French-German Border           Naval Commander William Tyning could taste the fear in the Rhineland. The Treaty of Versailles protected the area from German military occupation. But now, reports of Nazi troops amassing near the border had everyone on alert. Tyning had been dispatched to the buffer that lay between France, Belgium and Germany to help maintain the status quo, but he was finding that difficult to do. There were several rumors – all coming to the same conclusion: that the Führer planned to take back German land on the left bank of the Rhine River. That morning, a dispatch from the Home Office hinted that Hitler was determined to destroy the League of Nations and reclaim former German territories.           The skies rumbled overhead. Mother Nature was about to unleash her fury and Tyning headed indoors.           He held the brim of his hat as he walked toward the building the British were using as a base. Several different branches of the military were housed there. It was mostly army, but the Royal Air Force had a presence. And the Royal Navy was there to ascertain whether the Rhine and other area waterways, might harbor a threat. *           It was March 6th 1936, his sister Victoria’s birthday and he wanted to write her a letter.           Ever since her husband Philippe Méliès’s death, Victoria had become fiercely independent. Tyning often worried about her living alone in Paris, especially after she had surprised him at Christmas with questions about volunteering for covert work with the War Office. Now he found the idea comical. He laughed as he pulled the door open.           “Something funny, Commander?”           Tyning saluted the Brigadier. “No, sir. I was just thinking about my sister.”           “If I were smiling, Commander, you could be damn sure it wouldn’t be because I was thinking about my sister.”           The Brigadier noticed Tyning’s dark hair spilling over his collar. “You may want to have Bert employ his scissors on your crowning glory. We’ve received word the Major General is stopping by with the Vice Admiral for an inspection.”           Tyning laughed off the advice. “I guess everyone wants to get a first-hand look at what’s going on in the Rhineland.”           He had a devil-may-care attitude when it came to details he didn’t think mattered. It’s how you fight the fight, not how you look fighting it.           Even in need of a haircut, most people would describe Tyning as handsome. He had a ready smile and was very sure of himself – sometimes too sure. Victoria often said he would one day make a snap decision that would land him in a heap of trouble. He was starting to believe the same of her. * Dear Vic, I was just imagining you celebrating your birthday with a great big helping of sherry trifle, or maybe, some chocolate soufflé. And I was thinking, you’ll never fit into Mademoiselle Chanel’s gowns if you don’t stop right now and save whatever you’re feasting on – for me. After all, I’m not worried about my girlish figure. *           He kept the letter lighthearted, signing it “Wills.”           As he dropped his letter in the outgoing post he heard another distant rumble.           It may simply have been thunder accompanying the storm, but Tyning wondered if it could be the sound of German tanks rolling into the buffer zone. *           Back in London, Wing Commander Nigel Townsend sat in a briefing room listening to his superior officers discuss recent intelligence concerning the German army. There had been reports of German troop movement and an increase in armament.           Townsend’s particular branch of the military was there to make sure, if the reports were accurate, that the buildup didn’t amount to anything. He worked under Secretary of State for Defense, Duff Cooper, who was now demanding that British forces quell any chance of a Nazi incursion.           But first, they needed more intelligence. ***