THE RED FIELDS OF FRANCE

A young British soldier navigates the horrors of the Nazi blitzkrieg in Belgium and France in Spurlock’s dramatic historical novel.

It’s May 10, 1940, and Hitler has launched his deadly attack on Belgium. British troops are already in France when the king of Belgium asks for British help in combating the Nazi invasion. Pvt. Bill Brooks awakens next to his new French wife, Augusta Dumont, in the small town of Orchies, where Bill’s unit of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, part of the British Expeditionary Force, has been stationed. His older brother, Lt. Jameson Brooks, is the commanding officer of the unit. The Force has been ordered to march immediately into Belgium. Meanwhile, in London, Winston Churchill, a compromise selection, has just been appointed British prime minister. He’s now heading toward Admiralty House to address his War Cabinet. Seated among the ministers are Lord Halifax and previous prime minister Neville Chamberlain. Churchill begins: “Gentlemen…we face the greatest peril our nation has encountered for many centuries. The ruthless Nazi thug war machine strikes.” He knows that Halifax and Chamberlain want to debate the British response to Hitler’s invasions. He continues: “There can be no parlay. Any agreement reached will be violated in short order….There will be no peace talks. Let me repeat myself. There will be no peace talks.” The U.K. must aid its allies and prepare for Hitler to attack the British Isles. Back on the border, the BEF heads into Belgium and hears the first sounds of battle in the far distance. As they reach the first Belgian town, they’re greeted as heroes by the villagers. But it won’t be long before the BEF find themselves being relentlessly bombed by the German air force. In front of them, the Germans are rolling through Belgium, and behind them, the French army is collapsing. Cut off from supply lines, they’re ordered to retreat to Dunkirk for evacuation. Hundreds of thousands of Allied forces are surrounded on three sides.

Spurlock’s tribute to the bravery and determination of the soldiers of the BEF and their rescuers abounds with high-action scenes that bring readers directly into the sounds, smells, fears, and losses on the front lines and includes descriptions of various armaments and strategic maneuvers. The narrative, which takes place over the three-week period leading up to the perilous evacuation at Dunkirk, alternates between the front lines and London, where Churchill must contend with a War Cabinet more comfortable with debate than decision. We experience the war through the eyes of Spurlock’s two main protagonists, Bill, a foot soldier, and Churchill, the statesman, creating a compelling combination of personal drama and governmental strategy. One of the most spellbinding moments occurs when, during the British retreat, Jameson sends Bill back to Orchies to rescue Augusta before the Germans take the town. Spurlock viscerally details the three days and nights the couple struggles through enemy lines on their way to Dunkirk, the only English Channel port still precariously held by the British.

Riveting, emotional, and packed with historical factoids.