CONTINUED STORY
I happen to live in a section of the nation where the Civil War is much more real than elsewhere. Most families assume their ancestors fought on the side of the Confedneracy, but historical records, at times, indicate that such was not the case. Some familes were divided.
I read a book a few years ago which keeps coming to mind, even though it dealt with more times and World War II. It was written by Jack Higgins and it took a twist of the old theme of twin brothers fighting on opposing sides of a war. One wonders what parallels one might find along such lines in own Civil War era.
Such things did happen. I was involved in a search of old records in one actual case where we found we were going to have to inform the family that one of their "solider sons" wore a blue unform rather than a gray one.
One would think just about every twist concerning the switching of twins had been worked by those who compound fiction stories, but this one was a new and different one ...at least for me. I enjoyed the exploits of twin brothers who were war time aces - the one for the RAF and the U S Air Force and the other for the Luftwaffe. It all seems to make good, logical sense, too, and is not at all difficult to understand how sides were chosen and how each man acted according to his feelings.
There must have been a number of families during World War II who were divided in their feelings concerning Axis thinking and that of the Allied nations. This book dealt with one partciular case and did so with amazing temperance and without upsetting anyone violently. The love of flying which both boys exhibited - a trait inherited from their father who had been a "flyer" in World War I, overshadows the "reason" behind the war. The twins are almost robots in one sense and as they flew they expressed their views only in a secondary way.
I think most readers will anticipate that, sooner or later, the brothers are going to meet each other and that they will be forced to make decisions about taking each others lives. They meet several times and, as one might expect, in unusual circumstances. Yet, they remain brothers in every sense of the word and sonmehow it works out well with several unexpected twists along the way and at the very end.
Those persons interested in the aircraft of various nations of the era - the Russians, Finns, British, Germans, and Americans will find this book of special interest. "Jack Higgins" also writes under the name "Harry Patterson." There are also some interesting sidelights on the personal feelings of many Nazi personalities of the time.
A memorable feature of "Flight of Eagles" is a small Teddy Bear dressed as an "aviator". It was an on-craft mascot of the father of the twins in WWI and a passeger on every flight he made. It was also the mascot of one of the boys in World War II. You will find it interesting to follow the adventures of the mascot bear "Tarquin" as a secondary theme of the overall story.
Question: how close did Dwight Eisenhower ever come to being killed?
You find out when tour read "Flight of Eagles" - and you'll wonder if it is fact or fiction. I'm still deciding. Truth and fiction mingle at times.
A.L.M. October 1, 2003 [c583wds]
