Operation Overlord

By Hannah Howe

Outside, darkness had descended. Inside, Guy appeared calm, his features betraying no emotion. Mimi seemed restless, her petite feet pacing the floorboards. Through sign language, Henri joked with Paul. Hélène and Kadia exchanged nervous glances. Aymer chewed on a corn stalk, while leaning against a wall. Jean-Claude sharpened his knife on a whetstone. Bernard struggled to tune the wireless, to capture a signal. I caressed my bump and tried to distinguish between nervous flutters and my baby kicking. A grandfather clock ticked loudly in the hall.

“Les sanglots longs des violons de l’automne.”

We all turned and stared at the wireless. For a second, we all froze as we listened to the announcer’s words: the first stanza of Paul Verlaine’s poem, Chanson d’automne – ‘the long sobs of the violins of autumn’. The announcer had sent the coded message. He’d signalled the start of the invasion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Goylake Publishing
• Release date: Jan 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781739738839

Hannah Howe

Hannah Howe is the bestselling author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series (Sam's Song, book one in the series, has reached number one on the amazon.com private detective chart on seven separate occasions and the number one position in Australia). Hannah lives in the picturesque county of Glamorgan with her partner and their two children. She has a university degree and a background in psychology, which she uses as a basis for her novels.Hannah began her writing career at school when her teacher asked her to write the school play. She has been writing ever since. When not writing or researching Hannah enjoys reading, genealogy, music, chess and classic black and white movies. She has a deep knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century popular culture and is a keen student of the private detective novel and its history.Hannah's books are available in print, as audio books and eBooks from all major retailers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, iBooks, etc. For more details please visit https://hannah-howe.comThe Sam Smith Mystery Series in book order:Sam's SongLove and BulletsThe Big ChillRipperThe Hermit of HisaryaSecrets and LiesFamily HonourSins of the FatherSmoke and MirrorsStardustMind GamesDigging in the DirtA Parcel of RoguesBostonThe Devil and Ms DevlinSnow in AugustLooking for Rosanna MeeStormy WeatherDamagedEve’s War: Heroines of SOEOperation ZigzagOperation LocksmithOperation BroadswordOperation TreasureOperation SherlockOperation CameoOperation RoseOperation WatchmakerOperation OverlordOperation Jedburgh (to follow)Operation Butterfly (to follow)Operation Liberty (to follow)The Golden Age of HollywoodTula: A 1920s Novel (to follow)The Olive Tree: A Spanish Civil War SagaRootsBranchesLeavesFruitFlowersThe Ann's War Mystery Series in book order:BetrayalInvasionBlackmailEscapeVictoryStandalone NovelsSaving Grace: A Victorian MysteryColette: A Schoolteacher’s War (to follow)What readers have been saying about the Sam Smith Mystery Series and Hannah Howe..."Hannah Howe is a very talented writer.""A gem of a read.""Sam Smith is the most interesting female sleuth in detective fiction. She leaves all the others standing.""Hannah Howe's writing style reminds you of the Grandmasters of private detective fiction - Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker.""Sam is an endearing character. Her assessments of some of the people she encounters will make you laugh at her wicked mind. At other times, you'll cry at the pain she's suffered.""Sam is the kind of non-assuming heroine that I couldn't help but love.""Sam's Song was a wonderful find and a thoroughly engaging read. The first book in the Sam Smith mystery series, this book starts off as a winner!""Sam is an interesting and very believable character.""Gripping and believable at the same time, very well written.""Sam is a great heroine who challenges stereotypes.""Hannah Howe is a fabulous writer.""I can't wait to read the next in the series!""The Big Chill is light reading, but packs powerful messages.""This series just gets better and better.""What makes this book stand well above the rest of detective thrillers is the attention to the little details that makes everything so real.""Sam is a rounded and very real character.""Howe is an author to watch, able to change the tone from light hearted to more thoughtful, making this an easy and yet very rewarding read. Cracking!""Fabulous book by a fabulous author-I highly recommended this series!""Howe writes her characters with depth and makes them very engaging.""I loved the easy conversational style the author used throughout. Some of the colourful ways that the main character expressed herself actually made me laugh!""I loved Hannah Howe's writing style -- poignant one moment, terrifying the next, funny the next moment. I would be on the edge of my seat praying Sam wouldn't get hurt, and then she'd say a one-liner or think something funny, and I'd chuckle and catch my breath. Love it!""Sam's Song is no lightweight suspense book. Howe deals with drugs, spousal abuse, child abuse, and more. While the topics she writes about are heavy, Howe does a fantastic job of giving the reader the brutal truth while showing us there is still good in life and hope for better days to come."

Book preview

Chapter One

June 1944

Ten of us had gathered in the Le Roux family kitchen: Guy, Mimi, Henri, Jean-Claude, Bernard, Hélène, Kadia, Paul, Aymer and I. We were staring at a wireless, its valves glowing bright.

Outside, darkness had descended. Inside, Guy appeared calm, his features betraying no emotion. Mimi seemed restless, her petite feet pacing the floorboards. Through sign language, Henri joked with Paul. Hélène and Kadia exchanged nervous glances. Aymer chewed on a corn stalk, while leaning against a wall. Jean-Claude sharpened his knife on a whetstone. Bernard struggled to tune the wireless, to capture a signal. I caressed my bump and tried to distinguish between nervous flutters and my baby kicking. A grandfather clock ticked loudly in the hall.

Maybe this would be the moment, the signal for the invasion, although we’d heard such talk many times before. That said, recent messages from London had suggested that tonight could well be the night.

I wandered over to the window and checked with one of our sentries, a member of Jean-Claude’s Maquis. He nodded, and I responded to his affirmation. Guy arched an eyebrow and glanced at me. All clear, I said. All is good.

A blast of static assaulted our eardrums. Then Bernard located Radio Londres, and the melodic strains of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Pastoral Symphony.

This is like waiting to be hung, I said.

Guy shrugged. He sat back, placed his hands behind his head and relaxed. What do you think of hanging as a punishment? he asked.

At a moment like this, Jean-Claude frowned, you wish to indulge in a philosophical debate?

Guy is always up for a philosophical debate, I said, aren’t you, darling?

Almost always, Guy said, glancing at my bump, offering a smile. Sometimes, you find ways to distract me.

Cover your ears, I said to Kadia, and she giggled.

You too, I signed to Paul, and he grinned.

On the wireless, the music faded and the announcer launched into a series of personal messages. These messages were meaningless, inserted as camouflage, to disguise the meaningful content.

Hanging, I said, I’m against it.

Why? Guy asked.

Because justice is imperfect; the odds dictate that at times the courts will sentence the wrong person; the authorities will hang the wrong man.

What about you? Henri asked Guy. Are you against it?

Of course, Guy said.

Why? Henri frowned.

Guy pondered the eternal question. He leaned forward, placed his elbows on the table, steepled his fingers and said, Does the death of an individual, even if he committed a murder, deliver justice? I have my doubts. I prefer the ancient forms of justice, as coded by Hywel Dda, Howell the Good. In his world, the perpetrators of a crime had to compensate the victims, either financially, or through chattels or land. Not a perfect system, I grant you, but far better than creating a chain of events that often claimed life after life.

"Les sanglots longs des violons de l’automne."

We all turned and stared at the wireless. For a second, we all froze as we listened to the announcer’s words: the first stanza of Paul Verlaine’s poem, Chanson d’automne – ‘the long sobs of the violins of autumn’. The announcer had sent the coded message. He’d signalled the start of the invasion.

It’s on, Guy said. He stood and slapped his hands together.

They’ll be here within twenty-four hours, I said.

It’s on, Guy said. He grinned and clenched his fists.

The Allies will be here within twenty-four hours. I repeated my words, as though in a trance.

For a full minute, we all appeared stunned. Then we screamed with delight. I hugged Guy; Mimi hugged Henri; Hélène hugged Bernard; Kadia embraced Paul; Jean-Claude glanced at Aymer and smiled. Aymer opened the back door and tossed his corn stalk into the courtyard, a signal to our sentries that the moment had arrived.

Okay, Guy said, asserting his authority, assuming command. Let’s have some order. We have no time to lose. Freedom is on its way, but we still need to fight for that freedom. We must do our bit. Aymer – alert the Resistance. Tell the section leaders that we must secure the local villages. We don’t want the Nazis digging in and establishing defensive positions. Let’s get them on the run. When the Allies arrive, we want everyone to be free to greet them.

It’ll be done, Aymer said. He ghosted through the open door and made contact with the local Resistance.

Bernard, Guy said, organise the local farmers. It’s time for them to dust-off their shotguns; it’s time for them to stand up and be counted.

You can rely on the farmers, Bernard said.

In conjunction with other networks, Guy said, our task is to isolate Normandy, to prevent the Nazis from flooding the region with reinforcements. Jean-Claude and his Maquis will attend to this task. Here’s a list.

From the lining of his jacket, Guy produced a note and handed it to Jean-Claude.

This list includes fifty-two locomotives and their current locations. We must destroy them to prevent the Nazis from moving troops and armaments north.

It will be done, Jean-Claude said.

We must disable the railway network, Guy said. He produced another note and handed it to Jean-Claude. Here’s a list of five hundred targets. Also, we need to cut the underground telegraph and telephone cables. Here’s the relevant map. Any questions?

My men will see to it, Jean-Claude said.

I want to help you, Kadia said.

Kadia stepped forward. She glanced at Guy who, in turn, glanced at Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude glanced at Hélène. With tears in her eyes, mother smiled and nodded at her daughter. Having gained Hélène’s permission, Jean-Claude nodded too.

We need everyone to pitch in, Jean-Claude said. All hands are welcome.

The core of the Broadsword network, Guy said, Eve, Mimi, Henri and I will move north. Our task is to identify and secure key transportation locations, in particular the bridge at Bénouville, north-east of Caen. This is a small bridge, but it’s vital to troop and armament movements. We don’t want any hold-ups. We don’t want static convoys – they’d represent easy targets. Wherever and whenever possible, we want our troops to move seamlessly from the coast into the heart of France.

Guy glanced at each of us