Review of Terry Copp, A Canadian\u27s Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy. Waterloo, ON: Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, 1994

McAndrew, William

English

Scholars Commons

\u3cem\u3eA Canadian’s Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy\u3c/em\u3e by Terry Copp [Review]

Wilfrid Laurier University

Canadian Military HistoryVolume 3 | Issue 1 Article 281-23-2012A Canadian’s Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy byTerry Copp [Review]William McAndrewDirectorate of Heritage and History, Department of National DefenceThis Feature is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian MilitaryHistory by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationMcAndrew, William (1994) "A Canadian’s Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy by Terry Copp [Review]," Canadian Military History:Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 28.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol3/iss1/28in the Second World War. At a time when the number of illus-trations in books are being cut back to save costs, the publisher, CANAV Books, should be commended for bucking this trend. Towards the end of the book, Halliday includes an chapter entitled "Typhoon Results." In it, he discusses the findings made by Operational Research teams concerning the effectiveness of tactical aviation in general and Typhoons in particular during the campaign in Northwest Eu-rope. The author summarizes these results by stating: From many of these docu-ments [Operational Re-search reports) emerged so bering conclusions. The effectiveness of tacti-cal air forces was admit-ted, but it was also clear that aircraft had been less decisive than had been claimed during the actual fighting [p.l35). This book does an excellent job recounting the day-to-day opera-tions of Canadian Typhoon pi-lots, but it does not give those operations much context. The inclusion of the "Typhoon Re-sults" chapter is an attempt to redress this. Unfortunately, it creates as many questions for the reader as it answers. The claims made by Operation Re-search do not complement the popular image of the Typhoon and close support operations, and many, especially ex-pilots, will find this disturbing. None-theless, these conclusions are entirely supported by the evi-dence available today. As well, the evidence discussed refers primarily to the effectiveness of attacks byrocket-firingTyphoons on close support targets - tanks, armoured fighting vehicles, gun positions, etc. The focus of the book, however, is directed to-wards the experiences of the bomb-toting Canadian Typhoon squadrons. Though an interest-ing side-bar, this chapter does not contribute to a better under-standing of "The Canadian Story." Halliday has written an in-teresting, engaging and informa-tive account of Canadian Ty-phoon and Tempest pilots in the Second World War. This book shines a light on a group of pilots who often get lost in the glare surrounding the more glamor-ous Spitfire pilots with their aerial victories and the bomber crews who endured endless hours of horror on their nightly forays against Germany. In reading this book, the reader will come away with a sense of the contribution made by these unsung heroes. Hugh Halliday set himself a lofty goal in writing this book. Ty-phoon and Tempest: The Cana-dian Story does not disappoint. Mike Bechthold Wilfrid Laurier University * * * * * A Canadian's Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy Terry Copp, A Canadian's Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy, Waterloo: Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarm-ament Studies, 1994, 17 4 pages, $22.95. T he fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Normandy has stimulated interest among many Canadians in the experiences of their fathers and uncles who fought there in 1944. Some of them will travel to Normandy during this year's commemora-tion and, hopefully, if interest is not merely transitory. in coming years more will view the invasion beaches, drive roads bearing the names of Canadian regiments, and visit regional museums. Trying to visualize and partici-pate vicariously in old battles is always difficult; invariably peace-ful farm fields and villages of today give little sense of the vio-lence of war. That is certainly true of Normandy where fifty years ago young Canadians and Germans fought bitterly over them. This book provides a con-necting thread spanning that interval. It will be as indispensa-ble a companion to a successful battlefield visit as a Michelin guide is to museums and galler-ies. The book is in two parts that combine the essentials of a good travel guide with a substantial history lesson. Sections of Part I provide practical information that will assist anyone to pre-pare, plan and undertake a trip: about airlines, rental cars, trains, and also useful addresses where additional information may be recommend. The second part of the book is concerned with the Canadian operations in Normandy. It has nine sections, each detailing a battlefield tour which can be managed in a few or many hours depending on particular inter-ests. The first two follow the assault landings and 3rd Divi-sion's initial encounters with the 12th SS Panzer Division, and the next the brutal struggle at 151 1McAndrew: <em>Battlefields of Normandy</em> [Review]Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 1994Carpiquet and Caen. Succes-sive tours then take the reader I visitor around Verrieres Ridge, through Operations "Totalize" and "Tractable" to the Falaise Gap, and finally the pursuit to the Seine and Rouen. Each sec-tion has a succinct account of the operation, describing its course and outcome, and plac-ing it in perspective. It then provides a detailed route card that the least intrepid navigator will be able to follow without difficulty. Furthermore, the tour section is admirably enhanced by two sets of maps. Those in the text portray the terrain of the battles. The other maps, which fold out from the back of the book for easy reference, high-light the roads that are clearly keyed to the route cards. Fi-nally, appendices identifY Cana-dian commanders, cite both army and RCAF orders of battle, and suggest further readings. The only omission is a listing of RCN vessels that participated in Over-lord. A Canadian's Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy fills a large gap in the literature on Canadian operations in 1944. Several books and numerous Front Cover A detail from Invasion Pattern by Eric Aldwinkle (CWM 10679) Inside Front Cover Mobile Bath by George Pepper (CWM 13731) Inside Back Cover articles have been written on the subject during the past fifty years but, even if they are now accessi-ble, none is entirely satisfactory to either a layman or a specialist planning to visit the battle sites. Most are either too general or too specific, and when there, trying to consult more than one opera-tional account simultaneously to get a sense of what happened (as well as Frommer or Fodor to find a bed and breakfast) is too in-convenient to be pleasurable. The value of the book is that it packs so much useful, practical information in a form that can be tucked in a jacket pocket, and followed easily from the Cana-dian beaches north of Caen to Rouen. Moreover, the traveller will be intelligently informed at every corner en route. Bill McAndrew Director General History Normandy Scene, Beach in Gold Area (top) by Jack Nichols (CWM 10523) 152 Tanks Moving Up for the Breakthrough (bottom left) by George Pepper (CWM 13795) Embarking Casualties on D-Day, HMCS Prince David (bottom right) by Harold Beament (CWM 10024) Back Cover D-Day by Tom Wood (CWM 10558) All paintings are© Copyright Canadian War Museum Photography for the CWM by Bill Kent 2Canadian Military History, Vol. 3 [1994], Iss. 1, Art. 28http://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol3/iss1/28

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\u3cem\u3eA Canadian’s Guide to the Battlefields of Normandy\u3c/em\u3e by Terry Copp [Review]

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