Britain received enormous loyal support from the Commonwealth nations, during WWII, and the Canadians provided one of the major contributions in terms of trained men and materials. The authors have the story of the First Canadian Army through the days of European liberation, where they were frequently in the thick of the fighting and giving a good account of themselves. By printing in full colour, the publisher has been able to embed a selection of images in full colour and in B&W as available. – Very Highly Recommended
NAME: First Canadian Army, Victory in Europe, 1944-45 FILE: R3270 AUTHOR: Simon Forty, Leo Marriott PUBLISHER: Firefly Books BINDING: hard back PRICE: £24.95 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: WWII, World War II, World War 2, Second World War, First Canadian Army, European Liberation, Commonwealth, Dominion, technologies, arms, equipment ISBN: 978-0-22810271-7 PAGES: 192 in colour IMAGE: B3270.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/y5tx8q9b LINKS: DESCRIPTION: Britain received enormous loyal support from the Commonwealth nations, during WWII, and the Canadians provided one of the major contributions in terms of trained men and materials. The authors have the story of the First Canadian Army through the days of European liberation, where they were frequently in the thick of the fighting and giving a good account of themselves. By printing in full colour, the publisher has been able to embed a selection of images in full colour and in B&W as available. – Very Highly Recommended
The Second World War started with Britain and France providing the armed opposition to the world domination desires of the Germans. When the Battle of France was lost, the British managed to extract some 350,000 British and French troopsoff the beaches of Dunkirk, but not their heavy equipment. Many escapees even failed to bring back their personal weapons in the armada of small boats where space and cargo weight was at a premium.
Fortunately for freedom and democracy, Britain was not alone. Although France had capitulated, men and materials were rushed to Britain from the Commonwealth. Volunteers travelled great distances to rally to the British colours. It would be unfair to single out one country above others because each member of the British Empire had different resources available that could be spared, but the Canadian contribution was magnificent and much Canadian blood was spilt to liberate Europe.
The First Canadian Army also included soldiers of other nationalities under its command. These included, Polish, American, British and Belgian troops. Of particular value, the Canadians were able to send trained and fully equipped troops across the Atlantic, including their heavy weapons, relieving the British military production that was at full stretch re-equipping the British Army, Air Force and Royal Navy.
Blooded at Dieppe, the Canadians rapidly proved their courage and endurance. When they landed on the Normandy beaches, their armour fought alongside the British armour against some of the strongest German Panzer troops. Then ahead of them stood the long slog to Germany and victory.
The authors tell the story well with affection and feeling. They have the benefit of some fantastic images, beautifully reproduced, many in full colour.