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What? When did I start doing that?
Uh, uh, never mind.
Anyhoo, I've got a post in the works to continue the story, well, make that a couple of ideas for a post, plus one post actually started. While I don't intend to go into the Battle of Britain in great detail, I do wish to introduce characters who will play a role later in the series. Which kind of hints that some of the aviator-type folks I've introduced already (on both sides) may live on for a while.
I'm still debating whether or not some of the lads wind up in North Africa, particularly the Germans. The Brits will probably wind up there as there isn't much else for Billy Wallace and his lads to do until the invasion of Sicily otherwise. Also, as I mentioned in a post a few days back, Flavio Gentile's first combat action is in North Africa. So yeah, we'll visit the heat, flies, and barren ground of the North African campaign at some point.
As for Jürgen and his crowd, it's Russia for them. His division goes there, gets destroyed, gets reconstituted with a new number then gets destroyed again in Normandy. Remember when we met him and Manfred Sauer in the series within a series Sieben Männer von Sachsen¹? So their backstory is closely tied to the unit history of that division, the 223. Infantrie-Division. Which became the 275th before being destroyed again in the Falaise pocket.
I may even fill out a bit more of the back stories of Stephen Hernandez and Nate Paddock, two characters that I really enjoyed. Someday we may even get to the postwar with them. Maybe even Korea.
So that's where I'm at right now, as I rest my eyes. Any suggestions as to future characters, story lines will be entertained. Even the Muse needs help from time to time. As some of you can attest, I do sometimes use those suggestions.
Oh yeah, welcome to June ...
Keep your powder dry and, as always, stay frosty.
¹ Seven Men of Saxony (German), a title I stole borrowed from R.F. Delderfield's Seven Men of Gascony, a superb novel of the Napoleonic Wars.
June of 1940 into May of 1943, a long time for your Muse to sift through for North Afrika (not a misspelling Sarge).
ReplyDeleteDas Afrika Korps!
DeleteApart from Africa there was also Asia. My father was at Dunkirk and ended up in Burma (retreat and victory)
ReplyDeleteTrue, but I'm not planning on heading "out East" in this series. Later, perhaps.
DeleteGreat!
ReplyDeleteI’ll continue to come “see” what’s been posted here every morning.
Franknbean
Glad to have you stop by!
DeleteWhen the sensor array is down, it's best to stay in port. Rest those baby blues Sarge. The muse will perk right along.
ReplyDeleteI do like the analogy. Things are looking up, might even get in a WWII post for tomorrow, we'll see how the day goes!
DeleteSarge, one thing this series reminds me of is how casual we are about the concept of a "connected world" now. In point of fact 85 years ago the world was not so nearly connected and even your neighboring country next door was unusual. We take a lot of that for granted now; even in the continental U.S., we can be in a foreign country in 6 hours from almost anywhere. That was not always the case.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing all this characters remind me of is how truly expansive the war was: Millions of people engaged, all across the globe, each with their own stories and situations. Your patchwork is like a quilt of all of them, woven together.
Maybe more about our friends the Norwegians?
We will be revisiting Norway. Most of those earlier characters will probably be involved in the Resistance.
DeleteI too am anxious for your complete recovery. Battle of Britain has been well covered. Air Power in other theaters? Not so much. Go forth and rectify that problem, my friend.
ReplyDeleteSo let it be written ...
DeleteSo let it be done.
Just driving from the Twin Cities down to the farm's county seat is entering a different (and in some ways better) world. (An hour to Waseca, another half hour to the farm.)
ReplyDeleteI can see that. Two different cultures.
DeleteWaseca- The old home of Herters, makers of all sorts of really good gun and outdoor stuff in the 1960s. "Best in the world; secret olde world recipe; latest greatest most improved......" I always though that would be a fun collecting field
DeleteJohn Blackshoe
Cool. Didn't know that.
DeleteSo, a LOT of us are looking forward to the next threads of the story ... but your eyes are way more important. So rest and heal up fully, Sarge -- then you can turn to with a will!
ReplyDelete^^^ What he says!
DeleteThe Muse seems to enjoy a break now and then too.
John Blackshoe.
rickr - Roger that!
DeleteJB - She's getting lazy in her old age, as am I.
DeletePersonally I'd like to "keep up" with Nate and Stephen into Korea. A lot of "retreads" wound up there (Paternal Uncle for one) whose combat experience proved invaluable.
ReplyDeleteLots of "aviation stuff" in the Med/Africa campaigns -"Stringbag's" combat was mostly there. Sorry to see a Russian diversion but that's history and certainly germane to the Wehrmacht experience; perhaps brief flashbacks later for brevity's sake?
My $.02
Boat Guy
The Eastern Front is calling, it was the pivotal experience of the Wehrmacht solider in WWII.
Delete