The Lieutenant & the Vintner

By JR STRAYVE JR

When SS Lt. Georg von Reichenau is assigned to the French Burgundy after recovering from his battle wounds, he laments not the loss of his fighting days but the loss of a trip to the Olympics and his future as a ski instructor. 

Under German occupation in WWII, Andre Beaulieu, a gold-medal-winning Olympian downhill racer works to maintain his family's vineyard, unable to forget the woman he met at Olympic Village. He's been trying to find her for the last five years.

There's something familiar about the man who came to the vineyard after recognizing the name. But memory can be fickle. Can there be more to this recollection than either realize?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JR STRAYVE JR
• Release date: Jun 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781735546735

JR STRAYVE JR

J.R. Strayve, Jr. was born to a nomadic military family, attending nine schools before entering college. Following service in the United States Marine Corps, he raised a family. It is here that he discovered his talent for “spinning tales,” regaling his young children with spontaneous bedtime stories. His passion for history spoke to him. He spoke back and wrote the epic alternative historical series, Braxton’s Century. Book 1 was published in January 2021. Book 2 Will be published in the summer of 2021 with books 3 & 4 to follow. He is currently co-authoring a sure-to-be best-seller blockbuster non-fiction detailing a Whistleblower exposé. His first novel was and remains controversial: First Spouse of the United States, published in March 2019. A sequel is soon to follow. A short story, The Lieutenant & The Vintner is available now..

Book preview

The Lieutenant and the Vintner

A Short Story

JR STRAYVE JR

Contents

Untitled

About the Author

Works by the Author

German SS Lieutenant Georg von Reichenau lounged back in the overstuffed leather seat and starred out the window of the Condor FW-200.

The powerful four-engine aircraft’s fuselage was painted designating it a German General Staff transport in hopes that it would not be accidentally shot down by German aircraft or ground artillery. The richly appointed interior was paneled in oak with walnut tables and shelving. Elegant table linen matched the window coverings. Two attractive hostesses stood at the ready to offer food and beverages. The lieutenant was the lone passenger on the plane designed to accommodate sixteen.

Five minutes into the two-hour flight, Reichenau had loosened the collar on his SS Uniform tunic. He’d taken the Ritterkreuz Iron Cross from around his neck and placed it on the table alongside a crystal cigar ashtray cradling a smoldering Cuban. The 22-year-old officer held a matching crystal tumbler, the likeness of Adolf Hitler etched on one side and a swastika on the other. He’d finished off his third Jagermeister.

The Condor began its decent from nine thousand feet over Nazi occupied Burgundy, France. Soon he could make out low mountains and a rolling countryside. At five thousand feet he could distinguish sprawling vineyards and wineries scattered in every direction. The roar of the American Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines softened. He felt the aircraft’s air-speed slow. He thought to himself, interesting, the führer and his generals demand the best. American engines in a German plane. What else do the Americans make superior to Germans? Hm, the cigar was excellent… Cuban.

Excuse me, Sir. A young buxom blonde smiled down at him, dressed in a tight-fitting black flight attendant’s uniform. We will be landing in Dijon shortly. Is there anything else I can get for you, Sir?

The lieutenant frowned, then looked up. He handed her his glass and said, Another one of these.

She took the tumbler and returned with a fresh glass three-quarters full and placed it on the table.

Be careful, Sir, we may encounter turbulence.

He starred out the aircraft’s window. He picked up the