Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 52

Today in World War II History—June 6, 1944

US troops approach Omaha Beach in an LCVP landing craft, Normandy, 6 Jun 1944 (US National Archives: SC 320901)

80 Years Ago—June 6, 1944: D-day—156,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in the biggest amphibious operation in history. (Read more: D-Day on Omaha Beach and D-Day on Pointe du Hoc, Part 1)

On D-day, over 5000 Allied ships and vessels, manned by 195,000 naval personnel, transport troops and cargo, bombard enemy positions, and protect the fleet. (Read more: D-Day at Sea)

Over 11,000 Allied aircraft fly on D-day—bombing, strafing, patrolling, and dropping paratroopers. (Read more: D-Day in the Air)

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Today in World War II History—June 5, 1944

American tank destroyers at the Colosseum, Rome, June 1944 (US Army photo)

80 Years Ago—June 5, 1944: US Fifth Army secures Rome; Gen. Mark Clark gives victory speech on Capitoline Hill, and Pope Pius XII addresses GIs in St. Peter’s Square.

Countdown to D-day: at 4:15 am, a more favorable weather report leads Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to order the invasion of Normandy to proceed for June 6: “Okay, let’s go.”

At night, RAF Bomber Command flies 1200 sorties, hitting ten gun batteries in Normandy before dawn.

First combat mission is flown with B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers: US 20th Bomber Command sends 98 B-29s from India to bomb Japanese-held Bangkok.

US Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber (US Air Force photo)

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Today in World War II History—June 4, 1944

US Navy boarding party on captured German U-boat U-505, 4 June 1944 (US Navy Task Group 22.3 Report, Enclosure G, Photograph 443)

80 Years Ago—June 4, 1944: Countdown to D-day: at 5:15 am, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower postpones D-day from June 5 to June 6 due to unfavorable weather: Force U ships already en route to Utah Beach return to ports in England.

US Fifth Army enters Rome and secures bridges over the Tiber.

Off West Africa, escort carrier USS Guadalcanal and 5 US destroyer escorts capture German submarine U-505 and its Enigma machine, the first intact ship captured by the US since 1815. Read more about the capture of the U-505 and see pictures of the U-boat from my visit to the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago: U-Boat Tour, Part 1 and Part 2.

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Today in World War II History—June 3, 1944

No. 4 Squadron RAAF pilots posing in front of Boomerang aircraft, Nadzab, New Guinea, 5 Oct 1943 (Australian War Memorial: P02531.013)

80 Years Ago—June 3, 1944: Countdown to D-day: Loading of all troops for D-day is complete; Force U (bound for Utah Beach) departs ports in Devon for Normandy.

Germans declare Rome an open city and evacuate as the Allies advance.

Last major air combat by Royal Australian Air Force in WWII as Australian fighters shoot down nine Japanese planes off New Guinea.

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Today in World War II History—June 2, 1944

The actual wooden wall map used on D-day, showing the landing beaches, set for D-day at H-hour, in the map room at Southwick House, England, September 2017 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

80 Years Ago—June 2, 1944: Countdown to D-day: Gen. Dwight Eisenhower moves his headquarters to a trailer at Southwick House in Hampshire. (To read about Southwick House and see photos from my tour: Tour of Southwick House)

US Fifteenth Air Force flies first shuttle mission to Russia: 130 B-17s & 70 P-51s from Italy bomb Debreczen, Hungary then fly to Poltava.

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Today in World War II History—June 1, 1944

US troops on Hwy 6 to Rome. (US Army Center of Military History)

80 Years Ago—June 1, 1944: Countdown to D-day: BBC sends first coded message to warn French resistance of the coming invasion.

US Fifth Army opens final offensive for Rome.

Bob Hope’s bestselling book about his USO tour, I Never Left Home, is published.

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Today in World War II History—May 31, 1944

USS Thurston (AP-77) boarding staff 5th ESB (Engineer Special Brigade) for Omaha. In the background the Weymouth Pavilion; June 1944 (US National Archives: USA C-1232)

80 Years Ago—May 31, 1944: Countdown to D-day: In England, the loading of assault forces for Operation Overlord (D-day) begins for Force O (Omaha Beach).

At 0700, first “Corncob” blockships that will be sunk for “Gooseberry” breakwaters depart Britain, the first ships to sail for D-day.

Japanese Lt. Gen. Sato Kotoku orders withdrawal from Kohima, India, against orders.

Destroyed commissioner’s bungalow and tennis court, Kohima, India, Mar-Jul 1944 (Imperial War Museum: IND 3483)

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Today in World War II History—May 30, 1944

Army Rangers of the US 5th Ranger Battalion in an LCA landing craft about to board their troopship for D-day, Weymouth, England, 1 June 1944 (US National Archives: USA C-741)

80 Years Ago—May 30, 1944: Countdown to D-day: In England, the loading of assault forces for Operation Overlord (D-day) begins for Force U (Utah Beach).

Germany approves the summary execution of downed Allied airmen who strafed passenger trains or civilians (“Terrorflieger”).

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Today in World War II History—May 29, 1944

USS Block Island (CVE-21) off Norfolk, VA, 15 Oct 1943, with 9 FM-1 Wildcats and 12 TBF-1C Avengers (US Naval History and Heritage Command: NH 106576)

80 Years Ago—May 29, 1944: Off Canary Islands, German U-boat U-549 sinks escort carrier USS Block Island, the only US carrier sunk in the Atlantic (6 killed); US destroyer escorts Ahrens and Eugene E. Elmore sink U-549 in return.

First tank battle is fought in the Southwest Pacific, on Biak Island off New Guinea (US defeats Japanese).

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Embers in the London Sky – Tour of London!

Recently I had the joy of returning to London! While there, I snapped photos of many of the locations from my World War II novel Embers in the London Sky. I’m also giving away three paperback copies of the book. If you’ve already read it, enter to give a copy to a friend!

BBC Broadcasting House

In Embers in the London Sky, Hugh Collingwood works as a BBC radio correspondent based in the beautiful Art Deco-style Broadcasting House, built in 1932. From here, the BBC made the broadcasts that informed and inspired the British people during the war – and coordinated the shortwave broadcasts transmitted worldwide that were a lifeline of truth and hope for the oppressed peoples in Nazi-occupied Europe especially. This building was hit by Luftwaffe bombs twice during the London Blitz and also served as the site for American correspondent Edward R. Murrow’s famous rooftop broadcasts on CBS during the Blitz.

BBC Broadcasting House, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

BBC Broadcasting House, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

BBC Broadcasting House, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Sarah Sundin at BBC Broadcasting House and All Souls Church, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

Whitehall

Aleida van der Zee Martens, the heroine of Embers in the London Sky, works at the Ministry of Health in Whitehall, the area of London where many British government ministries are located. At the north, Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column anchor Whitehall.

The Cenotaph (war memorial) in Whitehall, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

The Cenotaph (war memorial) in Whitehall, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Foreign Office, Whitehall, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

Regent and Oxford Streets

In the novel, Hugh and Aleida often walk along Regent Street extending south from Broadcasting House, through Oxford Circus (where Regent and Oxford Streets cross), and along Oxford Street toward Hyde Park.

Regent Street, heading south from Broadcasting House, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Oxford Circus, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Oxford Street, London, heading west toward Hyde Park, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

The Strand and the Embankment

The Embankment runs along the Thames, and the Strand is a road that parallels the Embankment. The Strand Palace Hotel and the Savoy Hotel are featured in the novel – the Savoy was a popular spot for foreign correspondents in London during World War II.

Waterloo Bridge as seen from the Embankment, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

Charing Cross Station, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Strand Palace Hotel, the Strand, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

The Savoy Hotel, the Strand, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

Hyde Park and the Dorchester Hotel

Many crucial scenes in Embers in the London Sky occur in London’s beautiful Hyde Park and at the historic Dorchester Hotel. We visited Hyde Park on a gorgeous sunny day!

Italian Gardens – a lovely spot for lunch…or a murder! Hyde Park, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Italian Gardens, Hyde Park, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Hyde Park, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

Hyde Park, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

The Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

The Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, London, 9 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

Battle of Britain Monument

Along the Embankment now stands a monument to the heroes of the Battle of Britain, a pivotal part of Embers in the London Sky.

Battle of Britain Monument, the Embankment, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Depiction of pilots “scrambling” for their fighter aircraft, Battle of Britain Monument, the Embankment, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Depiction of Air Raid Precautions volunteers at work during the London Blitz, Battle of Britain Monument, the Embankment, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

 

Depiction of St. Paul’s Cathedral standing amidst the smoke during the London Blitz, Battle of Britain Monument, the Embankment, London, 10 May 2024 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

Book Giveaway!

I’m giving away three paperback copies of Embers in the London Sky! Enter for yourself – or for a friend if you’ve already read the book! Giveaway runs through May 31, 2024, at 11 pm Pacific Time. US mailing addresses only, please. Winners will be notified by email on June 1.

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