Part 1: Windfall
Windfall introduces you to the entire chronicle Twelve O'Clock High: Into The Wind. You'll reacquaint with Joe Gallagher and Sandy Komansky in Archbury England and you'll meet a new and exciting character . . .
"Why be normal? It's boring." The question and the answer are how Captain Rigel O'Ryan, Flight Nurse in the USAAF lives her life-which joyfully leads to Captain Rigel O'Ryan and Colonel Joseph Gallagher marrying on 4 April 1944 beneath the nose of Piccadilly Lily. Rigel is a gutsy, warm-hearted, and sterling representative of the flight nurses, the undersung heroines who pioneered air evacuation of the wounded during World War 2 and saved the lives of more than a million soldiers. And she equals Joe measure for measure.
Windfall is about the war and it tells it through the lives of Joe, Rigel, and Sandy. It is about aircrews who fought in the skies over Europe, flight nurses and air evac crews that risked their lives to save the wounded, the tragedies and horrors of what war does to people and the courage it takes to rebuild at war's end. Windfall takes Joe, Sandy and Rigel from the run-up to D-Day through the invasion, the grueling deadly months that finally lead to victory in Europe and through the autumn of 1945.
The story opens with flight nurse Rigel O'Ryan in 1942 and follows her to the combat zones of North Africa, Italy, and then, by a twist of fate, on to England where she meets the 918th's Commanding Officer, Joseph Gallagher, in a most unusual fashion . . . and they share some most unusual experiences, too.
Windfall also provides glimpses into the pre-918th lives of Alexander Komansky, underage soldier, and Captain Joe Gallagher, cocky pilot and ladies' man at Langley Field. General Frank Savage and Major Stovall are also glimpsed as they help build the "Mighty Eighth" Air Force and oversee the first efforts of the 918th in 1942.
Enjoy Windfall! It's a story of war, courage, compassion, friendship, and destiny. You already know Joe Gallagher and Sandy Komansky and you will come to love, like and respect Rigel O'Ryan as much as Joe and Sandy do.
Part 2: Homeward Winds
"Come back with me and help me make a difference"-this is an invitation newly promoted Brigadier Joseph Anson Gallagher makes to Sgt. Alexander Komansky during VE Day celebrations on May 8, 1945-in Archer's Run, Connecticut.
In Homeward Winds . . . Joe recovers from near death, Sandy recovers from an emotional and physical breakdown, and Rigel is on the verge of a break.
Homeward Winds takes place between May 4-May 13, and is largely set at Dusky Boughs, the Gallagher ancestral home in Archer's Run, Connecticut. Joe, his wife Rigel O'Ryan, and Sandy Komansky have been reunited by the luck of the Irish, and during a crucial period of physical and emotional recovery, gather their strength and grit and return to the ETO to help with the complex tasks of "waging peace."
During this nine-day period, we see Joe, Rigel, and Sandy beginning to recover from their experiences, we learn what makes each of them tick, we meet Joe's remarkable mother Irene, as well as re-meet Joe’s father, three-star general Max Gallagher. We are also introduced to Caed and Ursa O'Ryan, Rigel's equally remarkable parents, and Rigel's uncle and aunt, Senator Hugh FitzGerald and his wife, Victoria, a former member of English royalty. The men attempt a relaxing day on the lake but churn up more issues than fish and the women take on sexism in town. Max faces up to an old horror and Irene shines light on an old injustice. Caed and Ursa direct Sandy’s future to the stars; and Joe and Rigel lovingly help each other overcome the physical and emotional wounds of war, and look forward to the future-which includes the challenges of war's aftermath.
In Homeward Winds the characters reveal their inner selves; stoic strength collides with eccentric energy. The story will make you laugh with its zany escapades and cry over its poignancy.
Part 3: Cold Winds
“Can we keep the peace?"-This is a question both General Joseph Gallagher and General Nikolai Vorodenko ask each other, after August 6 1945, after the first atomic bomb has been dropped on Hiroshima.
In Cold Winds, peace has been declared in Europe, but the wartime alliance between the US, the UK, and the USSR, which was always uneasy, is rapidly chilling as Joe Gallagher and Nik Vorodenko reunite in July 1945, in London.
During a ten-day period from July 5th to July 15th, a few days before the historic Potsdam Conference, Joe, Rigel, and Sandy undertake a secret mission to Yugoslavia to rescue valuable refugees and scout dangerous Nazi technology; Harvey’s fine reputation and command of the 918th are endangered as deadly and illegal dealings are traced to Archbury; Rigel’s planes, loaded with patients, crashes, and she faces court martial over life and death decisions made there and in Yugoslavia; Joe and Nik deal with murders, assaults, and bombings that test their friendship and their patriotism; and Joe and Rigel stand up to Congressional investigation over their professional and personal issues. Sandy continues to grow–beyond his stripes–but old issues still trail him. Things are changing in the post-war European world, some for the better, and some for the worse.
The once warm winds of peace become the Cold Winds of war.
Part 4: Hidden Winds
Hidden Winds combines action, espionage, and a bit of mysticism. Taking place over October, Thanksgiving and Christmas 1945, Hidden Winds, opens with Joseph Gallagher fulfilling a promise he made at Omaha Beach. Rigel’s grit and the courage of the flight nurses in the heady days after the invasion are brought to light. A desperate search for war criminals unveils feuds and betrayals undermining a Normandy village and rumors of super weapons hurl Joe and Sandy into an unexpected mission. Figures and events from the past increase the mystery: Frank Savage’s enigmatic fate is revealed as Harvey learns more about the general’s life and last days; Joe encounters allies in unexpected places; and Sandy grapples with an old agony that haunts him. Joe and Rigel’s careers and passions collide, testing the strength and future of their marriage. Preston and Joe become at odds with each other, a rift that will widen and not heal for years. Rebuilding the world and waging peace proves difficult in the face of the undeclared cold war and the Nazi legacy of violence and super technology.
Nothing is as it once was and seemingly clear skies hold Hidden Winds.