Lord Constanta, as he is also known, is a Dracula substitute with the full array of undead powers, plus a bit extra. Most of his band have similar abilities, to a lesser degree. This leads to scenes where the Rumanians turn into sentient mist, bats or slavering wolves. They don't like the sign of the cross, can be hurt by silver and turn to dust if struck by sunlight. Gradually, the German soldiers become aware of just what their Führer has allied them with, and that the vampires have their own agenda. The Vollmer's are the first to suspect that once the Russians are defeated, Constanta and his men will move against Germany, and anyone else who stands in their way. A new world order is what they are planning, with vampires at the top of the food chain. Klaus, Hans and Ralf decide to conspire against Constanta, and manage to assemble a sizeable fighting force, using faked orders. A trap is then set, in which it is hoped a decisive conflict will ensue.

I found this book by turns refreshing, mildly original and not quite as deep as I'd hoped it might be. It was a nice change to find a story set in WWII told from the perspective of ordinary German military personnel, rather than fanatical Nazis. The Vollmer brothers and their various supporting cast are engagingly drawn, if a little shallow, which I put down to the page count being quite low. But the author does well to cram in so much, and even finds room for a nod at Kelly's Heroes. More dramatic is a gory twist whereby a vampiric Holocaust victimises not Jews, but Russian prisoners who are being systematically bled to death in a camp run by thralls under the influence of Constanta. As the Vollmers's draw their plans, the story lurches forward more clumsily, which gave me the impression that chunks of exposition had been ripped out by an editor. Although, having said that, the author just about gets away with it by providing a betrayal slap bang in the middle of a cinematic, climactic battle scene, every bit as entertaining as Underworld Evolution.

In summary, if you like alternate history stories filled with heavy politics, and the undead as complex as Lestat, then Operation Vampyr isn't the book to buy. But, if you enjoy a bit of straightforward military action, crossed with easy to follow plots and fiendish blood-suckers, then it could be just the job. I award it six out of ten fangs.