The Texas Gun Club

Two very different cousins head to Italy to fight in World War II in this absorbing novel, a winner of the Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal. The first novel in the Texas Gun Club series, this is the story of two cousins and their journey from south Texas to the distant shores of wartime Italy. Sam Taft is a rancher, fiercely devoted to his wife, Margaret, and intent on surviving the war and returning to Texas. Each skirmish, every battle, is one step closer to home. His cousin Perkin Berger was a student of history at the University of Texas, and is eager for adventure. The impulsive Berger finds the war a lark, a grand journey—until the harrowing realities of warfare begin to set in. Set against the backdrop of the battle of Salerno, The Texas Gun Club is meticulously researched and faithful to the saga of the soldiers from Texas in 1943 Italy, written with rich authenticity by a retired naval officer.

For these World War II soldiers, Highway 6 is the road to Rome—and to victory… Fall, 1943: The Allied advance up the Italian peninsula has ground to a halt and the prospect of taking Rome before Christmas seems more distant than ever. In their first action since Salerno, First Lieutenant Sam Taft and the soldiers of Able Company are sent to wrest a lonely stretch of road from the German defenders. The Italians call it Highway 6, but the boys of the Texas Gun Club know it as Victory Road. As Sam slugs it out in the valley, somewhere beyond the highway high up in the mountains Captain Perkin Berger, Sam’s cousin, struggles against harsh elements and murderous German intelligence agents in his quest to be the first American into San Pietro…

The Keys of Redemption is the fifth book in Mark Bowlin's award-winning adventure series about the Texans who fought and won World War II. Set in the Italian Campaign, the soldiers of the Texas Gun Club are sent to break the four month stalemate of Anzio.

January 1944: The great Allied advance up the Italian peninsula has come to a halt before the formidable German Gustav Line at Monte Cassino. For the American soldiers in the valley, there is nothing to do but wait as General Mark Clark prepares his plan to shatter the German defenses and continue Fifth Army¿s march to Rome. Captain Perkin Berger and First Lieutenant Sam Taft are spared the monotony of waiting. They¿re given a week of well-deserved leave in an Adriatic resort town, where they have no responsibility other than relaxation. Proving the old maxim that ¿no plan survives first contact with the enemy,¿ Sam and Perk find themselves involved in the Canadian battle at Ortona, and once again they are thrust into the middle of a secret war between the Third Reich and the Vatican. When the cousins return from their R&R, it isn¿t long until the order is given. Against all sound military judgment, the exhausted and under-strength Gun Club is to cross the Rapido River and breach the Gustav Line . . . alone. For God and Country is the third book in the award-winning Texas Gun Club series.

In WWII Italy, two soldiers have been granted a week of leave—but R&R is not in the cards for them… January 1944: The great Allied advance up the Italian peninsula has come to a halt before the formidable German Gustav Line at Monte Cassino. For the American soldiers in the valley, there is nothing to do but wait as General Mark Clark prepares his plan to shatter the German defenses and continue Fifth Army’s march to Rome. Captain Perkin Berger and First Lieutenant Sam Taft are spared the monotony of waiting. They’re given a week of well-deserved leave in an Adriatic resort town, where they have no responsibility other than relaxation. Proving the old maxim that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, Sam and Perk find themselves involved in the Canadian battle at Ortona, and once again they are thrust into the middle of a secret war between the Third Reich and the Vatican. When the cousins return from their R&R, it isn’t long until the order is given. Against all sound military judgment, the exhausted and under-strength Gun Club is to cross the Rapido River and breach the Gustav Line—alone…

The Emergency was to bury the truth about the dangers of mixing guns, alcohol, and children at a Texas gun club.

This new book from Mowbray Publishers is the result of the author's almost 20 years of research. It attempts to shed light on the extent of the gun trade in Texas during its early times. Though the military connection is touched upon in this book, the civilian gun trade is the main objective. Many of the old established gun dealers in Texas became quite successful, while others came and went. Each major city seemed to have one gun dealer that stood above all others. Included in this extensive directory of over 1,200 dealers and makers are the Dance Brothers of Anderson, the Erichson family of Houston, E.A. Worden of Dallas, Charles Hummel of San Antonio, J.C. Petmecky of Austin, A.J. Anderson of Forth Worth and countless other dealers and tradesmen, many of whom could have books dedicated to them alone. More than 1,200 listings and over 700 black & white photographs. 8.5"x11" and printed on heavy, coated paper.