Copyright Helena P. Schrader
Helena P. Schrader
PART I: ASSAULT (RELEASE DATE: 11 JUNE 2026)
Early 1942: The fate of the Suez Canal and access to Middle East oil hangs on the survival of an island just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide: Malta.
Determined to destroy the British forces threatening Rommel’s supply lines, the Axis rains more bombs on Malta than were dropped on London throughout the Blitz. The population is forced underground, while the RAF struggles with inadequate resources to fend off defeat. Meanwhile, Britain’s Atlantic lifeline is fraying, and supplies are dwindling.
Voices on the Wind follows the fate of four defenders caught in the storm:
- W/Cdr “Robin” Priestman: A former Battle of Britain ace now Senior Intelligence Officer who must decode the conflicting messages about a possible invasion—before it is too late.
- Flight Officer Candice Weld: A WAAF SigInt Officer sent from Bletchley Park to “man” the only X-machine outside the UK.
- F/O “Ned” Nettleton: A Beaufort torpedo bomber pilot engaged in suicidal attacks against enemy shipping.
- Chief Officer Kevin Mackay: A pacifist in the Merchant Navy fighting to keep Britain’s own vital supply lines open across the North Atlantic.
PART II: SIEGE (RELEASE DATE JUNE 2027)
May 1942: The RAF has beaten off the Luftwaffe in a dramatic confrontation in the skies over Malta, but Spitfires have a range of just 150 miles. Malta remains dependent on supplies from Alexandria and Gibraltar, more than 1,000 miles away.
Only the Merchant Navy can save Malta from starvation—and ensure her aircraft and artillery have the fuel and ammunition necessary to defend the island and attack the enemy. The Governor warns London that a supply convoy must get through by September—or he will be forced to surrender the island.
Voices on the Wind continues the journey of four defenders:
W/Cdr “Robin” Priestman: Still struggling with the ongoing invasion threat while the island slowly starves to death.
Flight Officer Candice Weld: Whose Ultra-Clearance puts her inside the tanks of Rommel's Afrikakorps as well as the submarines and bombers chocking Malta's supply lines.
F/O “Ned” Nettleton: Straining the limits of his Beaufort and crew to prevent the Italian battle fleet from cutting Malta's lifelines.
Chief Officer Kevin Mackay: Who must now navigate the deadly gauntlet of enemy bombs and torpedoes to bring relief to Malta -- before it is too late.
Voices on the Wind:
A Novel of Malta in World War Two
PART I: Assault -- COMING SOON!
Part II: Siege -- Release 2027
In the Second World War, Allied fortunes reached a new nadir at the end of 1941. The Germans had advanced deep into the Soviet Union and were threatening both Moscow and Leningrad. In the Pacific, having first crippled the British and American Pacific fleets, the Japanese launched invasions of Malaya and the Philippines. By 2 January 1942, Manila had fallen, and American forces were in headlong retreat. The conquest of Malaya lasted only marginally longer. Simultaneously, Rommel’s successes in North Africa raised the spectre of the Axis Powers seizing the Suez Canal and taking control of Middle Eastern oil fields. In the background, the relentless thunderclap of torpedoes smashing into Allied merchantmen sounded like a death knell.
This is the overall strategic situation at the start of Voices on the Wind.
The novel focuses on the now largely forgotten air assault on a tiny but strategically vital island located roughly halfway between Gibraltar and Alexandria: Malta. Although only 17 miles long and 9 miles wide, Malta boasts two natural harbours more than 70 feet deep. As a result, the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet had been based for more than 140 years before the start of the Second World War. However, the British presence in Malta offended the Fascist government of Italy. Furthermore, it posed a threat to Mussolini’s ambitions in the Mediterranean, Africa and the Near East. On 11 June 1940, the day after declaring war on Great Britain, the Italian dictator ordered an air assault against the island with the intention of forcing the British to withdraw. Soon, the Germans joined in the campaign.
The air raids that followed waxed and waned in intensity but cumulatively caused increasingly severe damage to the island’s infrastructure and fighting capability until the impending invasion of the Soviet Union caused the Luftwaffe to withdraw in June 1941. Six months of comparative calm ensued for Malta. Yet despite the war in Russia, Axis armies were still attempting to capture Egypt and Suez. They depended upon troop reinforcements, vehicles, ammunition, spare parts, and fuel being transported across the Mediterranean. With astonishing resilience, Malta resumed its offensive role. Indeed, by late 1941, Malta-based aircraft, ships and submarines were close to choking off the Axis supply lines to North Africa. Alarmed, the German High Command concluded the British presence in Malta had to be eliminated. Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to take the lead, hoping the island could be bombed into surrender or impotence so that an invasion would not be necessary. What became known as the “Second Malta Blitz” began. This is the setting for Voices on the Wind.