Casca’s life story is brought up to date with events from World War 2 to the present.
1939-1940. Casca 40: Blitzkrieg
As World War Two looms, the Eternal Mercenary joins the Wehrmacht to avoid the attentions of a German police investigation, and enrols into the 3rd Panzer Division. He partakes in the campaigns of Poland and France, meeting his new crew including Gus Beidemann and Teacher.
Main Points 1939-1940
- 1939 – September, German invasion of Poland
- 1940 – 10 May, German invasion of France and Belgium
1941 – 1942. Casca 42: Barbarossa
Casca is part of the panzer successes in Russia as he drives towards Moscow until the winter and Russian reinforcements stop them. More fighting on the Russian front sees the war see-saw.
Main points 1941-1942
- 1941 – June, German invasion of Soviet Union
- 1941 – December, battles outside of Moscow
- 1942 – Battle of Kharkov, Caucasus campaign
1943-1945. Casca 4: Panzer Soldier
Casca is involved in the nightmare Battle of Kursk in which the Russians win, and the months following this he’s sent retreating back towards Germany. Most of Casca’s unit die, except the giant Gus, but Casca is finally taken prisoner by the Nazi hierarchy and he learns that they are run by the Brotherhood of the Lamb. Placed in the Bunker in Berlin just as the Russians close in, Casca meets Hitler and helps him die.
Main Points 1943-1945
- 1943 – Battle of Kursk
- 1945 – Battle for Berlin
1945-1954. Casca 11: The Legionnaire
Breaking out of Berlin, he’s taken prisoner by the French and recruited into their Foreign Legion, trained and then shipped to Vietnam to fight for France against the Viet Minh. Casca meets up with Gus again and together they fight in the decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu. After being defeated, they are sent back to France.
Main Points 1945-1954
- 1945 – Casca breaks out of Berlin and is captured by the French
- 1946 – Training at Sidi-bel-Abbes (page 19)
- 1949 – Casca sent to Indo-China (page 24)
- 1950
- 1954 – Battle of Dien Bien Phu
1955-1970. Theoretical and Cascas 54: The Killer and 16: Desert Mercenary
The Algerian War of Independence (Casca 54) provides Casca and Gus with plenty of action but both buy their way out when the war turns against them and the opportunity presents itself for them to become mercenaries. One job they do is to rescue a couple of Americans from a fanatical Tuareg leader (see Casca 16). In 1963 Casca returns to Indo-China and turns his back on mercenary work – for the time being – and joins the American army where he fights in Vietnam and Laos (see Casca 14).
Main Points 1955 – 1970
- 1955
- 1960
- 1962 – End of Algerian War of Independence. Gus and Casca quit the French Foreign Legion.
- 1962 – Events of Casca 16: Desert Mercenary
- 1963 – Casca joins the American army in Vietnam
- 1966 – Casca meets Van during a battle at Moc Hua against the Viet Cong (Soldier of Fortune, page 90)
- 1970
1970. Casca 14: The Phoenix
Recruited into a special force to stop a Viet Cong assassination squad from taking out many officials in Vietnam, Casca is captured by his enemy but escapes. Finally he confronts the assassin squad leader and lures him and his men into a crocodile infested swamp where all the Viets are killed. Casca is wounded shortly afterwards and taken to an army hospital where he is fated to meet Julius Goldman.
1970-1973. Casca 20: Soldier of Gideon
After quitting Vietnam in the wake of his first encounter with Dr.Goldman, Casca spends a few years in New Zealand. When yet another Arab-Israeli war looms, Casca and his friends decide to join up and fight for Israel. They fly to Israel and are inducted into the army, and are sent to Egypt to capture some border fortresses. No sooner have these been taken, then they are sent to Jerusalem to eject the Jordanians from the city. Finally they are sent to the north and the Golan Heights and they scale the sheer cliffs to capture them from the Syrians. In 6 days the Israelis have won a war, but Casca is the only one left alive out of the group of friends.
Main Points 1970 – 1973
- 1970 – Casca leaves Vietnam and the American army and goes to Australia, then to New Zealand
- 1973 – Joins the Israeli army
1973-1977. Casca 8: Soldier of Fortune & Casca 12: African Mercenary
After the Israeli war Casca winds up in the far east and becomes an established mercenary based in Malaysia and Thailand. He gets a mission to rescue a Chinese family in Cambodia and parachutes in, but he and his group are betrayed and the Khmer Rouge chase him back from the rendezvous point. Eventually he escapes and falls in love with the Chinese girl Yu Li. The two set up home in the Cameron Highlands, and Casca’s next mission is to take out an African dictator, Matthew Dzhombe. Again, they are betrayed. Gus Beidemann is one of the mercs with Casca and they fight their way south to safety, but Gus is one of the fatalities.
Main Points 1973 – 1977
- 1973
- 1975 – Khmer Rouge sieze power in Cambodia.
- 1976 – Events of Soldier of Fortune. Casca finds a home in the Cameron Highlands of Thailand with Yu Li.
- 1977 – Events of African Mercenary
1978-1990. Theoretical.
After a few years as a merc Casca knows his time to leave the far east has come, so he changes continents and bases himself in Central America. Afterwards he fights in wars in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama.
1991 Events of Casca 44: Balkan Mercenary
Casca fights in Yugoslavia during its civil war. Taking the side of the Croats, he has to take out a vicious warlord intent on ethnic cleansing. But there is one of his group who has a hidden agenda.
Main Points in Casca books 1992 – 2021
- 2000 Bob Landries dies. His son Danny becomes a new sounding board for Casca’s stories.
- 2003 Casca meets Danny in Cracow
- 2005 Danny becomes a business partner with Casca, running his mercenary ops from New York
- 2010
- 2011 Hayley Landries (Danny’s wife) lifts Casca and his mercs out of Libya.
- 2017 Casca meets Danny and a pregnant Hayley in Vienna.
- 2021 Casca and his mercs rescue Afghan provisional government in Herat, flown out by Hayley.