I intend to submit a short story to a Historical Fiction competition category, which follows some murders by a serial killer in the trenches in WWI. My question is: is it important to have a known historical figure that the story bounces off, or is the event itself sufficient?
Realism - of setting, uniform, conditions - are vital; a real person is not. You could mention Field Marshal So-and-So in passing, but don't have him acting in your story in case it's out of character.
What matters is that your story is believable for its time and place. Trench jargon, the weaponry, and ranks must all be right; that's the historical part.
Good luck with your story.
Lorraine
@ Dan:
You misinterpret me: If you have an idea for a story about a WWI cereal [sic] killer, go for it! But if you have - say - some WWI hero becoming buddies with the killer (or even being in the same regiment), you might cause yourself problems.
I recently became friends with a descendant of the composer Vivaldi (further back than WWI). If you wrote him a small part without praising him to the skies, she might not be overjoyed... but she wouldn't come after you with a pitchfork. Her uncle might, though...
I'm writing a novel set in ww2 and haven't mentioned any person well known. Think it shows imagination.