A BLUE WATER NAVY: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War 1943-1945, Volume Two, Part 2

Book Description

Although the Royal Canadian Navy had spent the early years of the Second World War in a desperate struggle against German U-boats on the North Atlantic convoy routes, the service's professional officers never lost sight of the need to build a balanced national navy, one that included the larger warships required for Canada to project its naval power around the globe.

Part 2 of the Official Operational History continues the story of the Royal Canadian Navy begun in No Higher Purpose and carries the narrative into the decisive final years of the Second World War, as the navy largely achieves its "blue water" ambitions. Based on extensive research in Canadian, British, American and German archives, A Blue Water Navy follows the RCN's path to victory from 1943 to 1945 as Canadian warships engage the enemy across the globe in the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans as well as in the dangerous waters of the European littoral.

Beginning with the Allies' North Atlantic triumph over the German submarine arm in April-May 1943, the volume examines the navy's many roles in European waters, including the RCN's combined operations role in the amphibious assaults on Dieppe, northwest Africa and Sicily; the procurement of large fleet destroyers and their operations guarding important Arctic and Mediterranean bound convoys; and the culmination of the RCN's overseas buildup with Operation Neptune and the invasion of Normandy.

A Blue Water Navy recounts the multitude of tasks Canadian naval forces performed in the war's final phases, from motor-torpedo boat, minesweeping and fleet operations to the inshore anti-submarine campaign. In tracing the acquisition of cruisers and Canadian-manned escort carriers, this important and well-illustrated history thoroughly explores the world-wide scope of the Royal Canadian Navy's involvement in the Second World War and its transition from a small-ship navy into a balanced force.

A Blue Water Navy was written by a team of professional historians and has been in preparation for many years. The first volume of this official history, No Higher Purpose, was highly praised by veterans of the RCN, current sailors and naval officers, and students of military and naval history. This second volume will be equally well received.

In for a Penny, in for a Pound: The Adventures & Misadventures of a Wireless Operator in Bomber Command

Average customer rating:

Excellent writing
An exciting, touching account about life in Bomber Command

In for a Penny, in for a Pound: The Adventures & Misadventures of a Wireless Operator in Bomber Command
Howard Hewer
Manufacturer: Stoddart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Canadian | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Excellent writing.......2003-02-16

"In For A Penny, In For A Pound" by Howard Hewer, sub-titled: "The Adventures And Misadventures Of A Wireless Operator In bomber Command". Stoddard Publishing, Toronto, Canada, 2000.

This book recounts the experiences of T. W. H. Hewer as a young man and a wireless operator in the Royal Canadian Air Force. As a young teenager, Howard Hewer had dreams of flying Spitfires, so he enlisted in the Canadian Air Force, which decided, at that moment, they had a greater need for radio operators than for pilots. He was shipped to Calgary for training in radio operations. Hewer then tells the story of his training as an enlisted radio operator, and his experience during bombing raids on Nazi held Europe. He retired as Wing Commander.

Young Hewer was well aware of the cultural differences between the British and the Canadians. He devotes an entire chapter (Chapter 6, "Yatesbury Wireless School - Collision of Cultures) to describe the class-conscious Brits and the young Canadians being trained in England. Throughout the book, these cultural differences will pop up, and, in some instances, be of major importance. In Chapter 19, (A Fine Line To Mutiny), it would appear that the British wanted a level of discipline that neither the Australians nor the Canadians wanted to accept. Admittedly, it as an Australian who first threw down his rifle and refused to drill, but Hewer appears to have approved of the group's refusal to exercise and drill. He later implies that this "mutiny" was responsible for the delay of his commissioning as an officer.

This book is not just the usual recounting of the terrors of flying bombers into German held Europe. There is that, of course, but Hewer narrates a story that involves the European Theatre, flying to Malta, on to Egypt and then a trip, in a ship, around Africa. In South Africa, when warned to avoid certain down town areas because the Boers still remembered the Boer war and therefore were "hostile" to the British, Hewer relies on his "Canada" shoulder flash. He and a Canadian compatriot slip into a down town hotel and are feted by the old Boers with free beer and lunch.

An interesting anecdote related by Hewer deals with the dance halls. He was on a balcony and looked down at the dancers, who reminded him of a field of moving daisies. . It seems that the ladies had all used peroxide to become blondes and their roots were slowly growing out in their darker colors. As Hewer glanced down, the whirling locks appeared as daisies in the wind. This remembrance, alone, makes the book worth reading.

An exciting, touching account about life in Bomber Command.......2000-10-11

Howard Hewer has done a wonderful job in bringing us his life in Bomber Command as a wireless operator flying in the belly of Wellington bombers. From his nights flying over Berlin to the bombing of North Africa to his time spent convalescing after a crash (when he went on some of his most dangerous missions), Hewer spares few details in providing a colorful first-hand account. Anyone with even a passing interest in war memoirs, or who truly enjoys the view of the world from 10,000 feet, should read this book. Without a doubt the best memoir I've read in a long time.

Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy (Joanne Goodman Lectures)

Average customer rating:

No one could have done better than the Canadians in Normandy
A remarkable book
hard to put down
Ranks with Keegan, surpasses D'Este
Very informative

Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy (Joanne Goodman Lectures)
Terry Copp
Manufacturer: University of Toronto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe, 1944-1945
The Germans in Normandy
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy)
Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army's Final Defeat in the West (Modern War Studies)
Juno Beach: Canada's D-Day Victory ¿ June 6, 1944

ASIN: 0802037305

Book Description

Fields of Fire offers a stunning reversal of accepted military history. Terry Copp challenges and refutes the conventional view that the Canadian contribution to the Battle of Normandy was a 'failure': that the allies won only through the use of 'brute force,' and that the Canadian soldiers and commanding officers were essentially incompetent. His detailed and impeccably researched analysis of what actually happened on the battlefield portrays a flexible, innovative army that made a major, and successful, contribution to the defeat of the German forces in just seventy-six days.

Challenging both existing interpretations of the campaign and current approaches to military history, Copp examines the Battle of Normandy, tracking the soldiers over the battlefield terrain and providing an account of each operation carried out by the Canadian army to illustrate the valour, skill, and commitment of the Allied citizen-soldier in the face of a well-entrenched and well-equipped enemy army. Using signal message logs, war diaries, operational research reports, and interviews, Copp re-examines often overlooked battles such as the advance inland on D-Day and the defence of the bridgehead, as well as the frequently analyzed struggle for VerriÃ¨res ridge and the operations to reach Falaise, placing each operation within the context of overall Allied strategy. He demonstrates that previous accounts exaggerated the prowess of the German army and that while Allied air power and numerical strength were important, the Canadian and other Allied citizen armies won the war on the battlefield by employing an effective doctrine. The Canadian contribution to the Battle of Normandy, Copp argues, was an extraordinary achievement, well out of proportion to the number of troops engaged in battle, and the army was far more successful than previous historians have claimed. Passionately written and compellingly argued, Fields of Fire will make an irrefutable and controversial mark on Canadian military history.

Customer Reviews:

No one could have done better than the Canadians in Normandy.......2007-04-01

At last, a Canadian with pride in his country's achievements.

If Americans are blustering braggarts, Canadians are cautious colonials. It's one thing to take pride in a rebuilt Louisbourg, once the most expensive fortress in North America noted mainly for its easy surrenders that made British rule possible. It's much more relevant to recognize and honour the real courage of Canada's World War II armed forces.

During the 1960s, I spent many an evening in the Royal Canadian Legion hall in Orillia, listening to war stories. My wife's relatives were in Normandy. This book, with typical Canadian obsession to scholarly detail, is a start in recognizing and honouring their valour. Copp plodded through every scrap he could find about the campaign. Nonetheless, the smell of combat is missing. He doesn't understand the flavour and feel of a Punch Imlach who once described hockey as "war"; he fails to understand Canadians went to war like a bunch of hockey players on a power play.

It should be read in conjunction with 'The 12th SS' by Hubert Meyer; as one reviewer of Meyer's book states, the 12th SS were trained as rigorously as US Marines. The SS had Tigers; Canadians had US Shermans. As one veteran told me, their constant drill was bailing out fast, because like the 'Ronson' lighter the Sherman lit up every time when hit by an 88mm shell. The 88 was mythic, as was the MG 42; but, Canadians never faltered. In literature, the equivalent story is the immortal legend of Beowulf facing Grendl. In reality, the Canadian weakness was the lingering colonial tendency of senior officers to listen too often to the British or Yanks. Instead, Canada needs to nurture a bard who understands Beowulf.

Had the Canadians faltered, the invasion would have collapsed. The Caen to Falaise campaign was the "hinge" of the German defence; once broken, it collapsed. It's why the 12th SS was at Caen, not at St. Lo.

Almost every other country produces novels, films, memorials and great histories about its wars. Only Canada finds fault in its victories. Instead of 'The Longest Day' with a blowhard John Wayne, or 'Saving Private Ryan' as multiplex mayhem and madness, a Canadian feature film should be 'Hockey in a Bloody Rink'. This book is a start, even though it's as thrilling as an accountant's report and as daring as a professor's essay in a historical review. Now, someone needs to hoist a few beers in a few Legion Halls to understand the spirit and mood and courage of the enlisted men.

There's a joke about a Canadian who won a Olympic Gold Medal and was so proud he had it bronzed. It's doubtful any medal won in Normandy was "bronzed". In Canada, pride is in the deed and not in the boast. The Canadians in Normandy beat the best of the Germans, and ever since endured the "Yes, but we could have done better . . . ." syndrome of armchair critics. The attitude still exists, as seen in the 'Globe and Mail' almost every day. In Canada, even a world class achievement "could have done better".

Well, no one could have done better than the Canadians in Normandy. This book honours a long neglected area of Canadian pride. If anyone wants another good example, may I suggest J. B. Lamb's 'The Corvette Navy'. He wrote about an earlier almost unknown but highly significent Canadian battle to stop the "happy days" of the U-boats. However, how many memorials in Canada feature a corvette? How many books other than Lamb?

This book is a start. Maybe deference is still typically Canadian. It could be better. It does rise brilliantly above all American, British and German accounts. It is the one book to read if any book is read about the Normandy campaign. But, it could be better (how more Canadian could anyone be?!?!)

A remarkable book.......2007-02-14

Up until this release of this book I had searched in vain for a definiive account of the Canadian contribution to the battle of Normandy. I had read all the tired old books continuing the myth of the so-called lack of agression and achievement by Canadian and British troops. Many of these books were simply re-hashing the work of other authors, none of whom had been to Normandy, none of whom tried to look at the subject afresh.

Well Terry Copp has masterfully looked at the whole battle from D-Day to the closing of the Falaise gap, and explains the real history for us all. It's quite heavy-going and Fields of Fire certainly isn't written for 5 year olds. It requires your full attention and you'll need to keep the maps to hand to concentrate and follow the ebb and flow of the battle. The rewards however will be well worth the time you spend here. There is simply no better book about the Canadians in Normandy. Copp knows Normandy well, his little comments about what the terrain looks like could only have been written by someone who knows the lay of the land. I say this as someone who has to know the land myself as a tour guide in the region.

EXCELLENT

hard to put down.......2003-12-14

Once you start reading this book, it's pretty hard to actualy stop. Kopp manages to make each sentence important and worthwhile, which makes for a book that is both "short" and intense. At long last a book in which the commonwealth is not regarded as 2nd rate player behind the US forces. An amazing story of courage with the right ammount of technical details and historical accuracy for it to be used in serious research.

Ranks with Keegan, surpasses D'Este.......2003-09-28

The much vaunted and overly glamorized 12th SS were systematically destroyed in the fields of Normandy in three short months. And who did it? Primarly, a bunch of civilians from Canada - clerks and farmers, mailmen and college students, athletes and fathers. I know what you're thinking, surely that's because they had all that artillery and air power, sheer mass against those few brave tactical geniuses Liddell Hart admired so much. True, the western allies did have advantages, most obvious in the air (but tactical air power was hardly a deciding factor on the battlefield,) but they were the ones storming across open fields into well entrenched positions manned with automatic weapons, mortars, assault guns and heavy tanks including the Tiger. If you think Wittmann was brave charging into Villers Bocage in a 57 ton behemoth, how much braver did you have to be in a Sherman without the armor protection or deadly 88mm?

If you're interested in having your eyes opened to what the fighting in Normandy was really like, read this book. No, the Canadians weren't supermen, but they weren't inept either. They, like their German counterparts, fought long and hard against difficult odds. This book goes a long way to provide some much needed balance to the story of Normandy. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division came ashore on the 6th of June and did themselves, their country and the cause of freedom proud. Don't believe me? Read the book. Terry Copp is among the finest military historians writing today. Check out his sources, no Stephen Ambrose here, this guy does real research.

Very informative.......2003-09-27

Mr Copp's book is a must for any serious student on Normandy, and the Canadian contribution. While it helps to have an understanding of the Commonwealth campaign in Normandy, it is not required. I enjoyed Mr. Copp's unique "Canadian" look at much facts and criticisms leveled at the Canadian Forces. I feel that Mr. Copp brilliantly dispelled many of the facts that have seen as truths of the campaign. A great read for a student of Normandy, Canada, and the War.

Average customer rating:

Angels Eight: Normandy Air War Diary
David Clark
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Canadian | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

What it was like to scramble in a swarming cloud of fifty fighter aircraft battling for survival in Normandy skies? What were the names of the pilots? Read the details of US, German and British dogfights and pilots'' combat reports.

NO PROUDER PLACE: Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience, 1939-1945

Average customer rating:

No Prouder Place: Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945
40,000 flew with Bomber Command, 9919 Casualties

NO PROUDER PLACE: Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience, 1939-1945
David Bashow
Manufacturer: Vanwell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The Allied bombing of the Third Reich and its allies was part of Britain's overall war strategy to take the offensive to the enemy. It created a "second front" that bled off resources from the enemy's Soviet campaign, involving massive amounts of manpower and material just to address the threat. It also dealt telling blows to Germany's economic and industrial infrastructure, forcing decentralization of its war industries.

Finally, it paved the way, through destruction of the enemy air defences, oil resources, and transportation networks, for a successful invasion of Germany through Northwest Europe in 1944. No Prouder Place provides a fresh and objective look at the bombing campaign by emphasizing the highly significant role it played in defeating the Axis powers.

It is a story of sustained courage in the face of daunting odds as well as a celebration of the Canadian aircrew experience and its place in wartime Bomber Command. The text contains scores of original recollections from the veterans themselves, interwoven with material from primary, archival and secondary sources. It is illustrated with original artwork by Ron Lowry including colour side profiles of selected Bomber Command (from RCAF units) and Luftwaffe aircraft.

Customer Reviews:

No Prouder Place: Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience 1939-1945.......2007-10-05

I purchased this book for my father-in-law who piloted a Lancaster bomber for Canada in the Second World War. Being under the auspices of the British, Canadians have never received their due for the enormous role they played both in training flight personnel from many nations, out in Alberta Canada and in England itself, and in thousands of sorties they made over Germany at a very heavy cost to their airmen. This volume attempts to rectify that imbalance. My father-in-law says it is the most comprehensive accounting of the role Canada played in the airwar that he has ever seen. For the World War 11 buffs, aviators, and veterans alike, this book is a must read.

40,000 flew with Bomber Command, 9919 Casualties.......2006-12-20

The author of this book, David Bashow, is a retired Canadian Air Force fighter pilot. As such he is able to bring to this story of the Canadian participation in the bomber war over Germany.

In the publicity, the documentaries about bomber command, it is often overlooked that the British RAF really was composed of people from the British Empire. Australians, South Africans, New Zeelanders, Canadians and more fought along the airmen who were actually from England itself. Only lately have the contributions of these other forces to the overall effort been written about. This is the story of the Canadians, approximately 50,000 who flew in combat, 40,000 in bombers of whom 9,919 became casualties.

One of the enduring questions from World War II is the overall effectiveness of the bomber campaign against Germany. Was it worth all the money, all the lives it took? Mr. Bashow says that it was. He has included an Appendix called 'The Balance Sheet: The Costs and the Gains fo the Bombing Campaign.' This appendix is almost worth the cost of the book by itself. I don't think it will settle the issue forever, but it clearly states the position of the air forces involved. Further he quotes a number of German sources to illustrate, if not prove, his points.

Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy: 1939-1945

Average customer rating:

A timely book for all Canadians

Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy: 1939-1945
Ken Macpherson
Manufacturer: Vanwell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

FLOWER CLASS CORVETTE AGASSIZ: New Edition (Anatomy of the Ship)
Frigates of Royal Canadian Navy: 1943-1974

ASIN: 1551250527

Book Description

No other warship is so intimately connected with Canada's naval heritage as the ubiquitous corvette of the Second World War. Despite the importance of the corvette to Canadian history, no reliable history of the class has ever been published. In an attempt to fill the gap, this book is a concise, popular account of the corvette in Canadian service during the Second World War: its design, equipment, employment, modifications, victories, losses and final disposal. Plans by John McKay feature the original corvette design.

Customer Reviews:

A timely book for all Canadians.......1999-02-01

I have read this book several times. The authors give a clear picture of the Corvette's history; as a class of warship,regarding its development and modification during the war. I heartily recommend the book for its historical perspective. Its store of photographs for the historian and especially for the modeller of that great little ship.

Frigates of Royal Canadian Navy: 1943-1974

Average customer rating:

Frigates of Royal Canadian Navy: 1943-1974
Ken Macpherson
Manufacturer: Vanwell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Corvettes of the Royal Canadian Navy: 1939-1945

ASIN: 0920277225

Book Description

It is extraordinary that one seldom hears of the finest anti-submarine vessels built in Canada during the entire Second World War: frigates.

Frigates, initially dubbed "twin-screw corvettes" were designed by William Reed of Smith's Dock company. They were to prove their worth as ocean escorts and were important contributors to victory over the U-boats.

Perhaps because of their late arrival on the scene, wartime photographs of frigates are now scarce. The purpose of this book is to reproduce more than one illustration of each ship, especially those that were rebuilt to "Prestonian class" configuration after the war.

NORTH ATLANTIC RUN: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle for the Convoys

Average customer rating:

NORTH ATLANTIC RUN: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle for the Convoys
Marc Milner
Manufacturer: Vanwell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

British Submarines 1939-45 (New Vanguard)

ASIN: 1551251086

Book Description

At the height of The Battle of the Atlantic, half of the Allied convoy escorts on the main trade routes were Canadian, but history has largely ignores their contribution and their bitter sacrifices of their struggle against U-boat attacks in 1942 and 1943.

In North Atlantic Run, noted military historian Marc Milner tells the story of this drama at sea, detailing the dynamic role played by Canada and The Royal Canadian Navy in the battle for the convoys.

Canadian Airborne Forces since 1942 (Elite)

Average customer rating:

Exellent book

Canadian Airborne Forces since 1942 (Elite)
B Horn
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

No.10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942 - 45: Britain's Secret Commando (Elite)
Britain's Secret War: The Indonesian Confrontation 1962 - 66 (Men-at-Arms)
First Special Service Force 1942 - 44 (Elite)
Finland at War 1939 - 45 (Elite)
US Marine Corps Raider 1942-43 (Warrior)

ASIN: 1841769851
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Book Description

The 1st Canadian Parachute Bn jumped into Normandy on D-Day as part of 6th British Airborne Division. They fought with distinction for the rest of the North-West Europe campaign, making a second combat jump at the Rhine crossings in March 1945, and fighting in Holland until VE-Day. In the post-war years the Canadian SAS and the Mobile Striking Force maintained an airborne capability, formalized in 1968 with the raising of a Canadian Airborne Regt, which later served overseas in Cyprus and Somalia. Since its disbandment in 1995 a parachute capability has been maintained by companies of light infantry units – Royal 22e Regt, Princess Patricia's, and Royal Canadian Regt - which served against the Taliban and al-Quaida in Afghanistan, 2002–03. This book details the fascinating and proud history of the Canadian Airborne Regiments.

Customer Reviews:

Exellent book.......2006-09-22

Keeping with the ongoing trend of Osprey to provide first rate colour plates combined with information by knowledgeable authors, this book is an excellent precis of Canadian airborne soldiers. The authors have produced other works on the subject which are well known. The colour plates are of a higher standard than many recent Osprey titles, and the subject matter is fairly completely covered. I've not given a 5 since the book seems to lack the interesting sidebars found in other recent Osprey titles, and little attention is actually paid to parachute equipment, as the focus of the text is on history. Still, an invaluable aid to those interested in this subject matter. Some bias also slips into the text, such as a statement to the effect that all staff officers without exception must dream of commanding an airborne battalion - an unfair assumption on the part of the author, a former airborne officer! However, good detail in the coverage, including the Militia jump companies.

Canadian Forces in World War II (Men-at-Arms)

Average customer rating:

Canadian military contribution during WW II

Canadian Forces in World War II (Men-at-Arms)
Rene Chartrand
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The British Army 1939-45 (1): North-West Europe (Men-at-Arms)
The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45)
The French Army 1939-45 (2) : Free French, Fighting French & the Army of Liberation (Men-At-Arms Series, 318)
The German Army 1939-45 (5) : Western Front 1943-45 (Men-At-Arms Series, 336)
The Polish Army 1939-1945 (Men at Arms Series, 117)

ASIN: 1841763020
Release Date: 2001-12-15

Book Description

Canada was the first Commonwealth country to send troops to Britain in 1939. During 1939-45 hundreds of thousands of Canadians - more than 40 per cent of the male population between the ages of 18 and 45, and virtually all of them volunteers - enlisted. Canadians fought with tragic courage at Hong Kong and Dieppe; with growing strength and confidence in Sicily, Italy and Normandy; and finally provided an entire Army for the liberation of NW Europe. This concise account of an extraordinary national effort in the cause of freedom is supported by data tables, photos, and eight colour plates by Canada's most knowledgeable military illustrator.

Customer Reviews:

Canadian military contribution during WW II.......2002-02-20

Réné Chratrand's book on the Canadian military during the last war packs a lot of information in a slender volume. It's a good 'bridge' book because it supplments Brian Jewell's companion volume on the British Battledress, on Mike Chappell's on the Canadian Army at war from the same series as well as adding another combattant nation to Osprey's reinvigorated, ever-burgeoning series on the Second World War.
Chartrand briefly summarizes the country's political and military situation during the inter-war years. He even diplomatically discusses the events that lead to the 1944 conscription crisis.
Nevertheless, the bulk of the book is on Canada's military contribution in all branches- not just the traditional services but even lesser known such as the Canadian navy's Ferry Command and the women's auxiliary services. Indeed, Chartrand reminds his readers that from the fall of France until America's entry into the war, Canada was the second largest power. Even after the latter's entry, Canada was still an important contributor both militarily and industrially despite having a population less than half of today's.
Ron Volstad's colour plates are the among the best of his career as an illustrator. The degree of detail and realism is really exceptional and esthetically very pleasing. A real tour de force
Nevertheless, I do have criticisms. I found the large table that covers every Canadian army unit of the war to be unnecessary. It takes up valuable space on subject matter on more interesting subject matter. Such questions as, how did the war radically change Canadian military training during and after the conflict? How did the war affect Canada's identity? How were the Francophones incorporated into the military? Were there any social tensions due to the language differences? What was the Canadian soldier, airman and sailor's reputation in the eyes of its allies and enemies? Chartrand missed an opportunity to delve into such interesting questions.
Surely, if Canada was such a major contributor, why give the same mini-series treatment to country's military contributions that the German, Italian, American, British and Japanese armies have with the same imprint?
In spite of some shortcomings, this book is outstanding and would make a welcome addition to any modelbuilder's, re-enactor's and militaria collector's library.
Highly recommended.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books