Military History Commons^™

“Batty Mac”: Portrait Of A Brigade Commander Of The Great War, 1915–1917, Ian Mcculloch

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

One Family’S War: World War Two As Seen Through The Craig Family, Jeff Keshen

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The “Dorothy Medal” And The Dominion Rifle Association, Kyle Mcintyre

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Operation “Canada”: 5th Canadian Armoured Division’S Attack On Delfzijl, 23 April To 2 May 1945, Daniel Byers

Canadian Military History

Operation “Canada” was the last action fought 5th Canadian Armoured Division in the Second World War. The battle to open the northern Dutch port of Delfzijl lasted ten days, and cost the Division a total of 62 dead and 180 wounded. Yet it has largely been forgotten. The capture of Delfzijl is interesting enough to be worth studying in its own right. As one of the last Canadian actions in the war, it reveals the level of proficiency achieved by Canadian soldiers by that time. The reduction of the pocket was carried out with a high degree of efficiency, and …

Confronting Technological And Tactical Change: Allied Anti-Submarine Warfare In The Last Year Of The Battle For The Atlantic, Douglas M. Mclean

Canadian Military History

The recall of German U-boat wolfpacks from the central north Atlantic at the end of May 1943 ended the most costly phase of the shipping war for the Allies. Never again would the German U-boats inflict dangerously high shipping losses. The naval war remained bitter, nonetheless, for the U-boats refused to give up, turning instead to new technology and new tactics. Right to the end, they continued to present a plausible threat that caused concern in high Allied circles. Indeed, in January 1945 the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty was moved to warn that, “The high shipping losses which …

Fighting The Defensive Battle On The Jamestown Line: The Canadians In Korea, November 1951, David J. Bercuson

Canadian Military History

Barbed wire. Artillery duels. Patrolling in “no-man’s land.” Static warfare from fixed defensive positions. This description could easily fit the western front in 1916. In fact, however, it also depicts the Jamestown Line in central Korea from the beginning of the static phase of the Korean war in late October 1951 to the cease-fire of July 1953. The apparent similarity of this static war to the Western Front from late 1914 to early 1918 has obscured the importance and uniqueness of the Korean experience to recent military history. For while stalemate on the Western Front derived from fundamental military problems, …

In Support Of The Canadians: A British Anti-Tank Regiment’S First Five Weeks In Normandy, Tony Foulds

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The Royal Arms Of France And Its Ancillary Artefacts, Bernard Pothier

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“Within Ourselves”: The Development Of British Light Infantry In North America During The Seven Years’ War, Ian Mcculloch

Canadian Military History

The first British regulars to appear in North America were those accompanying a small British expedition to wrest Manhattan from the Dutch in 1664. Colonel Richard Nicolls’ troops landed on Long Island 25 August 1664 at the exact site where General William Howe’s troops would disembark over a century later. After a swift Dutch capitulation, Nicolls’ redcoats and subsequent garrisons of British regulars would maintain a solid presence in New York for a virtually uninterrupted period of 119 years.

It has been suggested by one American historian that this factual record has been conveniently overlooked by most of his colleagues …

Pursuit To The Seine: The Essex Scottish Regiment And The Foret De La Londe, August 1944, Doug W. Mcintyre

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Soldiers’ Lives Depicted: Paintings And Drawings By “Unofficial Artists” In The Collection Of The Canadian War Museum, Angela Marcus

Canadian Military History

The Canadian War Museum’s collection of Second World War art, collectively entitled “The Canadian War Records,” is primarily made up of artwork officially commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada on behalf of the Canadian Government. Through this scheme 33 Official war artists were given the sponsorship and protection of the three branches of the Armed Forces. The artists’ objective was to illustrate Canada’s role in the Second World War. This made it possible for them to travel around Canada to record activities at training bases and also to be sent overseas to record the military action in various parts …

Loyalist Lieutenant Jeremiah French And His Uniform, René Chartrand

Canadian Military History

There are many unique and remarkable uniforms in the collections of the Canadian War Museum, some of which go back quite far into our history. One of these, probably the oldest presently known uniform that can be assigned to a unit raised in Canada, is that of Lieutenant Jeremiah French of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York.

Flying Desert Rat: The Combat Career Of Squadron Leader Bert Houle, Christopher Evans

Canadian Military History

Albert Houle is a Canadian whose war, while not totally unique for a Canadian fighter pilot in World War Two, was certainly far from the norm. His entire combat career was fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. His first tour was with the Royal Air Force and his second with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Similar to another Canadian ace George Beurling, Houle's desire for combat and intemperate attitude to all those who stood in his way led to as many actions on the ground as in the air. Almost without exception, Houle viewed anyone not in combat or …

The Canadian Battle Of Normandy Foundation Study Tour, 1997, Andrew B. Godefroy, Robb Furlong, David Patterson, David Yull

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Captain Louis-René Drapeau, Dcm & Bar, Ed, Cd, Air Medal (Us), Gil Drolet

Canadian Military History

The Montreal telephone directory lists him simply as “Louis-René Drapeau (Capt).” The browser might well ask: “Captain of what?” Like so many others, the ordinary person has very little knowledge of what went on a half-century ago except what he may have seen in John Wayne or Humphrey Bogart movies on late night TV. Unlike these Hollywood heroes who managed to avoid involvement in war in order to continue successful and growing film careers, men now grown old have nothing but memories (and medals tarnishing in dusty drawers) to remind them of days of youth and danger. One of these …

With Hms Prince Of Wales And Hms Warspite: The Adventures Of A Canadian Radar Officer In The Royal Navy, Stuart E. Paddon

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The Engima Cipher Machine, Tony Wilson

Canadian Military History

There can be little doubt that the German “Enigma” was the best and safest mechanical cipher machine available in any country at the outbreak of the Second World War. Its general use by all three services of the German armed forces presented the Allies with a very serious impediment to their efforts to read the German military message traffic and a great deal of time and effort was expended in attempts to devise a rapid and accurate method of deciphering it.

That these efforts were in the end successful, was due in the main to the work of a dedicated …

“No Dead Wood”: Henry Lamb And The Canadians, Brian Foss

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

John Terrane: A Study Of A First World War Revisionist, Christopher M. Hand

Canadian Military History

Of all the British military historians who started writing about the First World War during the "boom" of the sixties, perhaps no one has had greater influence or generated more controversy than John Alfred Terraine. As G.F. Elliot wrote in a 1965 review, "John Terraine is one of the younger generation of British military analysts who are now proving, with brilliance and vigour, the value of the long view in putting World War I in proper perspective." It is this idea of perspective, trying to bring balance to the historical arguments concerning the British contribution to the First World War, …

“The Vast Experiment”: The New Brunswick Militia’S 1865 Camp Of Instruction, J. Brent Wilson

Canadian Military History

In July 1865, almost 1,000 New Brunswick militiamen assembled in Fredericton for a twenty-four day Camp of Instruction. This was the first time peacetime militia training on this scale was ever attempted in British North America. At the time, and since, the camp was praised as a notable achievement. New Brunswick’s lieutenant-governor and provincial commander-in-chief, Arthur Hamilton Gordon, wrote: “The entire success of this experiment is admitted with an unanimity which is remarkable, because rare in this Province.” Although the uniqueness of the camp has been the subject of some interest, it has never been subjected to more in-depth analysis. …