Flying Without Wings
At the close of World War II in Terezín Concentration Camp 1945 a young Jewish boy, Johan Falkner, overhears a deadly secret about the final legacy of the Third Reich.
Forty years later, in rural England, Matt Buttrick learns of a hidden Nazi rumoured to be living in the area.
Are the two connected? And what is the mysterious treasure that one of two men took from Germany on a flight from an abandoned airfield near Bremen at the end of the war?
The discovery of a body confirms that ruthless people are also searching for this treasure, and the safety of Matt's family may depend on him getting to it first. The only problem is that to do so he will have to talk to the man he holds responsible for the greatest loss in his life, and in doing so confront his broken dream of taking to the skies.
- This true event was used 'fictionally' in my WW2 novel Flying Without Wings. I was researching hidden bunkers in airfields because my character is involved with finding one that holds an extremely important yet secret map from WW2. I stumbled upon this article and decided to use the same scenario in my book but changing the characters and other details. This happened in 2013, but I changed that to be in my setting of 1985. What happens in Flying Without Wings that changes Matt's life forever?
- Spread Your Wings, It's Time To Fly - this is a lovely inspirational quote that inspires my character Matt in Flying Without Wings. Why is this so vital to Matt's growth as a young man?
- When looking for inspirational images to create my World War II character, I saw this young boy lost in the rubble of war and loved how he clung to his toy. My character, Johan Falkner, also has a treasured toy. What is it? And more importantly, what happens to it that has a lifetime impact on this young boy?
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Anne Frank has inspired many stories, and her own is an inspiration to millions of people around the world. That a young girl had such strength and fortitude during such a dark period in history is amazing. So many stories of young children and young adults have shown their love for mankind, despite what happened to them. Many have lived with bitterness and many without. My young concentration camp character lives through the dark years too. Does he end up as inspirational or bitter and resentful?
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I spotted this image while I was looking for ideas on secret World War II bunkers that the Nazis used to hide their treasures. This is on Tillamook Head in northern Oregon. It's a radar observation post. I loved the way the building seemed to blend into the forest background. I used something similar to this setting beside a lake in Austria. But what is hidden in this bunker, and who discovers it? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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This is a World War II Concentration Camp Quote written on a wall during the holocaust. My character, Johan Faulkner, has his treasured possession stolen by a Nazi. How does Johan manage to survive each of the beatings and starvation? Is it his treasured aeroplane that keeps him going or his faith in God? The last sentence in this quote is used in Johan's story. Where is that, and why is it so important at that moment in time?
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This Anne Frank World War II Quote shows how young people suffered in the second world war. Yet despite it all, her words are inspiring and shows her inner strength and a deep belief in her people. My young character suffers in a concentration camp, but how does his life change? Does he die or survive to tell the tale?
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Christian Williams is a model and a handsome young man. Clearly, he isn't used as inspiration in my World War II setting. I used his dark, brooding looks to create my modern character, Matt Buttrick, who dreams of being an RAF pilot. What happened to Matt that destroyed his life-long dream? More importantly, what does he do about it, and how does he turn things around in the end?
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This image of a closed military site at RAF Folkingham in Lincolnshire is home to an ageing collection of decommissioned military vehicles, farming machinery and lorries dating from the 1940s. I used a similar idea when creating the modern story in Flying Without Wings. My character Matt Buttrick lives near this secret airfield in 1985, but the setting is in Berkshire, near Aldermaston. Why Aldermaston? And what is nearby that played such a major role in the second world war and has continued to cause a fuss ever since?
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Old war shelter above ground. However, were people supposed to be safe from bombs dropping in this little shelter? In my modern story setting of Flying Without Wings, I have used some decaying shelters like this above ground. Who finds one, and what happens to them?
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While researching for ideas for Flying Without Wings, I spotted this Rusting legend. It's aDUKW Amphibious World War II vehicle, which was used during the D-Day landings, but now lays decaying at the closed military site at RAF Folkingham in Lincolnshire, which has become known as a graveyard for historic machinery. Which character in my World War II finds this vehicle, and what happened at this secret site? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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Hidden amongst greenery and an abundance of trees lies this World War II secret war bunker. My character, Matt Buttrick, lives near this hidden bunker and used to play there as a child. But what happened to him in this airfield that changed his life forever?
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Lost in the undergrowth: This military truck, which could be a Bedford, lies amongst the collection of decommissioned military vehicles, farming machinery and lorries at RAF Folkingham in Lincolnshire. My setting in Aldermaston, Berkshire has a similar secret airfield dating back to World War II. Who finds this old, decaying military truck in Flying Without Wings? And what role does it play in this character's development? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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World War II air raid shelter hidden in woodland around Chedworth's disused airfield. I used this idea for inspiration while writing Flying Without Wings. Where is my setting's air raid shelter and what significant role does it play in the story? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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Although this abandoned Helensburgh railroad tunnel is in Australia, Anthony Ginman photo's sheer beauty inspired some ideas for my World War II novel. I created a character that was sent out during World War II to find remote locations that the Nazis could use to hide their stolen treasures. Who is this character and what does he find and bring back from the war that changes another character's life? Find out in Flying Without Wings. This Helensburgh tunnel was opened in 1889 and abandoned in 1915. Wonder why, haunted? The photo is by AnthonyGinmanPhotography on flickr.
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World War II novel, Flying Without Wings, opens where my character, Johan Faulkner, is spying on some Nazi officers. He is hiding beside a broken window in his barracks at Theresienstadt Ghetto. What does he overhear? And how does that impact the rest of his life? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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This is the Terezín Concentration Camp barracks, where Jewish World War II prisoners lived and slept. I used this image as inspiration for the opening scene of Flying Without Wings. What is my character Johan Faulkner doing? And what does he overhear that changes his life forever? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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This is the Small Fortress at Terezín concentration camp. In my World War II novel, Flying Without Wings, my character lives the war years in this ghetto. He was brought here because his father was a highly skilled artisan. What did his father do for a living? And how did that impact his family's life during the war and after it ended? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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During my research for my World War II novel, Flying Without Wings, I found this book about Hitler's Suppressed and Still-Secret Weapons, Science and Technology. It makes a fascinating read and leaves you intrigued about what other devices Hitler was creating during the war. I used one of the facts to create a highly technical device that one of my character's finds. What is this device, and how does it keep Hitler's secrets safe? Find out in Flying Without Wings. You can read Hitler's Suppressed and Still-Secret Weapons, Science and Technology on Amazon here.
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The Greenpeace protest that starts the modern story in my World War II novel, Flying Without Wings happened many times after the war and even in recent years. I used to live in Aldermaston and to take my son to the primary school, I used to drive past the Atomic Weapons Establishment each day. I often witnessed protests and drove past the camps the campaigners would set up in the woodlands. What happens in the campsite they build in my novel? More horrendously, how does it change the character's life? Find out in Flying Without Wings. This image came from a protest written on this Block Awe blog.
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When creating my characters in World War II novel, Flying Without Wings, I came across this war image of a young boy and girl. I created a family for my character, Johan Faulkner. He has a sister and brother. What happens to both of them? And how does their stories impact on Johan's life that has made readers cry at the end? Find out in Flying Without Wings.
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This World War II Toy Aeroplane inspired a lot of the story behind Flying Without Wings. Why is it so important to the story? What happens to it that causes heartbreak?
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What Good Are Wings Without The Courage To Fly. This quote is by Atticus and it stayed with me for many years while creating the backstory of the two boys in Flying Without Wings. One is in a World War II concentration camp and the other lives near an RAF base forty years after the war. How do these two boys lives link up in the end? And why has it made readers cry?
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Here's the true story...
Engineers have uncovered a World War II bunker, said to be of “national significance”, while digging a trench on the former airfield site at Hamble.
The bunker was found on land behind Hamble Lane by engineers from contractor 4Delivery who were laying a new sewer for Southern Water.
During World War 2, Hamble’s North Airfield was mainly used as a base for repairing Spitfires, though the airfield also handled some much larger aircraft, including the B17 Flying Fortress.
These larger aircraft were also repaired and modified locally, with one B17 notoriously becoming stuck in the mud in January 1943, partially blocking Hamble Lane, having recently been fitted with some top-secret submarine detection equipment.
The full story is here: https://www.eastleighnews.co.uk/2013/10/wartime-bunker-unearthed/
