A fluffy gray cat padded into the room. It peered up with its orange eyes, and jumped onto the sofa.
“This must be Crumpet,” Ruth said.
“Indeed, he is,” Nora said, releasing her hand.
Crumpet crept to Ruth and rubbed his cheek against her arm.
“He likes you.”
Ruth smiled and gently stroked the cat’s head.
“It sounds like Jimmie told you all about me and my family.”
“He did.” Crumpet crawled onto her lap and purred.
Nora scooched next to Ruth. “You and Jimmie were quite fond of each other.”
Ruth, her heart aching, gave a subtle nod.
“Were you in love with him?”
Her vision blurred with tears. “Yes.”
PART 4
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
CHAPTER 55
LONDON, ENGLAND—JULY 16, 1940
At the same time that Hitler was issuing an order to begin plans for a land invasion of the United Kingdom called Operation Sea Lion, Winston Churchill and General Ismay were studying a wall map in a conference room of the underground Cabinet War Rooms. Colored pins, inserted into the map, depicted locations of Allied and enemy forces. A fiery resolve burned inside Churchill as he eyed German-occupied countries of Europe—Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and France. Britain stands alone against Nazi tyranny. He clasped the lapels of his jacket and lowered his brow. We shall fight and never surrender.
Only the Channel separated Southern England from northern German-occupied France, and the Luftwaffe had begun bombing English ports and coastal shipping convoys. The war had come to Britain. It was only a matter of time, Churchill believed, before the Luftwaffe directed their bombs on factories, RAF airfields, and cities—a strategy to cower citizens into submission before the German military launched an amphibious assault on Britain.
“Our primary aim,” Churchill said, turning to his chief military advisor, “is to inspire resistance at all costs. Our people must be hardened to war on our soil, and they must accept nothing less than complete victory.”
“I concur, sir,” Ismay said. “The spirit of our government and citizens is the backbone for survival. I recommend that you schedule frequent public broadcasts.”
“Indeed. We must instill a sense of duty for our people to do their utmost—day and night—to defend our island nation.”
Ismay nodded.
“Our second issue at hand is to plan for the defense of our island and, in due time, use Britain as a stronghold to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe.” Churchill removed a cigar from his pocket and lit it. “Do you have the most recent tally on the number of troops evacuated in Operation Aerial?”
“I do.” Ismay picked up a clipboard from a nearby table and ran his finger down a list. “One hundred ninety-one thousand soldiers. We also evacuated approximately forty thousand civilians.”
Churchill puffed on his cigar. His mind drifted to the sinking of the Lancastria, and his order for a D-notice to withhold the information for purposes of national security. Despite his pity for the perished passengers and their grieving families, he had no intention of rescinding his directive. I will not permit the release of disastrous news that might weaken the morale of our people.
Ismay lowered his clipboard. “Including both the evacuations at Dunkirk and Operation Aerial, we saved over a half a million soldiers.”
“We retained our army to defend the country.” Churchill flicked ash from his cigar. “But in the process, we lost much of our military equipment in Belgium and France.”
“I have confidence that your personal relationship with US President Roosevelt will expedite the rebuilding of our armament.”
Churchill took a deep drag on his cigar and exhaled smoke. “Roosevelt is working to provide us with supplies, while promising the American public that their young men will not be sent into a European conflict. It will take months to replenish our arsenal. Until then, the weight of our defense will fall upon the RAF.”
“Our airmen are up to the task, sir,” Ismay said, confidently. “They’ll give us the time we need.”
For an hour, they discussed placement of troops, equipment, and military strategy to defend Britain. They also speculated on the locations—most likely between Brighton and Dover—where the German military might attempt a land invasion.
A knock came from the door.
“Enter,” Churchill said.
A female secretary opened the door and stuck her head inside the room. “Excuse me, Prime Minister, the Minister of Economic Warfare is here for your meeting.”
Hugh Dalton, Churchill thought. “I will see him in a few minutes.”
“Yes, sir,” the secretary said. “I’ll have him wait for you in the Cabinet Room.” She left and closed the door.
Churchill looked at Ismay. “There is one matter that we haven’t discussed—our guerrilla warfare.”
Ismay clasped his hands behind his back.
“I will be requesting Dalton to establish the Special Operations Executive.”
“Excellent choice,” Ismay said. “He has the right temperament and skills to head our espionage and sabotage operations in German-occupied countries.”
