Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 364

Today in World War II History—November 18, 1939 & 1944

US Third Army entering Metz, France (US Army Center of Military History)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 18, 1939: IRA detonates four small bombs in Piccadilly, London.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 18, 1944: US Third Army enters Metz, France.

Today in World War II History—November 17, 1939 & 1944

USS Spadefish battle flag (US Navy)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 17, 1939: After uprising in Prague, Germans close Czech universities, execute 9, and send 1200 to concentration camps. Movie premiere of Another Thin Man, starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Asta.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 17, 1944: US submarine Spadefish sinks Japanese escort carrier Shinyo in the Yellow Sea, only 130/1160 survive.

Today in World War II History—November 16, 1939 & 1944

US tank on Roer plain in Germany (US Army Center of Military History)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 16, 1939: Uprising in Prague, Czechoslovakia is quelled by the Germans, who declare martial law.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 16, 1944: US First and Ninth Armies launch offensive to clear Roer Plain in Germany.

Today in World War II History—November 15, 1939 & 1944

Shoulder sleeve insignia of US Eighth Army

75 Years Ago—Nov. 15, 1939: President Roosevelt lays cornerstone of Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 15, 1944: US Eighth Army, in first assault, lands on Mapia Islands in East Indies. Movie premiere of Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, starring Spencer Tracy.

Book Beat – Grand Central

In a train station during World War II, a bystander could witness hundreds of small dramas unfold. Grand Central is a collection of short stories, all taking place at New York City’s Grand Central Station on the same day in November 1945, right after the end of World War II.

Grand Central features ten bestselling or acclaimed authors, and each story is lightly connected as characters encounter the characters from earlier stories. Each highlights a different aspect of the war, from the Holocaust survivor trying to find his way in the world again, to a wife waiting for her returning husband, to a girl longing to be reunited with her father. My favorites were Kristina McMorris‘s “The Reunion,” about a former pilot in the WASP program who is searching for redemption, and Amanda Hodgkinson‘s “Tin Town,” about a little British girl who is very unhappy about coming to America with her war bride mother – and learns the meaning of sacrificial love.

For my more sensitive readers, a few of the stories contain “language,” but the overall theme of hope and renewal after the harshness of war was refreshing, and I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.

Today in World War II History—November 14, 1939 & 1944

Infantry-Tank Team of French 5th Armored Division, France, late 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)

75 Years Ago—Nov. 14, 1939: In Lagunillas, Venezuela, an oil refinery fire kills 500 and destroys the town.

70 Years Ago—Nov. 14, 1944: French First Army opens assault toward Belfort Gap in France. Premiere of documentary Combat America, produced by Clark Gable from footage he took on his five missions with the 351st Bomb Group.

Birthday & International Giveaway Winners

Whew! I was happily overwhelmed by the entries from around the world for the birthday and international giveaway!

With a list and a table, some time, and a random number generator, I have our winners! I have all the email addresses through WordPress, and I will send all of you emails today. So here we go…

The winner of In Perfect Time…Janet B.!

In Dutch:

A Distant Melody (Een Verre Melodie) – Ramona Okkema!

A Memory Between Us (Op Zilveren Vleugels) – Melanie! I have two copies of this book, but only had one entry. Crissy Shamion, you were #2 in the draw for A Distant Melody, so I’ll email you and ask if you’d like this book instead.

In Portuguese:

A Distant Melody (Nas Asas do Amor) – Patricia Silva!

A Memory Between Us (Nas Asas da Memoria) – Celia!

Blue Skies Tomorrow (Nas Asas do Amanha) – Ana!

In German:

A Distant Melody (Der Klang Deiner Gedanken) – Virginia Winfield!

A Memory Between Us (Der Duft der Freiheit) – I have two copies, so I picked two winners – Marina Piazza and Penny Childers!

Blue Skies Tomorrow (Das Strahlen des Himmels) – I have two copies, so I picked two winners – Regina Keppler and Nicole S.!

Today in World War II History—November 13, 1944

Soldiers of the “Lost Battalion,” US Seventh Army, France, late 1944. (US Army Center of Military History)

70 Years Ago—Nov. 13, 1944: In the Vosges Mountains in France, US Seventh Army launches offensive on German Siegfried Line. Harvey premieres on Broadway.

Book Beat – The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

In 1942 Vienna, talented violinist Adele von Bron is known as Austria’s Sweetheart. The privileged daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer, Adele is shielded from the difficulties and atrocities occurring in her nation. But when Adele falls in love with cellist Vladimir Nikolai, who is secretly helping Jews escape the country, Adele’s world is upended.

In present-day New York City, gallery owner Sera James is obsessed with finding art from the Holocaust, driven by the memory of a painting of a lovely young woman holding a violin at Auschwitz. When wealthy William Hanover sends her a copy of the very painting, determined to find the original, Sera’s life will never be the same.

In The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron, Sera’s and Adele’s stories play out in parallel. Sera and William fall for each other as they search for the painting, but their conflicting reasons for finding the treasure could push them apart. Meanwhile, Adele stays alive in Auschwitz by playing in the women’s orchestra, but her spirit is mauled by the horrors she witnesses.

What a book. The Butterfly and the Violin grabbed me with lovely writing, intriguing characters, and a gripping story. However, what elevates the novel is the moving message. Holocaust stories are difficult reading, but The Butterfly and the Violin shows how faith and friendship can help people endure, and how beauty and art cannot be quenched by even the greatest horrors and cruelty. Kristy Cambron has made me a fan!

Today in World War II History—November 12, 1944

Tirpitz in an earlier attack by British carrier aircraft, 3 April 1944 (Imperial War Museum)

70 Years Ago—Nov. 12, 1944: British Lancaster bombers sink German battleship Tirpitz in Tromsø Fjord, Norway; 902 killed.