Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 176
December 5, 2019
Today in World War II History—December 5, 1939 & 1944
Patrol of the 307th Infantry at a river crossing near Camp Downes in the approach to Ormoc, Leyte (US Army Center of Military History)
80 Years Ago—December 5, 1939: Fritz Kuhn, leader of the pro-Nazi German-American Bund, is convicted of embezzlement of Bund funds and is sent to Sing Sing; Gerhard Kunze replaces him over the Bund.
75 Years Ago—December 5, 1944: US launches final offensive on Leyte in the Philippines, driving into the Ormoc Valley.
Victory ship SS Red Oak Victory is commissioned into the US Navy as an ammunition ship at Richmond, CA (currently at Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, Richmond, CA).
Sarah Sundin on board SS Red Oak Victory at Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, Richmond, CA, May 2014 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)
December 4, 2019
Today in World War II History—December 4, 1939 & 1944
Vehicular treadway ferry over the Saar River in US 358th Infantry Regiment zone, Dec 1944 (US Army photo)
80 Years Ago—December 4, 1939: Carl Sandburg’s book Abraham Lincoln: The War Years is published.
75 Years Ago—Dec. 4, 1944: US Third Army crosses the Saar River at Saarlautern, Germany.
Italian partisans liberate Ravenna in first major partisan attack in Italy.
December 3, 2019
Wings Like a Dove, by Camille Eide
In 1933, Polish Jew Anna Leibowicz has found refuge in New York City. But when she becomes pregnant, her mother’s shame leads Anna to run away in search of their long-lost father, rumored to be living in Chicago. Soon she’s penniless and hungry and stranded in Indiana.
Anna stumbles upon six orphaned boys who have found their own refuge in the home of Thomas Chandler, who teaches them carpentry in his shop. Thomas opens his home to Anna as well – just temporarily, Anna insists. The boys work their way into her heart, especially mute African-American Samuel.
But the town itself proves to be no refuge. The Ku Klux Klan is powerful, and Samuel is targeted. And when Anna’s ethnicity – and then her pregnancy – are revealed, Thomas’s home and makeshift family are threatened from every side.
Can Anna and Thomas save the home and the children – and themselves? And can an entire town possibly throw off the shackles of hatred?
Both gorgeous and harrowing, Wings Like a Dove shows the dangers of allowing hatred and racism to grow in a community – and the importance of standing up for right, even when it’s dangerous. Anna, Thomas, and Samuel are lovely characters full of depth and strength, and Thomas shows the beauty of faith in action. With a poignant romance, the story satisfies on every level. Camille Eide has penned another memorable novel. Don’t miss it!
November 27, 2019
The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron
In 1843, Elizabeth Meade’s mother arranges her marriage to the handsome Viscount Huxley.of Parham Hill Estate. However, she recognizes her fiancé immediately – ten years earlier she’d sketched the man’s countenance moments before he murdered her father. Is this her chance for revenge?
In 1944, young widow Amelia Woods is appalled when swaggering Yankee flyboys are quartered at her Framlingham home. With the refugee children she’s hosting and her beekeeping, Amelia doesn’t need any distractions. Especially not the quiet and kindly Capt. Wyatt Stevens who invades her treasured library.
In the present day, art historian Keira Foley is recruited by Emory Scott to investigate a portrait of Queen Victoria at his friend’s estate in Suffolk. But Emory has a reputation – valuable art disappeared from under his curation. Can Keira trust this stranger?
The Painted Castle unfolds the mysteries of Parham Hill Estate through three intriguing women in three eras, united by a portrait, a library, and tragedies. Kristy Cambron lovingly sketches the English scenery, and the story is enriched though the glimpses of history. And the romance – sigh! I truly loved following all three stories and watching how they braid together. Highly recommended!
November 25, 2019
Today in World War II History—November 25, 1939 & 1944
Poster for the 1940 Winter Olympics, scheduled to be held in February 1940 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and canceled (University of Oslo)
80 Years Ago—November 25, 1939: 1940 Winter Olympic Games, originally scheduled to be held in Sapporo, Japan, then St. Moritz, Switzerland, and then Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, are cancelled due to the war.
Lt. Gen. Mark Clark and Lt. Gen. Lucian Truscott in Italy, Dec 1944 (US Army photo)
75 Years Ago—Nov. 25, 1944: German V-2 rocket hits Woolworth department store in London, killing 168.
Nazis demolish crematoria and gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Gen. Mark Clark is named to command 15th Army Group (Allied Armies in Italy); Gen. Lucian Truscott will replace him over US Fifth Army.
Reg Saunders becomes the first Aborigine commissioned officer in the Australian Army.
November 12, 2019
Today in World War II History—November 12, 1939 & 1944
Fleet Air Arm attack on the German battleship Tirpitz at Alta Fjord, Norway, 3 April 1944 (Imperial War Museum: A 22633)
80 Years Ago—November 12, 1939: Germany begins strict point-based clothing rationing, with no clothing ration cards issued to Jews.
75 Years Ago—Nov. 12, 1944: British Lancaster bombers sink German battleship Tirpitz in Tromsø Fjord, Norway; 902 killed.
November 11, 2019
Veterans Day 2019
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the First World War came to an end.
The Armistice was signed for the War to End All Wars, but peace was built on a shoddy foundation, and war returned, nastier than ever.
The end of the Second World War brought the United Nations and the promise of rational negotiation and eternal peace. Instead the nuclear era introduced the tense decades of the Cold War, flaring up in brutal regional wars in Korea, Vietnam, and throughout Africa and Central and South America.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall brought optimism for a peaceful, democratic world. This was shattered by the terrorist tactics of a new enemy without borders to attack or a government to negotiate with. A cowardly enemy that cheers when children blow up children or when tourists are mowed down on their holidays.
The human heart yearns for peace but is drawn to war. We can argue about it and say it shouldn’t be this way, but it is.
That’s why our armed services are vital. Our veterans have repelled the forces of Fascism, Totalitarianism, and Communism, and for this we owe them our eternal gratitude. Our active servicemen and servicewomen are currently fighting the forces of Terrorism and standing guard against dictators, and for this we owe them our active support and appreciation.
On this 11th day of the 11th month, we thank the members of our armed services, past and present, for protecting our lives, our homes, and our freedom. May God bless you.
November 6, 2019
Carry Me Away, by Dorothy Adamek
After a tragic shipwreck off the coast of Australia in 1877, midshipman Tom Darley rescues passenger Ada Carmichael. They are the only survivors.
As Ada deals with the crushing loss of her entire family, she’s drawn to Tom’s kindness and strength. The newspapers whip up a frenzy of interest in the young couple and promise riches in exchange for stories and photographs and statues for the wax museum. For Tom, this would be the fulfillment of his dreams. Raised on the rough streets of Melbourne, he longs to start a hotel for weary travelers – and to marry the lovely Ada.
However, for Ada, the publicity promises to fulfill her worst nightmares, the very reason her family fled England in the first place. Now she flees to Phillip Island, to the home of newlyweds Shadrach and Finella Jones, a place to heal. But Tom follows. Can the press – and Ada’s greatest fears – be far behind?
Gorgeous and gripping, Carry Me Away is a novel you won’t forget. Ada and Tom’s deep attraction and clashing needs create a poignant love story, and Dorothy Adamek writes about grief and love in a way that is palpable and heartfelt. But the ending – oh, the ending! So sweet and triumphant and affirming that I want to tell everyone – except I want you to discover it for yourself. Let the lovely writing carry you away to picturesque Phillip Island, and be swept away by Tom and Ada’s tale.
This is the second novel in the Blue Wren Shallows series, but it stands alone. However, please don’t miss the first book, Carry Me Home, for Shadrach and Finella’s romantic and muddy tale (trust me, it works). See my review here.
November 5, 2019
Today in World War II History—November 5, 1939 & 1944
Japanese heavy cruiser Nachi under aerial attack, Manila Bay, Philippine Islands, 5 Nov 1944 (US National Archives: 80-G-287018)
80 Years Ago—November 5, 1939: Plot by senior German officers under Gen. Franz Halder to arrest or kill Hitler collapses; the officers are appalled at Hitler’s decision to invade Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.
75 Years Ago—Nov. 5, 1944: US B-29s bomb Japanese-occupied Singapore for the first time.
US Navy Task Force 38 carrier aircraft strike Luzon, sinking Japanese heavy cruiser Nachi and shooting down 97 Japanese aircraft.
October 8, 2019
Today in World War II History—October 8, 1939 & 1944
Wendell Willkie, 3 March 1940 (Library of Congress)
80 Years Ago—October 8, 1939: Nazis establish their first Jewish ghetto—in Piotrkow, Poland.
New York Yankees win a record fourth straight World Series, defeating Cincinnati Reds in fourth game, four games to zero.
75 Years Ago—Oct. 8, 1944: Former GOP presidential candidate Wendell Willkie dies of a heart attack, age 52.
US Navy cancels Project Pigeon, Professor B.F. Skinner’s attempt to design pigeon-piloted missiles.
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet premieres on CBS Radio.
