We like to think that the pace of today's world is so fast. When you write about World War II you have to be extremely cautious to match timelines of activities with real events - compared to today, they were all on a fast train to oblivion!
Take America's entry into the war - December, 1941. By VE day - March 8 - the entire drama of the European conflict was played out - 3 years, 6 months. Compare that to Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. The Battle of Britain began in August, suspended in September (sort of - it mostly died away over time, but not before the Blitz over London), followed by the invasion of Russia. By February, 1943 - following an assault that began in August, German forces were defeated at Stalingrad. A year later was the countdown to D-Day.
Events moved very fast, scattered all over the globe. Managing your novel timeline in that short time frame can be a challenge. What was a major objective in August could be discarded by November. You must keep your pace hot and lively, and plot every action against the historical background. It is easy to mess up - believe me!
I am struggling right now with timeline issues in The Black Sun - spring rains play a major part of any drama during war, and the same happens indirectly here. That compresses activity to very short windows, and may require a rethinking of one of the story lines.
Can you imagine what the actual wartime planners had to go through?
Good reading!
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