“We don’t capture the ore,” von Fersen reminded his twelve men. “We contaminate it. A single vial of polonium solution into the main ventilation shaft. Then the Soviets can’t purify it for two years. And the world never knows we were here.”

“Intel says two battalions of NKVD,” whispered his radioman, Klaus.

The plan was insane. While the Wehrmacht bled in the mud of Ukraine, three specialized Brandenburger commando units would slip through Soviet partisan lines—not to blow up bridges or assassinate generals. Their target: the .