The decorations for the dance at the American base incorporate the Morse code symbol for "V" (...-). This was commonly used in World War II as a symbol for victory and was often associated with the first four notes in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
The sinking of the Reuben James mentioned by Captain Kieffer took place prior to America's entrance in the War with a loss of 115 lives.
This story focuses on the arrival of American troops in Hastings. By the time of the Normandy invasion, the number of military personnel (American, British, B.E., French, Polish and other military refugees), as well as the masses of vehicles, ammunition, supplies and equipment that had been gathered in the British Isles were so great that it was often said that the only thing keeping England afloat was the barrage balloons.
This tale focuses on American/British tensions. A popular British description of Americans at the time was, "Overpaid, oversexed, and over here."
Captain Kieffer uses a Ruben Leonard fly rod, which is an extremely expensive hand-made item. It is clearly a plot device to demonstrate the relative American affluence at the time - particularly in contrast to the British, who had spent two years dealing with extreme wartime privations and who also had very conservative tastes.
As it takes between 40 and 80 hours to construct a classic Leonard rod, they have always been rare and on the expensive side. New models presently range in price from $1,800 to $2,500, with used models ranging from $1,200 to $1,700. Vintage specimens made by H.L. and Ruben are extremely scarce and can fetch very high prices from fly fishing aficionados.
Hiram Lewis Leonard (1831 - 1907) was an outdoorsman and gunsmith who became famous for his bamboo fly rods that were made from six wedge-shaped sections of bamboo. He was prominent enough to be mentioned in the writings of poet Henry David Thoreau. Ruben Leonard was the nephew of H.L. Leonard and the inheritor of his company.
It should be noted that Foyle says he prefers his own split cane rod. In fact, both rods were split cane.
As it takes between 40 and 80 hours to construct a classic Leonard rod, they have always been rare and on the expensive side. New models presently range in price from $1,800 to $2,500, with used models ranging from $1,200 to $1,700. Vintage specimens made by H.L. and Ruben are extremely scarce and can fetch very high prices from fly fishing aficionados.
Hiram Lewis Leonard (1831 - 1907) was an outdoorsman and gunsmith who became famous for his bamboo fly rods that were made from six wedge-shaped sections of bamboo. He was prominent enough to be mentioned in the writings of poet Henry David Thoreau. Ruben Leonard was the nephew of H.L. Leonard and the inheritor of his company.
It should be noted that Foyle says he prefers his own split cane rod. In fact, both rods were split cane.