The Oslo Affair (Shadows of War, #2) by CW Browning (read after .txt) 📗

to Evelyn was loosely based on the real incident of the Battle of Barking Creek. However, I moved the incident to November and used bombers instead of fighters to fit the story better. As far as I’m aware, there was no such incident involving bombers in the fall and winter of 1939.

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4.  Gamla Stan: Gamla Stan is also known as the Old City in Stockholm. It dates back to the 13th Century and consists of medieval alleys and cobbled streets. Many of the original buildings are still present, but many have also been destroyed over time. From the mid-19th century to the early-mid 20th century, Gamla stan was considered a slum. Many of its historical buildings were left in disrepair and, just after World War II, several blocks were demolished. Now, it has been restored and is a tourist attraction consisting of shops and restaurants.

- I was privileged to spend some time in Stockholm in 1995, when I fell in love with the old city. The restaurant Den gyldene freden (The Golden Peace) is a real restaurant located on Österlånggatan.  It has been in business, continuously, since 1722 and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the longest operated restaurant with an unchanged environment and is one of the oldest restaurants in the world. (Wikipedia)

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5.  The Venlo Incident: A covert German SD operation on November 9, 1939 that took place 5 meters from the German border in Venlo, Netherlands. Two British SIS agents, Capt. Payne Best and Maj. Richard Stevens, believed they were meeting with a German officer who was working with a resistance group in the German Army to overthrow Hitler. In reality, the ‘officer’ was an SD agent and the plan was orchestrated by Himmler and approved by Hitler himself. Upon arriving at the appointed meeting place in Venlo, the two SIS agents were captured and taken across the border to Germany, where they were interrogated. Goebbels used them as a propaganda stunt and pinned the November 8th assassination attempt on Hitler to them, broadcasting that they had been the brains and money behind the attempt. They were imprisoned in concentration camps for the entirety of the war, but survived. The entire affair was a humiliating intelligence defeat that decimated Britain’s entire European intelligence network. (Wikipedia) (https://www.historynet.com/unveiling-venlo.htm)

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6.  General Note: SIS, or the Secret Intelligence Service, was known throughout the war as MI6 for the sake of expediency and clarity. Before and after the war, it reverted back to its title of SIS. For the sake of continuity, and because of its more recognizable connotation, I refer to it as MI6 throughout the Shadows of War series. Though it had several different sections, the main headquarters was located on Broadway, across from St. James Park Underground Station.

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7.  66 Squadron: 66 Squadron was a real Spitfire squadron during the war. They were stationed in Duxford before moving to Horsham in May, and then on to Coltishall from May-Sept, 1940. In September, they went to Kenley, then on to Gravesend from Sept-Oct, 1940. As was common during the war, the squadrons were constantly moving around as they rotated through the busier sections. For example, a fighter squadron in the southern section known as 11 Group would have been in the heaviest fighting during the Battle of Britain. They would be rotated to the north of England where they could get a break from the constant stress of battle while another squadron took their place in the south. 66 Squadron was no different in that regard. Once the war began in earnest, they moved frequently throughout the war. While Miles and Rob’s squadron is named 66 Squadron, and is loosely based on the real squadron, all the scenarios and references specific to it in these books are fictional. While I have come across multiple references to a squadron that was referred to as the Corinthian Squadron due to the large number of wealthy pilots, there is no indication that it was the 66 Squadron. None of the pilots included in the books based in any way on any of the incredibly brave pilots that really were part of 66 squadron.

About the Author

CW Browning was writing before she could spell. Making up stories with her childhood best friend in the backyard in Olathe, Kansas, imagination ran wild from the very beginning. At the age of eight, she printed out her first full-length novel on a dot-matrix printer. All eighteen chapters of it. Through the years, the writing took a backseat to the mechanics of life as she explored other avenues of interest. Those mechanics, however, have a great way of underlining what genuinely lifts a spirit and makes the soul sing. After attending Rutgers University and studying History, her love for writing was rekindled. It became apparent where her heart truly lay. Picking up an old manuscript, she dusted it off and went back to what made her whole. CW still makes up stories in her backyard, but now she crafts them for her readers to enjoy. She makes her home in Southern New Jersey, where she loves to grill steak and sip red wine on the patio.

CW loves to hear from readers! She is always willing to answer questions and hear your stories. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If social media isn’t your thing, she can also be reached by email at cwbrowning12@gmail.com and on her website at www.cwbrowning.com.

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Note from Author:

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed The Oslo Affair, please take a moment to leave an honest review. Reviews are invaluable to authors, and it would be greatly appreciated!

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Copyright © 2020 by Clare Wroblewski

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