Allied hands falls apart before it begins.
The plans end up with Dan. An American soldier recovering near the front who didn't know the mission existed, doesn't fully understand what he's carrying, and has no idea how many people are already looking for him.
Now they have to trust each other. They don't have another option.
The Plans
Stolen V3 rocket intelligence that will would change the course of the war if Germany gets it back. It's a race to get the plans into Allied hands before adversaries close in.
The Spy
Jenny, the trained British operative, has a plan until it collapses. She knows exactly what the Germans would do to retrieve the plans but she will do whatever it takes to keep it out of their hands.
The Soldier
Dan, the American soldier, didn't ask for this mission. He had other plans, but found himself in it anyway. Now he has to figure out who to trust before the danger catches up.
The Chase
A race across France toward an Allied contact point, with enemy forces, as well as a few complications neither of them anticipated, are closing in from every direction.
IS THIS FOR YOU?
For readers who love history with a pulse.
If you want war fiction that moves with real historical texture, characters you can root for, and a plot that doesn't let you put it down, Operation Cutback was written for you.
If you want war fiction that moves with real historical texture, characters you can root for, and a plot that doesn't let you put it down, Operation Cutback was written for you.
Historical Backdrop
Set in the tense pause between Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.
Operation Cutback unfolds in September–December 1944, when the Allied advance across France had stalled near Verdun and Metz. History didn't stop, but the front line did. In that pause, the danger got quieter and, in its own way, worse.
VERDUN & METZ
The Allied push across France had stalled. Supply lines were stretched, German resistance had stiffened, and the next phase of the war was far from settled. Dan and Jenny move through terrain where the outcome is still in doubt, and where the wrong road at the wrong moment gets a person killed.
V-1, V-2, AND THE FICTIONAL V-3
The V-1 buzz bomb and V-2 ballistic missile were already causing real fear across Allied-held Europe. The V-3 in Operation Cutback is fictional, but the anxiety behind it was not. Plenty of people feared Germany wasn't finished with its weapons program. The plans Jenny steals feel real because the threat they represent was.
THE RED BALL EXPRESS
One of the most consequential logistics operations of the war. American drivers, most of them Black soldiers, ran supply convoys through the night to keep the Allied advance moving. The roads Dan and Jenny travel are the same roads those drivers ran. The story doesn't pretend they didn't exist.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
The shadow world of wartime intelligence, with its SOE agents, OSS operatives, and couriers, is the real backdrop for Jenny's work. Operation Cutback draws on the actual structure and human cost of wartime spy operations without claiming to be a history lesson.
The Field Agents
Two unlikely partners. One mission neither can afford to fail.
Jenny and Dan race across occupied France in 1944, delivering stolen rocket plans essential to the Allied war effort.
Jenny
British operative. Trained, capable, and used to working alone. She stole the rocket plans because it was the right call, and because no one else was going to. When the mission breaks down, she doesn't panic. She adapts. What she didn't plan for is Dan.
She carries the urgency of someone who understands exactly what is at stake, and the loneliness of being the only one in the room who does.
Dan
American soldier, recovering near the front. Honorable, capable, and pulled into a mission he never signed up for. He's the last person who should be carrying the most dangerous piece of intelligence in this part of Europe.
He's also, it turns out, exactly the right person. If he can figure out who to trust, and stay alive long enough to act on it.
Historical Thriller
Adventure without the cynicism.
Some war stories are built on darkness. This one runs on danger, courage, humor, and honor.
This is a fast-paced WWII adventure with spy-thriller tension, real historical texture, and characters who still believe a person's word should mean something. It's the kind of story you can share with your dad and your college roommate. The kind that keeps you up past midnight without making you feel worse about the world when you're done.
Mission
Honorable heroes in impossible situations
Historical Context
Clean storytelling you can hand to anyone
Character Insight
Dry humor that respects the history
Tone
Moral clarity with no preaching
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Meet the storytellers behind the mission.
Merril and John have been trading stories for years. What started as a creative experiment (a WWII premise, a what-if scenario, two characters in an impossible situation) turned into something neither of them wanted to stop writing.
Together, two longtime friends with a shared love of history, faith, family, and stories that honor courage and character. Operation Cutback is their first novel. It won't be their last.
C. Merrill McFall
Army combat veteran and lifelong WWII history buff. He's the one who will spend an afternoon tracking down the exact fuel load of a 1944 supply convoy to make sure the scene is right. He brings the historical weight, the authenticity, and a soldier's instinct for what actually matters in a tight spot.
John Lafayette Weeks
Storyteller, marketer, and pastor. He pushed to make every chapter faster, every character more human, and every scene earn its place in the story. He brings the story architecture, the pacing, and the voice that pulls the reader forward.
Why this story?
A story that remembers a generation with honor.
The authors' intent is simple, and it shows in every chapter: tell a story people enjoy, build an adventure worth following, and treat the WWII generation with the respect they earned.
Operation Cutback is fiction, but it's written with real care for the people, sacrifices, and moments that shaped the world behind the story. Merrill and John researched deeply so that the parts they invented would sit inside history, not on top of it.
The heroes in this book are fictional. The world they move through is not.
Don't misss out
Be there when the first file opens.
The first-look list gets behind-the-scenes history, launch updates, the Real vs. Fiction companion guide, and first access when Operation Cutback drops in October.
Behind the Scenes
Dive deeper into the making of Operation Cutback. Join the community and email list on Substack for bonus content and breaking news.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions before you commit to the mission.
What genre is Operation Cutback?
WWII historical fiction with spy-thriller pacing and adventure energy. Mission-driven, character-grounded, and fast.
Is it appropriate for a broad audience?
Yes. The tone is clean, adventure-forward, and honorable. Suspenseful without graphic or cynical storytelling. It was written to be shareable.
Is the V-3 rocket real?
No, but the fear behind it was real. The V-1 and V-2 existed, and the wartime concern that Germany had more in development was legitimate. The V-3 in the story is fictional but historically plausible.
Is this part of a series?
Yes, Operation Cutback is planned as the first in a four-book arc. It stands completely on its own: no cliffhanger, no required reading before or after.
When does it launch?
October 2026, pending the final publisher timeline.
Where can I buy it?
Purchase links will be added when the book launches in October.
Operation Cutback
Coming soon to online retailers and bookstores near you
The plans are stolen. The clock is ticking. The enemy is closing in.
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