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The citizen soldier is a foundational figure in the Canadian social memory of the First World War. This cultural history of the amateur military tradition, however, traces the origins of the citizen soldier ideal to long before Canadians donned khaki and boarded troopships for the Western Front. Before the Great War, Canada's military culture was in transition as the country navigated an uncertain relationship with the United States and fought an imperial War in South Africa. Militia Myths explores the ideological transformation that took place between 1896 and 1921, arguing that by the end of the War, the untrained citizen volunteer had replaced the long-serving militiaman as the archetypical Canadian soldier. ... Read more

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This ground-breaking book brings to a life a forgotten chapter in the history of Canada and Russia -- the journey of 4,200 Canadian soldiers from Victoria to Vladivostok in 1918 to help defeat Bolshevism. Combining military and labour history with the social history of BC, Quebec, and Russia, Benjamin Isitt examines how the Siberian Expedition exacerbated tensions within Canadian society at a time when a radicalized working class, many French-Canadians, and even the soldiers themselves objected to a military adventure designed to counter the Russian Revolution. The result is a highly readable and provocative work that challenges public memory of the First World War while illuminating tensions -- both in Canada and worldwide – that shaped the course of twentieth-century history. ... Read more

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Complete list of more than 30,000 Canadian volunteers who were the first to respond to the call to arms in 1914. A new introduction gives the background history of the Canadian contingent of the BEF in the Great War. ... Read more

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This book deals with a subject not been well covered before-the question of what is "courage in battle," and it examines how bravery was shown bysoldiers in the Canadian army from the South African War in 1900 to Afghanistan in 2007.Many of these courageous soldiers have been forgotten and this book is one way ofkeeping their memories alive, such as that of Corporal William Knisley who, isolated ona lonely South African hill in 1901, held off the enemy until he was killed; and CaptainOliver Mowat who died holding back a Bolshevik advance in the lonely snow-covered woodsof North Russia in 1918.

The book does not proceed by presenting alarge collection of citations but analyzes the meaning of courage using a wide varietyof sources ranging from psychology, philosophy and, to the extent practical, memoirs byCanadian soldiers. In addition, each chapter attempts to show how courage was affectedby changes in military technology in that era. Finally, each chapter describes thedevelopment of the British system of honours and awards in the related time period andhow it affected awards made to Canadian soldiers — the Victoria Cross,Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Distinguished Conduct Medal and MilitaryMedal. As a result, this book is in effect the most complete history yet of gallantryawards to Canadians. With the first of the new Canadian decorations of military valourawarded in 2007, this era of British awards has ended and a new one begun. ... Read more

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French Canadians have a long, proud history of serving their nation. From the earliest beginnings, French Canadians assisted in carving out and defending the nascent country. They were critical as defenders and as allies against hostile Natives and competing European powers. In the aftermath of the conquest, they continued, albeit under a different flag, to defend Canada. Loyal Service examines the service of a number of French-Canadian leaders and their contributions to the nation during times of peace, crisis, and conflict spanning the entire historical spectrum from New France to the end of the twentieth century.

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Consisting of the Calgary Highlanders, the Black Watch, and the French-speaking Régiment de Maisonneuve, the 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade landed in France in early July 1944 as part of British General Bernard Montgomery s 21st Army Group. That summer, the brigade participated in hellish battles in Normandy, including Caen and Verrières Ridge. The 5th went on to distinguish itself in Belgium, where it endured foul weather and fierce resistance near Antwerp in October 1944, and ended the war with bloody streetfighting in the towns of Holland. ... Read more

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In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, President George W. Bush declared that "every nation in every region now has a decision to make: either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." Until then, Canada had been contentedly fast-tracking down the post-NAFTA road towards continental integration. Bush's words resurrected an historic sovereignty debate, one that burst into full flame when Canadians, led by Prime Minster Jean Chretien, took the unprecedented decision not to fight alongside their Anglo-American allies in Iraq. Robert Wright argues that Canadians' understanding of notions such as art, culture, unity, identity and sovereignty have always been informed by conflicting forces, most of them beyond the control of ordinary citizens, many beyond the control of governments. He suggests that Canadians are not timid fence-sitters, or apathetic victims of situational forces. Rather, out of conditions of contradiction, paradox and irony, they have developed remarkably sophisticated cultural and political strategies for deriving pleasure, prosperity and peace of mind. Living with contradiction has always been a fact of Canadian life; ambivalence has been the critical framework that has made this living not only possible, but the envy of the world. In Virtual Sovereignty, Wright explores the relationship between modern Canadian nationalism, cultural policy, popular discourse and the lives of ordinary Canadians. One may agree or disagree with the claims of Canadian nationalists, Wright argues, but there can be no disputing their absolutely vital role in the maintenance of national conversation in which all Canadians have a stake. ... Read more

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Seventy minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbour, the Japanese forces launched the invasion that in five months rolled unstoppably across the whole of Burma. In March 1944 the Japanese commander stood on the border to India, his eyes bright with the vision of marching in triumph into Delhi. What followed was the ten-week long siege of the border town of Imphal and the biggest defeat the Japanese Army ever suffered. Then the Allied forces turned on their ruthless enemy and drove him southward to the sea even more rapidly than he had advanced in 1942. By mid-June 1945 the Japanese Army in Burma was completely disorganized and destroyed. Of the 300,000 Japanese soldiers who swaggered into Burma, only 118,000 ever returned home.

It is surprising how little the Burma Campaign is known in Canada, and even more surprising how little is known of Canadians involvement in it. In the air Canadians flew fighter planes that conquered Japan's Oscars, Zekes and Zeroes and manned the bombers that broke the back of the River Kwae Railway. Two RCAF pilots salvaged the wreckage of a light plane and used it to rescue British soldiers wounded two hundred miles behind enemy lines. A Canadian was in charge of the mules for one of the Wingate's Chindit columns. It was a Canadian pilot who discovered the Japanese fleet steaming toward Ceylon. A Canadian doctor laboured day and night to save the wounded in the flight from Burma and in the siege of Imphal and ended up as personal surgeon to the last Viceroy of India. The Burma Campaign was almost completely supplied by air and Canadian crews flew more than one third of those supply missions.

Canadians were awarded more than 150 decorations for merit and bravery in Burma, including one Victoria Cross. Approximately 8000 Canadians served there and 500 of these gave their lives in the Burma Campaign. For Your Tomorrow tells the story of the Campaign and of the Canadians who fought in it.

... Read more

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In this book, John A. English presents a detailed examination of the role of the Canadian Army in Normandy from the D-Day landings in June 1944 through the closing of the Falaise Gap in August. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

History of the Canadian Army.
Anyone who is interested in reading or writing about the Canadian Army, its history, doctrine, training practices and its cooperation with the British Army will want to read this book. It covers from before WWI to the close of WWII. A little more than half of the book is devoted to this venue. The author is almost obsessional about the topic. The author, a veteran, believes the Canadian performance in Normandy was disappointing but didn't believe the traditional explanation that inexperienced soldiers and mid level officers were the only reason for that performance. To get answers and a better understanding of the past, Mr English makes an exhaustive study of the political and military aspects of Canadian history. This book is the result of that study. Just like the deterioration of the US Army after WWII, the author believes this same laxness of regulations and abhorrence of war after WWI was the main cause of a lackluster Army by 1939.
Added to this extensive narrative is an impressive 68 page Notes section which will add to your reading experience.
The tactical coverage of post D-Day landings in Normandy is actually ancillary to the above history. This Normandy coverage is 90 pages and between 10 and 20 pages is givern to Operation Atlantic, Goodwood, Spring, Totalize / Tractable. Operations Axehead, Charnwood, Epsom, Pintail, Tallulah, Trousers and Windsor are given one or two pages. On the key battles, particularly Totalize, the author briefly describes the planning, battle results and analysis. While this is interesting, the lack of greater tactical details of these key battles was disappointing.
There are 18 black and white maps which are simple but helpful to follow the action. The author also provides a decentBibliopgrapy, Appendix and Index.

I rated this book 4 stars for if you're looking for this type of information the book will be invaluable. From my perspective and interest, this book would be rated lower. I was looking to read about the tactical / operational aspects of the campaigns the Canadians were in, especially Operation Totalize /Tractable but the coverage detail didn't go far enough. If your interest is similar to mine then there may be some disappointment; if your interest is more academic than tactical then you will probably like this book. ... Read more

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Between 1936 and 1939, almost 1,700 Canadians defied their government and volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War. They chose to leave behind punishing lives in Canadian relief camps, mines, and urban flophouses to confront fascism in a country few knew much about. Four hundred died there.

Michael Petrou has drawn on recently declassified archival material, interviewed surviving Canadian veterans, and visited the battlefields of Spain to write the definitive account of Canadians in the Spanish Civil War. It reveals who these men and women were, why they volunteered, how they lived and died in Spain, and how the Canadian government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reacted to their decision to illegally join another country's war.

Renegades is an intimate and unflinching story of idealism and courage, duplicity and defeat. It will appeal to anyone interested in the history of Canada, the Spanish Civil War, and the struggle between democracy and totalitarianism in the 1930s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good History
I approached this work with some hesitation: too many publications of this kind are either romanticised, or thinly disguised Communist propaganda. I was pleasantly surprised. Petrou's monograph (based on his PhD thesis) is an even-handed, solid, and well-written overview of the Canadians who volunteered to serve in Spain on the Republican side. In addition to the usual sources, including interviews with surviving veterans, the author also taps sources hitherto unavailable -- the Comintern archives in Moscow and the RCMP archives in Canada.

The results should surprise those who see little difference between Canadians and Americans. Canadians were older than their counterparts south of the border, they were overwhelmingly working class (lumberjacks, miners, and so on), and they were tougher and less inclinded to accept authority. A great many were recent immigrants, and certain ethnic groups -- Ukrainians, Finns, Hungarians -- were strongly over-represented relative to the general population.

Petrou gives a clear-headed and realistic account of the varied experiences of these men, and he provides enough background to make it accessible even to those who know little of the Spanish Civil War and Comintern politics; however, you'll get more out of the book if you first acquire some understanding of these topics.

Two eyes can see more than one
The book arrived in perfect shape and quite fast. I already knew it because there's an electronic version partly accessible in the web, so the contents weren't a surprise to me.
It's a really interesting point of view of a part of the SCW. If you are interested in details of fightings and living of these International brigadists. Data are quite accurate when compared with many other sources. Despite it doesn't cover the whole war, since canadian batallion only participated after Belchite battle, the author describes very precisely the small facts afterwards.
Almost the half of the book is about the individual lives of the participants, which could be interesting for those looking for biographical details and not so much for those searching for SCW facts.
As a whole, it's an awesome book. ... Read more

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Billy Bishop enlisted as an infantryman at the outbreak of World War I. He soon transferred to the Royal Flying Corps where flying came as naturally to him as breathing. In this classic autobiography, Billy Bishop vividly recreates the early days when the 'airborne jalopy' was getting its trial run. He describes the tiny Nieuport Scout, armed with a single Lewis gun, in which he had to dodge the 'Archies' (anti-aircraft batteries) and fight the scarlet tri-winged Fokkers flown by the formidable Baron von Richthofen and his squadron. The heroic memoir that portrays a real Canadian hero facing a skilled and determined enemy - Winged Warfare gets more exciting with every take off. ... Read more

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This thoughtful and provocative book is a compendium of works by well known Canadian authors, scholars and serving Canadian Forces officers that express the unique Canadian experience and outlook in regard to Generalship and the Art of the Admiral.The book examines Canadian generalship from a number of perspectives such as the historic experience, the nature of higher command, recent operations, and the functional roles and responsibilities of generalship.

Contributing authors include: Jack Granatstein, David Bercuson, Desmond Morton, Terry Copp, MGEN (Ret'd) Lew McKenize, GEN Maurice Baril and more. ... Read more

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More than 250,000 courageous men and women were enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. These Canadians fought valiantly in every major air operation from the Battle of Britain to the bombing of Germany. Thousands lost their lives. Those who survived to tell their stories were forever changed. Here are some of their incredible stories.

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The first of three volumes of the Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force, this book provides the definitive story of Canadian airmen in World War I and, moreover, a revisionist account of the war in the air.

Organized topically, this volume begins with an overview of military aviation in Canada prior to 1914, as successful aircraft experiments like Baldwin's and McCurdy's Silver Dart are set against Defence Minister Sam Hughes' rejection of any government air policy. Financial timidity and political uncertainty subsequently decreed that the 20,000 Canadians who trained for, or fought in, history's first air war would have no air force of their own but would fly in the British flying services.

The sections which follow show that Canadians excelled in every aspect of the air war. Indeed, although the First World War never saw an exclusively Canadian squadron in action and no Canadian rose to a command above Group level, Professor Wise has been able to write a full account of the war in the air from the Canadian perspective. Recruitment and training, the maritime air war, the strategic bombing of Germany and the defence of Great Britain, as well as action on the Western Front, in Italy, and in Macedonia, are all covered in depth. Each section reveals the complexity of air operations, as tactics, strategy, and aircraft evolved with astonishing speed. The exploits of remarkable fighter aces such as Billy Bishop, Raymond Collishaw, D.R. MaccLaren, and W.G. Barker, and of bomber leaders like R.H. Mulock, are set in the context of the air war and the many thousands of Canadians who served with them.

In his conclusion Wise traces the development of Canadian government air policy to the year 1920, during which time the first Canadian air force was born and quickly died. In analysing this major step in Canada's entry into the air age he lays the foundation for postwar civil expansion and the formation of the RCAF.

Illustrated with specially prepared colour and sketch maps and over 200 photographs, many of them published here for the first time, this book should prove invaluable to the military historian and of wide appeal to the aviation enthusiast and general reader alike.

The other volumes in the Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force are The Creation of a National Air Force by W.A.B. Douglas (out of print) and The Crucible of War, 1939-1945 by Brereton Greenhous, et al. (available). ... Read more