by Jack Murray
This is a work of fiction. However, it references real-life individuals. Gore Vidal, in his introduction to Lincoln, writes that placing history in fiction or fiction in history has been unfashionable since Tolstoy and that the result can be accused of being neither. He defends the practice, pointing out that writers from Aeschylus to Shakespeare to Tolstoy have done so with not inconsiderable success and merit.
My intention, in the following section, is to explain a little more about their connection to this period and this story.
For further reading on I would recommend the following sources, of which I made extensive use: The Tank War, Mark Urban; Forgotten Voices Desert Victory, Julian Thompson; SS Panzer SS Inferno - Eyewitness Panzer Crews - Normandy to Berlin; Rommel the Desert Fox, Desmond Young and The Memoirs of Field Marshall Montgomery by Bernard Montgomery of Alamein, David Fletcher – British Battle Tanks. YouTube is, of course, a treasure trove of documentaries covering this period. Finally, BB2 People’s War is also a great resource for individual stories from this period -https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/
An excellent resource for life in Germany after 1933 is Julia Boyd’s ‘Travellers in the Third Reich’. It is meticulously researched and provides a great picture of life during this period. I am convinced that the success of Hitler was driven by his appeal to the younger generation which he cemented through the Hitler Youth. He created a supply not just of future supporters but also soldiers for his bigger project.
Research Notes
I have mentioned a number of key real-life individuals and events in this novel. My intention, in the following section, is to explain a little more about their connection to this period and this story.
Erwin Rommel(1891 – 1944)
German World War II Field Marshal. Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel led the North African campaign of 1941-1943. With a small German force, Rommel’s audacious leadership turned around Axis fortunes in North Africa causing the defeat of the British at Gazala in May 1942, followed by the taking of Tobruk. A vastly superior allied force under Bernard Montgomery won a convincing victory at El Alamein. Rommel withdrew the survivors of his Panzer army to Tunisia. He left for Europe in March 1943. Rommel’s last military appointment was to command the Army in northwest Europe. By then Rommel had lost all faith in Adolf Hitler. His disenchantment led to a confrontation with Hitler and a possible involvement in a failed assassination attempt. He committed suicide in 1944. He was given a state funeral.
Colonel Henry Dinham Drew
Drew served in France and Belgium with the Machine Gun Corps, was wounded twice. He commanded the 5th Battalion Royal Tank Regiment in North Africa. At the end of the war he was Second-in-Command, HQ 31st Tank Brigade. He survived the war and retired in 1946.
Al Bowlly (1898 – 1941)
The South African singer, Al Bowlly, enjoyed popularity on both sides of the Atlantic during the 30’s. In particular, his partnership with band leader, Ray Noble, resulted in many classic recordings including ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ and ‘The Very Thought of You’. His career was brought to a premature end when he died during an air raid in London in 1941.
Acknowledgements
It is not possible to write a book on your own. There are contributions from so many people either directly or indirectly over many years. Listing them all would be an impossible task.
Special mention therefore should be made to my wife and family who have been patient and put up with my occasional grumpiness when working on this project.
My brother Edward, and John Convery helped in proofing and made supportive comments that helped me tremendously. I have been very lucky to receive badly needed editing from Kathy Lance who has helped tighten up some of the grammatical issues that, frankly, plagued my earlier books. She has been a Godsend!
My late father and mother both loved books. They encouraged a love of reading, particularly about history. My father’s taste in music is also reflected iin the references to the late, great Al Bowlly.
Following writing, comes the business of marketing. My thanks to Mark Hodgson and Sophia Kyriacou for their advice on this important area. Additionally, a shout out to the wonderful folk on 20Booksto50k.
Finally, my thanks to the teachers who taught and nurtured a love of writing.
About the Authors
Jack Murray lives just outside London with his family. Born in Ireland he has spent most of his adult life in the England. His first novel, ‘The Affair of the Christmas Card Killer’ has been a global success. Four further Kit Aston novels have been published: ‘The Chess Board Murders’, ‘The French Diplomat Affair’, ‘The Phantom’, ‘The Frisco Falcon’ and, most recently, ‘The Medium Murders’. Several characters from this series also appear in this book.
Part 2 of ‘Some Have Fallen – Sidi Rezegh’, will appear at the beginning of August with part 3 in late 2020 or early 2021.
J Murray
Jack Murray is the nephew of the author. Jack is currently at Portsmouth University studying Computer Games Technology. He is also an avid student of World War II and tanks, in particular. Jack has provided research and contributed ideas to the development of this story.
