Canadian Army, 1939–1945

I '' : • t t. . . ~ I ' • r' _: ,. I I,·.·'· . ,, ~ I ~ ,.:,. I' :.. I ., ~ 1' 1 I ·~ , •' I 1 ~ f I. 'I i ,, r I ! ,, I .. i·, \ I r~. (· f ,·,··.:· I '·· I• ' I ! \ 1 i J' ' • I f ' · '' , . .. ) ' I '; I .._, ·. : REVIEWS .-, ! I I the ad~·an·cing 'years ,blamed? This too i~ ~art of the larger question of'_··, Paradise Lost in our time. The best hope of ari answer lie~ in the vigorous scholarly an·d critical activity manif~ste~· in the wor~s we ha_ve reviewed and ~n those other studies :which stand in.serried ranks behind them. ERNEST SIRLUCK When the hist01·y of'the Canadian art;ny in the war just ended comes to· be written, it will constitute not the least striking chapter in the long ,· chronicle of warfare. For a virtually unarmed democracy of less than twelve millions, the military and industrial effort mounted by Can·ada during those six years seems, even in retrospect, most improbable; and of, this effort the most significant and dramatic p~rtion, even. with all justice done to the indispe_ nsable work of the~avy and Air Forc:e, was c3:rri~d .br the Army.' It 'may serve a~ a gauge tci its stature to recall that it was Cdn . Army2 which was selected 'for the critical Battle of the Rhineland; .and for·that campaign (in which HQ Second British Army had no part) enough·divisions were placed at General Crerar's disposal to .give .him not only very much the greatest comma.nd ever held by a Canadian, but one comparable to the largest army commands of any nation. 1· 'Qualitatively, too, Cd_ n Army established its reputation ·very firmly: Its ga'Ilantry and ability need no catalogue of engagements as testimonial -although a most impressive battle-roll is available' to the historian. · B~t gallantry and ability were not uncommon among the formations of SHAEF, as its record suggests.. It was perhaps_most for successful innovation and -·ready adaptability to varying conditions . that Cdn Army came to be ,· ' distinguished. As a formation, it took to the new ·as one of its DUI~Ws8 took to water. The pioneer work in the techniques of combined operations on .a large scale, of polder4 fighting; of the crossing o( a defended water.:. obstatle in strength; of the use of mechanized flame-throwers to provide support and cover for a large assaulting force: these and many other ··achievements in method lend a flavour of inventiveness that makes the story of the Canadian army a highly individual one. ' lGauntlet to Overlord:_ the Story of the Canadian Army. By Ross MuNRO. Toronto: Macmillan. 1945. Pp. 477. ($3.00) · 2Jhis abbreviation rep'resen·ts, the formation entitled First-Canadian Army, while the · unabbreviated form signifies the aggregate Canadian ground forces. Similarly, the official military" abbreviations are used to .designate specific subordinate formations, e.g., 5 Cdn Armd Div (for. Fifth Can·adian Armoured Division); when the reference is not to a specific · formation, the words are not abbreviated, e.g., "a. Canadian division." ' 3}\n amphibious transport vehicle. 4 Low reclaimed· land, maintained by dykes and readily inundated; common in parts , of Belgium and Holland. · · ' I··. ' . ' ~ 1. L ' ., ' -:' '-rice is a lack of cumulative effect and a certain failure of propontion. The story of the Normandy invasion to the capture of Falaise is much the best"'part of the book. Mr. Munro has captured the tense atmosphere of Britain during the winter ·and spring before D-Day, when the· skilful war of nerves fought by the Allied High Command was almost as hard on us as on the enemy. With \him, we review the long a~d arduous .special training of the assault forces, in which the techniques of combined operations were developed and perfected. He suggests something of the . fearful expectancy with which many senior officers learnt of the return of Ivfont::gomery to England, and one hears once again the clangour of brass· hats falling one after another. One wonders a second time at the secrecy in - which scores ·of thousands of veteran troops returned to Britain. The· rhythm steadily qui"ckens: the air a'ssault on Europe is stepped up and...