Quick answer
Read the An Army of Two series in publication order: Book 1, then Book 2, then An Army of Two – World At War 85 Novel, Book 3. The trilogy follows First Lieutenant Darren White from the opening of the war through the events in occupied West Germany, and Book 3 assumes you already know who White and Maurice Fitzgerald are and why they are behind Soviet lines. If you only want one volume, Book 3 still works as a standalone military thriller — but you will lose the relationship that gives the series its name.
Why reading order matters more than usual here
The An Army of Two series is character-driven rather than battle-driven. White and Fitzgerald are a two-man command team, and the books build their working relationship across volumes. Book 3 opens with White already stuck behind Soviet lines in occupied West Germany with what is left of his cavalry troop — a situation that only lands emotionally if you have watched the troop shrink across the earlier books.
The series also shares a war with the World At War 85 game line, so readers who come from the tabletop side often want to know whether the fiction stands alone. It does, but the reverse is not true: the novels reward readers who already understand the setting's scale, and they do not stop to re-teach it.
What you actually get in Book 3
Book 3 puts White and Fitzgerald into joint operations with a Special Forces team in the Fulda Gap. That is the hook: a conventional cavalry officer working alongside Special Forces on a mission neither was originally tasked to run. The catalog description frames it as turning up something they were never meant to find — and the Soviets having a way to win the war. That is a plot premise, not a rules supplement, so do not buy it expecting scenario stats or order-of-battle appendices.
At 9.35 USD against a 12.99 USD comparison price, Book 3 is the cheapest entry point in the catalog. That low price is the main reason readers start here instead of at Book 1, and it is a defensible choice as long as you accept the missing context.
How the novels relate to the companion books
Lock n Load Publishing sells two kinds of World At War 85 reading material, and they are not interchangeable. The novels are narrative fiction. The companion books are game-support volumes. If you want fiction, buy the novel. If you want scenarios, historical background, or rules context for the tabletop game, buy a companion.
The Heroes of North Africa Companion Book covers the desert war from the first clashes in 1940 to the finish in Tunisia, with long sight lines that push armour and anti-tank guns to the centre of play. That is a different theatre and a different purpose from White's Fulda Gap story. Buying both is reasonable if you play the game and read the fiction, but neither substitutes for the other.
Decision rules for buying the series
- If you have not read Book 1 or Book 2: Start with Book 1. Book 3 drops you into an ongoing situation with an established cast and does not re-introduce them. Buy Book 1 first unless you specifically want a standalone thriller.
- If you want one volume and no commitment: An Army of Two Book 3 works on its own. The Fulda Gap mission and the Soviet breakthrough premise are self-contained enough to follow without the earlier books. Accept that the White and Fitzgerald partnership will read as given rather than earned.
- If you came from the World At War 85 tabletop game: The novels are fiction and contain no scenario data. If you want game material, the companion books are the correct purchase instead. Match the format to the need: novel for story, companion for play.
- If price is the deciding factor: Book 3 is the lowest-priced item in the World At War 85 fiction line at 9.35 USD against a 12.99 USD comparison price. Cheapest entry point, but not the intended starting point.
Product facts
- An Army of Two – World At War 85 Novel, Book 3: First Lieutenant Darren White is stuck behind Soviet lines in occupied West Germany with what is left of his cavalry troop, waiting for a reason to do something about it. This is the setup for Book 3, so it is the volume to start with if you want the Fulda Gap storyline rather than the earlier war.
- An Army of Two – World At War 85 Novel, Book 3: White and his second in command, Maurice Fitzgerald, run joint operations with a Special Forces team in the Fulda Gap and turn up something they were never meant to find. The two-man command team is the series' core relationship, which is why reading the earlier books first pays off.
- Lock 'n Load Tactical: Heroes of North Africa Companion Book: The desert war ran back and forth across the same thousand miles for three years, from the first clashes in 1940 to the finish in Tunisia, with long sight lines meaning armour and anti-tank guns settle most of what happens. This is a companion book for the game, not a novel, so it answers a different need: scenario and theatre support rather than narrative.
Who the An Army of Two series suits
Best for
- Readers who want character-led military fiction set in the World At War 85 universe
- World At War 85 players who want narrative context for the Fulda Gap setting
- Readers willing to commit to a trilogy in order
Not for
- Players looking for scenarios, order-of-battle data, or rules support — buy a companion book instead
- Readers who want a single self-contained war novel with no series commitment
- Anyone expecting the novels to teach the game system
