Canadians at the Somme -- The Neglected Campaign/William F. Stewart (2017), reviewed by Dwight Mercer

Canadians at the Somme - The Neglected Campaign
 William F. Stewart (2017)

A University of Western Ontario MBA, Stewart had a 30-year career as a senior executive in the Canadian high-tech industry, in marketing. He returned to university to pursue his avocation of researching and writing history. He received his PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2012 - under the supervision of Professor Gary Sheffield - and he is the author of numerous scholarly articles on the First World War related to the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). In 2015, his reconsideration of the reputation of the controversial Canadian general Sir Richard Turner was published as The Embattled General: Sir Richard Turner and the First World War by McGill-Queen's University Press. His research focus is on the tactical, operational and administrative developments in the CEF, as well as the CEF's senior command levels. He is also a recent member and contributor within the  of the CEF Study Group Discussion forum.

Was impressed after just reading the Introduction. Original research, indications of perhaps an earlier fan of Liddell Hart, statistics and performance management measurements/statistics (which can illuminate) and presented with a distilled clarity. The clarity of the text is a rare treat and is worthy of praise in itself - including such mundane items are clearly explaining the evolving Order of Battle of the Canadian units as they arrive in France and are then incorporated in the first the British Expeditionary Force and later the Canadian Expeditionary Force - the author understands his material.

In one paragraph (page 38) on Field Marshall Haig, the author articulates the character and weaknesses of the man - which then underscore his planning and operation of the Battle of the Somme.

First impressions remind me of Tim Cook's book No Place to Run - chocked full of new material and/or includes the integration of several sources to more fully support a position or thought. 

Again, first impressions are that this book will most likely to become a reference text for the serious reader of CEF Great War history. After the endless rehashing of The Somme by a litany of British authors, it may be a Canadian who best illuminates the battle and the Field Marshall. It is more a book to study than to casually read - but this is good after reading so many books which rehash previous text and opinions with perhaps the book cover being the most significant change.

This book is not for the neophyte reader of the Great War - one needs to study the text more than just a casual read. Of equal importance, the textbook includes a separate Map Book with 33 separate and detailed colour maps which have been carefully created with additional detail and commentary.  

Strong recommendation for the serious reader of the Great War but perhaps too heavy for the casual reader

Review: Stalingrad -- The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943 by Dwight Mercer

Stalingrad - The Fateful Siege : 1942-1943                    (translated into 26 other languages)

Sir Antony Beevor                            Viking Press, Penguin Books                        1998

Education:           Winchester College, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst

                                He studied under the military historian John Keegan, and is a former officer with the 11th                                Hussars.

Stalingrad is a narrative history written by Antony Beevor of the battle fought in and around the city of Stalingrad during World War II, as well as the events leading up to it. It was first published by Viking Press in 1998.  He is the author of about

The book won the first Samuel Johnson Prize, the Wolfson History Prize, the Hawthornden Prize for Literature and the Baillie Gifford Prize (£30,000).

The book starts with Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, and the subsequent drive into the Soviet Union. Its main focus is the Battle of Stalingrad, in particular the period from the initial German attack to Operation Uranus and the Soviet victory. It details the subsequent battles and war crimes committed by both sides. The book ends with the defeat and surrender of the Germans in February 1943 and the beginning of the Soviet advance on Germany.

Antony Beevor conveys the reality within a conventional narrative - but he concentrates not on strategy, but more on the experience of soldiers on both sides.  Number of maps and photographs could be higher - but most military books tend to be lower than I would like.

His account is enriched by new primary sources including reports on desertions and executions from the archives of the Russian ministry of defence, captured German documents, interrogation of prisoners, private diaries and letters from soldiers on both sides, medical reports and interviews with key witnesses and participants.

I read the book about the same time I was playing the strategic game Stalingrad on a Macintosh computer.  The main full battle game required 2 hours of play per night over 60 days to complete.  Supply lines and unit exhaustion levels were critical factors to account for in the game playing. 

The game clearly presented the extended "meat grinder" battle situation - a battle of attrition and exhaustion in an arctic weather scenario.  The book also presents this impression.

As a final endorsement - I bought a second copy of the book to replace a loaned copy which never came back.

Books by Sir Antony Beevor

Violent Brink	1975	Novel	First published by John Murray, London
The Faustian Pact	1983	Novel	Jonathan Cape, London
For Reasons of State	1980	Novel	Jonathan Cape, London
The Spanish Civil War	1982	Non-fiction	First published Orbis, London	ISBN 9780141001487
The Enchantment of Christina von Retzen	1989	Novel	Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London
Inside the British Army	1990	Non-fiction	Chatto and Windus, London
Crete: The Battle and the Resistance	1991	Non-fiction	John Murray, London	ISBN 9780140167870
Paris After the Liberation, 1944–1949	1994	Non-fiction		Co-authored with his wife, Artemis Cooper. Revised edition 2004
Stalingrad	1998	Non-fiction	Viking Press, London, later by Penguin, London	Translated into 26 other languages. ISBN 9780670870950
Berlin: The Downfall 1945	2002	Non-fiction	Penguin, London	Published as The Fall of Berlin 1945 in the US ISBN 9780670030415
The Mystery of Olga Chekhova	2004	Non-fiction		(See Olga Chekhova) ISBN 9780670033409
The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–39	2006	Non-fiction	ISBN 9780143037651	Spanish edition published in 2005. ISBN 9780143037651
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy	2009	Non-fiction	Penguin Books, London	ISBN 9780670021192
The Second World War	2012	Non-fiction	W&N	ISBN 9780316023740
Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble	2015	Non-fiction	Viking	ISBN 9780670918645

Clearing the Way: Combat Engineers in Kandahar

RIFF Poster: Clearing the Way: Combat Engineers in Kandahar

    The Regina International Film Festival will open on August 14th at the

Casino Regina Show Lounge with "Clearing the Way: Combat Engineers in

Kandahar".

  This is the story of 23 Squadron RCE as part of 1 RCR Battle Group in

Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The Battle of Operation Medusa (Sep. 2 to

17, 2006) is at the heart of the film. 95% of the video in the film was

provided by the soldiers involved.

  The Opening Address and Introduction to the film will be given by Colonel

Geoffrey Abthorpe, Commander, 38 Canadian Brigade Group. Colonel Abthorpe

was Officer Commanding, Bravo Coy, 1 RCR Battle Group during Op Medusa.

  The RIFF is offering a discount ticket price to the Military for the Film

Festival:

            All Access Pass: $70.00 + tax instead of $80.00 + tax (includes

the Opening Night)

            Opening Night: $25.00 + tax instead 0f $35.00 + tax

  Tickets can be purchased on the RIFF website ( www.riffa.ca ). Enter code

CCE2018 to get the Military discount price.

  The Director of the film, Paul Culliton, will speak about the film after

the screening.

  The RUSI strongly encourages our members to see this award winning

documentary film about Canada's Military in Afghanistan. Please share this

e-mail with anyone that you think may be interested in seeing this film.