Some may say, “Can you really cover all of World War II in one volume?” The answer is yes, and here is why. As I noted in the preface to volume 1, the major purpose in my writing this series is to explore what I call “the individual in crisis.” Or to put it another way, I am fascinated by how different individuals deal with disaster, war, adversity, tragedy, and tribulation. That will be my focus in that separate volume. I have never envisioned that story as being a book on warfare and combat. My aim will be to take the second and third generations of the Eckhardt and Westland families through the turmoil and upheaval of war to explore the impact on the civilian population.
With the completion of Fire and Steel requiring much more time than I had originally imagined, there are other publishing projects I am committed to that I have put off for several years now. For a host of reasons, I feel compelled to focus on one of those projects next, setting aside the continuing story of the Eckhardts and the Westlands until that is completed. It is my hope to revisit these families once again, and soon, after I finish the other project.
Gerald N. Lund
Alpine, Utah
April 20, 2019
Anderson, Jeffrey L. “Mormons and Germany, 1914–1933: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany and Its Relationship with the German Governments from World War I to the Rise of Hitler.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1991.
Kyvig, David E. Daily Life in the United States, 1920–1940. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2004.
McPherson, Robert S. A History of San Juan County: In the Palm of Time. Salt Lake City: Utah Historical Society, 1995.
Nishi, Dennis. Life During the Great Depression. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1967.
Read, Anthony. The Devil’s Disciples: Hitler’s Inner Circle. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2003.
Scharffs, Gilbert. Mormonism in Germany: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany between 1840 and 1970. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1970.
Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. 30th Anniversary Edition. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990.
Spector, Robert M. World without Civilization: Mass Murder and the Holocaust, History and Analysis, 2 vols. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, Inc., 2005.
Trager, James. The People’s Chronology: A Year-by-Year Record of Human Events from Prehistory to the Present. Revised and Updated Edition. New York: Henry Holt, 1992.
Vaizey, Hester. Surviving Hitler’s War: Family Life in Germany, 1939–1948. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
Young, Norma Perkins. Anchored Lariats on the San Juan Frontier. Provo, Utah: Community Press, 1985.
About the Author
Gerald N. Lund received his BA and MS degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He served for thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, and he served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He is a prolific and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction and is best known for his historical novels, including The Work and the Glory series, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series, and The Undaunted. He and his late wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Part I Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Part II Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Part III Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Part IV Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Part V Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Part VI Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Part VII Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Part VIII Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Part IX Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Bibliography
About the Author
Fire and Steel, Volume 6 Page 60
