Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 89

Today in World War II History—June 21, 1943

US airfield at Segi Point, New Georgia, 1943 (US Army Center of Military History)

80 Years Ago—June 21, 1943: Near Lyon, Germans capture many French resistance leaders, including Jean Moulin, who will be executed.

US Marines land unopposed at Segi Point, New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands.

Detroit race riot begins between whites and Blacks, over white resentment of Blacks advancing in factory jobs and rumors on both sides of attacks on women and children.

The post Today in World War II History—June 21, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—June 20, 1943

Bernard Montgomery, Archibald Wavell, Claude Auchinleck, 1946 (Imperial War Museum: 4700-38)

80 Years Ago—June 20, 1943: British Gen. Sir Claude Auchinleck succeeds Field Marshall Sir Archibald Wavell as Commander-in-Chief, India.

Ens. Oscar Holmes becomes the first Black aviator in the US Navy—the Navy was unaware of his race.

The Chubb Crater (now called Pingualuit Crater) is discovered in northern Québec by a US Army Air Force plane on a meteorological flight, 3 kilometers in diameter.

Pingualuit Crater in Québec, 2007 (NASA photo)

The post Today in World War II History—June 20, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Summer 2023 Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Winners

Thank you to all of you who participated in the Summer Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! We had over 1000 entries! You can see the winners for the five prize packs on Lisa Bergren’s website.

In my post, I gave away three copies of The Sound of Light. Here are the winners…

Anna Sothman

Linda Palmer

“Robinren”

I’ll email the three winners today, June 19. Please respond by June 26, or I’ll choose another winner.

Thanks again for all the enthusiasm!

The post Summer 2023 Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Winners first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—June 19, 1943

Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O’Brien, San Francisco, CA, Fleet Week, October 2014 (Photo: Sarah Sundin)

80 Years Ago—June 19, 1943: Liberty ship SS Jeremiah O’Brien is launched at South Portland, ME (currently a museum ship in San Francisco).

The post Today in World War II History—June 19, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—June 18, 1943

Australian Government leaflet featuring Prime Minister John Curtin, telling Australians that they must make sacrifices for the war effort, circa 1941-42 (Australian War Memorial: item RC02370)

80 Years Ago—June 18, 1943: Allies intensify bombing of Sicily, Sardinia, and Naples in preparation for the invasion of Sicily.

Australian Prime Minister John Curtin declares that the risk of Japanese invasion is over.

The post Today in World War II History—June 18, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—June 17, 1943

Navy personnel aboard USS Monterey play basketball in the forward elevator well June 1944; jumper on the left is Gerald Ford (US National Archives: 520764)

80 Years Ago—June 17, 1943: Light carrier USS Monterey is commissioned at Camden, NJ; the crew includes future president Lt. Gerald Ford.

Singer Perry Como signs with RCA Records.

The post Today in World War II History—June 17, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—June 16, 1943

Patch of the US Thirteenth Air Force, WWII

80 Years Ago—June 16, 1943: Japanese suffer their biggest aerial defeat over the Solomon Islands, losing 96 of 120 aircraft to antiaircraft fire and to the fighter pilots of the US Thirteenth Air Force, US Navy and Marines, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Actor Charlie Chaplin marries 18-year-old Oona O’Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.

The post Today in World War II History—June 16, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—June 15, 1943

Luftwaffe Arado Ar 234 Blitz bomber (public domain via WW2 Database)

80 Years Ago—June 15, 1943: First flight of German Arado Ar 234, the world’s first turbo jet bomber.

National Football League teams Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers combine as the Phil-Pitt “Steagles” due to the manpower shortage, for one season only.

The post Today in World War II History—June 15, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #19

THIS HUNT IS NOT YET LIVE. WE’RE STILL WORKING OUT OUR LINKS. WE GO LIVE AT NOON MST/11 AM PST on 6/15. PLEASE RETURN AFTER THAT!

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

*The hunt BEGINS on June 15, 2023, at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.*Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).*There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, June 18, 2023, at midnight MST/11 pm PST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.*Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

Hi, everyone! I’m Sarah Sundin, and I love writing about the drama, daring, and romance of the World War II era. My bestselling novels have won the Christy and the Carol Awards, and my latest novel, The Sound of Light, received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal. When I’m not writing, I love taking our rescue dogs on long walks and cuddling our adorable baby grandson! You can learn more about me and my books here on my website and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Sound of Light

In Denmark during World War II, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt assumes the identity of a common shipyard worker, rowing messages to Sweden for the Resistance. His life depends on keeping his secret hidden—a task that proves challenging when he meets Else Jensen, an American physicist who seems to see right through him. When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence.

The story of Denmark in World War II is fascinating—but not well-known. Here are some…

Big Stories from a Small Country

When the Germans invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, the tiny nation was shocked. Having depended on neutrality for defense and with a small and poorly equipped army, Denmark fell in a few hours.

German Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft over Denmark, 9 Apr 1940 (public domain via WW2 Database)

The Germans decided to treat Denmark as a “model protectorate” and allowed the king and parliament to remain in power. For three years, the Danes had freedoms unseen in other occupied countries, food was plentiful, and no antisemitic laws were enacted—the Danish Jews weren’t even required to wear yellow stars.

Since the standard of living was high, resistance was slow to develop, but develop it did. As resistance groups grew and became better organized, acts of sabotage increased. And as resistance increased, the Germans began to crack down. In August 1943, the Germans demanded that the Danish government give the death penalty for sabotage—a punishment banned in Denmark for many years. In protest, the entire Danish parliament resigned. And in response, the Germans declared martial law.

Damage from sabotage at the Forum in Copenhagen, Denmark, 24 August 1943 (The Royal Library: The National Library of Denmark and Copenhagen University Library neg. 172239)

In October 1943, a drama unfolded in Denmark. Werner Best, the Reich Plenipotentiary to Denmark, under pressure from Hitler, issued a decree to round up all the Jews in Denmark on a single night, October 1–2, 1943. However, his friend, Georg Duckwitz, German shipping attaché in Denmark, informed some Danish politicians at great personal risk. Word spread to the Jewish community and the resistance—and the entire nation.

Almost as one, the Danes rose up and offered shelter to their Jewish friends and neighbors—some handed the keys to their summer cottages to complete strangers. Within days, between 7,200 and 7,800 Jews were in hiding. When Sweden announced that they would grant asylum to the Danish Jews, the Danes began transporting their countrymen across the narrow strait of water that separates Denmark from Sweden—by yachts, fishing boats, and even by rowboats and kayaks!

Danish Jews crossing from Denmark to Sweden, Sept-Oct 1943 [Museum of Danish Resistance (Frihedsmuseet)]

The Germans were able to arrest only 474 Jews in Denmark. These men, women, and children were deported to Theresienstadt. Due to hounding by Danish leaders, the Danish Jews were treated well, with about 58 deaths—the highest survival rate in any Nazi-occupied country.

I hope you find this story as interesting and inspiring as I did, and I enjoyed bringing it to life in The Sound of Light. You can order the novel from Baker Book House, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook.com, or at your local bookstore!

Here’s Your Critical Stop #19 Info:

Clue to Write Down: Whether

Link to Stop #20, the Next Stop on the Loop: Pepper Basham’s site!

***

Additional three-book giveaway of The Sound of Light!

But wait! Before you go, I’m giving away three copies of The Sound of Light to three entrants. All you have to do is sign up to get my email newsletter or note that you’re already a subscriber. (US mailing addresses only please)

Enter through the Rafflecopter below. Winners will be announced here on my blog on June 19, 2023.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #19 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.

Today in World War II History—June 14, 1943

Students at Raphael Weill Public School, Geary & Buchanan Streets, San Francisco, say Pledge of Allegiance, 20 April 1942; students pictured of Japanese ancestry would soon be sent to War Relocation Authority camps (Photo: Dorothea Lange. US National Archives: 210-G-C122)

80 Years Ago—June 14, 1943: US Supreme Court rules students can’t be forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

US B-17 bomber crash near Mackay, Australia kills 40 in Australia’s worst air disaster of the war.

The post Today in World War II History—June 14, 1943 first appeared on Sarah Sundin.