Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 374

Today in World War II History—August 28, 1944

André Diethelm, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Emmanuel d’Astier de La Vigerie, and General Monsabert reviewing troops, Marseille, France, 29-31 Aug 1944

70 Years Ago—Aug. 28, 1944: Crucial southern French ports of Marseille and Toulon formally surrender to Free French troops. British Board of Trade announces the average woman purchases one dress, two yards of cloth, and one-quarter suit a year under rationing.

Today in World War II History—August 27, 1944

70 Years Ago—Aug. 27, 1944: The final group of Chindits, British commandos operating behind Japanese lines in Burma, are evacuated to India.

In Perfect Time Kindle HDX Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated helped me celebrate the release of my novel In Perfect Time by participating in the Kindle HDX Giveaway! We had 20,881 (!!!!) entries!

I’m pleased to announce the winner from my In Perfect Time Kindle HDX giveaway and blog tour. To follow the blog tour and see what the reviewers said about In Perfect Time, please visit the Litfuse blog tour page.

Congratulations to the winner, Jennifer Essad. My publicists from Litfuse Publicity Group will be in touch via email with details on how to claim your prize. Congrats!

Just for fun…here’s a sneak peak at my novella I’ll Be Home for Christmas in Where Treetops Gliste n , a WWII Christmas novella collection by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin, coming from WaterBrook September 16, 2014!

December 3, 1943
Lafayette, Indiana

The door of Loeb’s department store opened, and Lt. Pete Turner held the door for two ladies burdened with packages. When they thanked him, he said, “You’re welcome” but couldn’t smile. How could he with that infernal song billowing through the open door? “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” made false promises, as if home could make you whole again. Baloney.

He let the door swing shut. Ahead of him, a little girl in a red coat pressed her face to the window. Pete stopped behind her to see the display.

A Christmas tree. A fake Santa Claus, and fake elves playing in fake snow. A wooden airplane that almost looked like a B-17 Flying Fortress, but not quite—too fat. A baby doll. A teddy bear. Lots of Built-Rite paper dollhouses and paper towns and picture puzzles, made right here in Lafayette.

Years ago, Pete and his brother, Alfie, filled with wonder, had pressed their noses to this same window. Golden-haired golden boy Alfie. Black-haired black sheep Pete. Was the display this cheesy back then? Granted, they had toys made with metal and rubber back when he was a boy.

Back when he was a boy? When had he turned into an old man?

The little girl in front of him hadn’t moved. She belonged on the cover of a Christmas toy catalog with her red coat, her red mittens flat on the glass, and two little brown braids sticking out from under her red hat. Twenty-five years earlier, Pete would have tugged one of those braids just to hear her squeal.

Columbia Street, Lafayette, Indiana, September 2013

“Please,” she said, her voice no more than a whisper. “Please, Lord. Please.”

For the first time in months, Pete felt something. A twinge in his chest. He remembered that longing for the perfect gift, the hope of seeing it under the tree, the joy of ripping off paper to discover his dreams fulfilled.

Her breath fogged the window. “Please, God. I promise I’ll be good. I promise.”

His lips twitched with the same emotion. How many times had he made that promise in vain?

“Do you see something you’d like for Christmas?” he asked.

The girl pushed back from the glass and met Pete’s gaze in the window reflection. For her sake he had to smile, so he located dead muscles and coaxed them to do their job.

Slowly she faced him. She had wide greenish-blue eyes and a button nose. A cute little thing. She reminded him of his old friend Scooter at that age, except Scooter never wore braids or a red bonnet with a bow under his chin

A grin revealed two missing teeth—one of her front teeth and one farther back. The asymmetry made her even cuter.

Pete’s smile felt more natural now. “Well, do you? Do you see something you’d like for Christmas?”

She studied him with a satisfied smile as if he were one of the toys on display. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

Today in World War II History—August 26, 1944

French civilians seeking cover as a German sniper opens fire, Paris, France, 26 Aug 1944 (US Army photo)

70 Years Ago—Aug. 26, 1944: Gen. Charles de Gaulle leads parade down Champs Élysées; snipers shoot at him there and inside Notre Dame Cathedral. New song enters Top Ten: “It Had to Be You.”

Today in World War II History—August 25, 1944

French 2nd Armored Division parading through the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France, 26 Aug 1944 (US Library of Congress)

70 Years Ago—Aug. 25, 1944: Free French troops liberate Paris; Tricolor flown from Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. US XVIII Airborne Corps activated over 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions under Maj. Gen. Matthew Ridgway; Maj. Gen. James Gavin replaces Ridgway over 82nd Airborne, the youngest American general to command a division in the war (37 years old).

Today in World War II History—August 24, 1944

Corporal Charles H. Johnson of the 783rd Military Police Battalion waves on a “Red Ball Express” motor convoy near Alenon, France, 5 September 1944 (US National Archives)

70 Years Ago—Aug. 24, 1944: US Army’s “Red Ball Express” completes first truck shipment of supplies across France. US Third Army crosses Seine south of Paris; US Seventh Army takes Avignon and Cannes in southern France.

Today in World War II History—August 23, 1944

King Michael I of Romania, 1947 (public domain)

70 Years Ago—Aug. 23, 1944: Romania overthrows pro-German Marshal Ion Antonescu; King Michael surrenders Romania to USSR. Future baseball star Lt. Jackie Robinson court-martialed for 7/6/44 incident when he refused to give up a bus seat; he’ll be acquitted.

Today in World War II History—August 22, 1944

Air evacuation in Italy. (US Army Medical Department, Office of Medical History)

70 Years Ago—Aug. 22, 1944: French resistance controls all public buildings in Paris. US flight nurses arrive in southern France and begin air evacuation to Italy.

Today in World War II History—August 21, 1944

French troops in Marseille, August 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)

70 Years Ago—Aug. 21, 1944: Dumbarton Oaks Conference begins in Washington DC for Allies to discuss the establishment of the United Nations. French civilians launch insurrection in Marseille.

Book Beat – Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

Born to a privileged Dutch family in the Dutch East Indies, ten-year-old Jeremiah Prins enjoys his position of influence with his fellow children, gained by his exceptional gifts with words, marbles, and his fists. But when the Japanese invade Java in 1942, Jeremiah’s father and older brothers are hauled away to work camps, while Jeremiah, his younger brothers and sisters, and their mentally disturbed mother are locked away in a civilian prison camp.

As conditions deteriorate in the camp, Jeremiah chooses to use his gifts and make sacrifices for the good of the women and children in the camp. But other decisions might come back to haunt him.

Sigmund Brouwer‘s Thief of Glory is a powerful story, richly told. Young Jeremiah Prins is a complex and fascinating hero, blessed with great gifts and challenged by choices to use them for good or evil. The details of life in a Japanese civilian prison camp are revealed in unflinching but compassionate realism, and the characters depict the human capacity for both great selfishness and great heroism. This is truly one of the best books I’ve read this year.