Do you remember?

When the United States engaged in WWII in 1941, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, we joined England and France to fight Germany, Italy, and Japan. Do you remember? We studied about Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and her years in a Japanese internment camp in the U.S.

 

Map of the world: light and dark green: Allied countries
blue: Axis countries
gray: neutral countries

Geneva Convention

Earlier in 1929, forty-eight different governments signed an agreement at the Geneva Convention that promised any prisoner of war would be given humane treatment. As one can imagine, both sides, at times, failed to follow the rules of the Geneva Convention. As soldiers were trained, they all learned the importance of not divulging key information to the enemy. If captured, a soldier was supposed to remain calm and to give only his name, his rank, and his military serial number.

For example, a soldier such as the pilot in the story we will review by Roald Dahl could state, Peter Williamson, Squadron Leader, 972457.

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl, the author of "Beware of the Dog," served as a fighter pilot, himself, in the British Royal Air Force during WWII, just as Prince William and Prince Harry do today. Dahl's plane was shot down over the Libyan Desert, and he spent eighteen weeks in a German hospital. Therefore, as a writer, Dahl used his experiences in war to generate ideas for his short stories. Although you may not have heard of Dahl, you may have read one of his children's books, James and the Giant Peach, or you may have seen a movie based on his novel, Charlie and Chocolate Factory. Did you ever see the film, "Willie Wonka and Chocolate Factory"? It is one of my favorites.

Fighting For France

We will refer to Dahl's "Beware of the Dog" to get some background information. First of all, during WWII the Germans occupied France. England and the U. S. fought to free France from Germany. It was common for fighter pilots to leave an air field on the southern coast of England, fly a mission to northern France, and return home.

Map of Europe

Each flight between England and France, the fighter pilot would cross the English Channel, the body of water that separates England from France. Since this type of flight is what Dahl's main character is engaged in, we learn our story has a historical setting. Events in the story may be fictional, but the setting could have happened, according to history.