Tim Cook (1)Besprekingen

Wow.

This book is so thought provoking. The history of the remembrance of the second world war in Canada is fraught with, ironically, conflict. This book lays out the history of this political and social battles over how the war should be remembered and how we should honor those that sacrificed. I found myself growing exasperated over some of the fights, like why Veterans Associations would not want a holocaust section in a museum about the Canadian in world war 2. Or the refusal to differentiate between a baseball cap and religious headwear in veterans club policies. The author sometimes provides his own opinion which did not always align with how I felt about the issue being discussed. I question the authors use of the loaded term "activist history". He leaves this term vague and unexplained as to why he thinks activism and history are incompatable.

Those things aside, I really got a lot out of this one. I've read a lot about the second world war and I found I got a lot of insight from the book about Canada's post war history. I found it fascinating that many Canadian leaders involved with the war never wrote about their experiences leading to a lack of stories about Canada's contribution. The idea that the memory of the first world war over shadows the second world war in terms of remembrance symbolism and imagery is striking although I would like to move toward a time when those two wars are seen as a single long war with a 20 year armistice. I think that is the only real useful way of learning from why the second world war occurred in the first place. It is heartening to read about and witness Canada's contribution to the war generating more interest among Canadians today. I hope that it continues to be told in diverse ways, reaching to find untold experiences and new voices.

volume 1

Cook, a historian at the Canadian War Museum, uses this volume to chronicle the lack of historical recognition for Canada's effort in winning WW II. Whereas WW I seemed important to Canadians because the Battle of Vimy gave them an event to focus on and especially as that battle is often call the event that made Canada. In WW II Canadian troops fought all over the world and made major contributions in Italy as well as Europe, Africa and the far east not to mention the Battle of the Atlantic.

Where would you put a memorial like the one that marks Vimy to this day. After the war, the government focus and settling vets and boosting the economy and veterans wanted to forget the war. As well there was little interest in building a memorial to commemorate the war.

Cook also writes about the many controversies that trouble Canadian veterans up to the present including Hong Kong POW's, apologizing to Japanese Canadians put in camps during the war, the Kurt Meyer case, an improved war museum, veteran benefits and the Valour and Horror TV series.

Vimy: The Battle and the Legend by Tim Cook is the history of the significant battle and what it meant for Canada on the world stage. Cook is a Canadian military historian and author. A First World War historian at the Canadian War Museum and a part-time history professor at Carleton University, he has also published several books about the military history of Canada during World War I.

Every nation or organization, for that matter, has its turning point of when it became its own entity. For America, it’s 1776. For the US Marines, it was Belleau Wood in World War I. The thing is that certain events become associated with countries and groups even if there were other more important things going on. 1776 means little in comparison to the Treaty of Paris 1783 which recognized the United States as an independent country. The Marines at Belleau Wood had help which is usually not mentioned. For Canada, which gained independence, or self-rule, 150 years ago without much international fanfare, Vimy was the place where Canada was seen as separate from Britain. Vimy wasn’t the first victory for the Canadian Corps nor its most important, nor did it end the war. Nonetheless, it is the battle that is remembered. In US perspective, it is Canada’s raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

Germany was a strong adversary and once the war settled into trenches the Germans were difficult to beat. The German military was the best trained and most skillful land force in the war. It caused two casualties for everyone it took. The drain on France was very noticeable. To beat the Germans the allies either needed more people to lose through attrition or a better-trained fighting force. Canada provided both. The Canadian Corps had the reputation of being wilderness men — the roughest of toughest. Canada also had the advantage of being able to train and look at the previous battles with a fresh set of eyes. The Allies were putting bodies in the field to fill holes in the line without much training. They suffered nearly 87,000 casualties at the Battle of the Marne and 620,000 casualties at the Battle of the Somme. Military training became more of an on the job training.

Canada entered the war on the condition that it would be the Canadian Corps and not fillers for the British units. In addition to adding extra trained bodies to the war. Canada, at Vimy, did something rarely, if at all, seen in the war. It out-soldiered the Germans. It used information gained from all level of troops and planned and executed a military assault that beat the German defenses and planning. It was something that worried the Germans. It was not just a war of attrition as previously fought but an active and maneuvering war that had not been seen since the opening days. The Germans were being outmatched on skill, not just numbers. The Canadian Corps would be used in later battles as shock troops by the British. Vimy became the proving grounds for the newly created Dominion of Canada.

Cook provides a history of the Battle of Vimy with first-hand accounts and even a few “last letters home.” The work is well researched and documented. It is an important work not only for Canada but also those of us to the south. Canada’s contributions to the war, highlighted by Vimy, brought Canada to the world stage as its own nation. After the war, Canada demanded and received its own chair at the Treaty of Versailles. It had fought proudly side by side with the Allies and compared to the US and Britain sacrificed proportionally more in human lives. Vimy is the symbolic beginning of an independent Canada.

A great piece of non-fiction detailing the entirety of the battle and, almost as importantly, its context within the larger frame of Canadian society. This is an exploration in the complete sense, heading in several different branches and dealing with interpretations from different disciplines of social science and analysis. It was a good effort, Cook's efforts indeed did pay off. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in Canadian military history as well as the impact of World War I battles. It contained both elements of these and was a satisfying read.

4 stars!

This volume takes up where Volume 1 entitled The Necessary War stopped. As with Volume 1, Cook gives the background on the strategy, the political situation, the problems faced by soldiers and commanders on both sides of the lines. The focus is on the Canadian contribution to the Allied cause with many quotes from soldiers diaries, memoirs and interviews.

Cook is an historian at the Canadian War Museum who writes history in a popular style aimed at the non academic reader yet his research is immense. He does not shy away from examining the many controversies that occurred during the War in the way Canadian soldiers and commanders were viewed by their allies. The British were especially critical of Canadian efforts in Normandy while ignoring that the Canadians faced some of the best German troops facing the Allied forces on D-Day. The Americans felt the Canadians took too long to defeat German troops in Italy.

An excellent history of Canada's contribution to defeating Nazi Germany.

A good portrayal of the role Canadians played in the Great War. Illuminated by specific aspects of the war like weapons and medicine make it a pretty comprehensive look at this time.

This is an extremely readable history of WW II with focus on Canada's involvement. Thus the chapters, while giving the background and details of events such as the fall of France and the Battle of Britain, the emphasis is on the Canadian story. Some of the chapters cover the fall of Hong Kong, the war st sea, serving on a Corvette, Bomber Command, the destruction of Hamburg, landing in Sicily and the Italian Campaign.

Cook combines amazing amounts of detail from soldiers memoirs while giving us the overall picture of what was happening in that theatre and as well the place of this battle in the overall scheme pf things. I look forward to Volume Two.

The Trial of the Century, Sir Arthur Currie vs Sir Sam Hughes, Mr. Hughes already in his grave, but haunts Mr. Currie still, this book delves into history behind the court case. Very well-researched and well-written.

Book received from NetGalley.

I have to admit that I had only heard of this battle from L.M. Mongomery's book "Rilla of Ingleside but have always wanted to read more about it. I saw this book on NetGalley and took a chance of getting it. I'm glad I was approved, it was a great read though very sad, and I learned quite a bit from it. I think it was a bit enhanced for me, since I was taking a short WWI history class while I was reading this. I really recommend this for anyone interested in the history of this era.

This a very readable volume that focuses on the relationship between general Arthur Currie and Sir Sam Hughes. Currie led the Canadian Army during WW I while Hughes wanted to be assigned the job but was the Minister of Militia and Defence. Hughes showed his brilliance at organization by taking the Canadian Army in 1914 from mostly militia units into a force of trained men that he was able to ship to England in October. However, he could be blind to his mistakes and when advised of them, refused to acknowledge them. The Ross Rifle was one of his big ones as was his insistence on all equipment be made in Canada. When the soldier's shoes fell apart in the wet trenches, he refused to believe it or track down the manufacturer who made the shoddy shoes.

Eventually he became unwelcome at the front or even in military areas in England as he badgered the military with his ideas on how the war should be fought. When his incompetence and belligerence became to much for Prime Minister Borden, he was sacked. He then became a thorn in the Government's side attacking them and General Currie for the way the war was being conducted. Even when the war was over, he continued his attacks on Currie for the times during the war when Currie had stood up to him and not followed his demands.

As well as biographies of both men, this is also an examination of how the war was conducted in the areas where the Canadians were involved. Because the Canadians under Currie became very efficient at wining against impossible odds, they became known as the shock troops who the Germans feared. Just having the Canadians across no man's land from a German force influenced the Germans to suspect an attack for which they brought in extra men to confront. This was used once as a rouse to make the Germans think the attack was in one sector of the front when it was really at another. Recommended.

This is a very thorough history of two Canadian giants of WWI, Sir Sam Highes (the madman) and Sir Arthur Currie (the butcher).

Best survey yet written of the Canadian engagement in the Second World War.

Tim Cook examines two key Canadian figures of World War I in this book.. "The Madman" is Minister Sam Hughes; "the Butcher" is General Arthur Currie. The book traces their war-time actions and decisions, as well as the vendetta that continued after the world, resulting in a libel trial. In that trial, lawyers questioned many war-time decisions, sounding (to me) like armchair quarterbacks.

I liked Mr. Cook's writing style. I also liked that he gave a balanced portrait of both Hughes and Currie.

Mr. Hughes was prone to histrionics and vengeance, but may have been the only person who could have mobilized the Canadian forces at the time. He created the Valcartier training centre, which remains active today. He also made terrible decisions regarding Ross Rifles, and created confusion as to who was in charge on the battlefield.

Mr. Currie embezzled funds from his regiment to cover personal debts. He also constantly sought to learn and to do everything possible to prevent needless loss of life.

Both shared a strong commitment to young soldiers.

This book shows how a few powerful people can have a major influence on world events.½

As Cook makes clear in his introduction, it is not an exhaustive look at Canada during the war. It solely focuses on the Canadian Corps, the army faction that fought; there is nothing about the air corps, navy, home front, and aside from brief mentions of Sam Hughes (minister of militia until 1916), no political details. As the title states, it starts from the Canadian entry into the war alongside the UK in 1914, and ends with the conclusion of the Battle of the Somme in October 1916.

The writing is very clear and straight-forward, and makes great use of quotations from memoirs and letters from soldiers at the front. Cook does a good job to present the horrors that the soldiers had to face, making constant references to the conditions of the trenches, often noting the presence of decaying bodies and human remains scattered about. Naturally, the artillery that characterised the front is also detailed, sometimes preceding the mention of the dead and wounded.

The individual is a constant theme throughout the book. As Cook makes heavy use of soldier's writings, he focuses on them at times; for example, in several instances he will go to lengths detailing how various soldiers acted during a battle, giving the reader a close-up perspective on how it felt. This has a certain effect, amplified as some of these accounts are closed by the somber note that the soldier was later wounded or, quite often, killed later on. Though Cook focuses on the front-line soldiers, he also takes time to detail the officer corps, noting the political aspects that gripped the leadership of the Canadian military to some extent.

Though heavily focused on the battles the Canadians took part in (Second Ypres, St. Julien, Festubert, Somme, to name some), Cook also spends a good amount detailing the other aspects of the war. Chapters explaining the construction and maintenance of the trench system, the rotation of units, their training, and the medical system are just some of the topics covered, giving a more rounded and nuanced impression of life for the soldiers.

Reviewed here.

A readable, balanced and entertaining study of two Canadian historical figures. There is no doubt that Arthur Currie was one of the greatest of Canadians. Sam Hughes - figure of controversy and fun - comes out of this book as a figure of both fun (my words, certainly not the author's) and greatness.½

Highly recommended. One of the best accounts from the Canadian side in the Great War.

Like the only other review of this book I am reminded of Keegan’s Face of Battle. Keegan asks for a different approach than traditional war histories written from commanders viewpoints. Cook’s book is close to what Keegan was looking for.

At the Sharp End is a wonderfully balanced book. It gives credit to the fighting spirit of the Canadian Corps but stays clear of the jingoistic myths that many Canadians perpetuate. The Canadians did become an elite corps of the BEF but it took many hard lessons. Cook covers all aspects of the Canadians on the Western Front and we see that some of the oft repeated heroic tales (Canadians urinating in their handkerchiefs to fight a gas attack for example) were but a small part of the story. But many other writers have debunked myths, the facts alone can do that. Cook’s real triumph is attributed to his writing style and the balance he gives the content.

Cook tells the story in chronological order from the excited volunteers across Canada to the carnage of the Somme. But he also inserts chapters to describe, in detail, the daily grind and realities of life for the soldier, the layout of the trenches, the thoughts of high command. All of this is given life by carefully chosen first person accounts that give life to the narrative. Slowly as the book unfolds and a soldier after soldier’s quotation about the topic in question is followed by where the man was later killed. This understated presentation does just as much to relate the horror of the Great War as the casualty numbers.

At the risk of inviting comparisons that never can be fair, I found that reading this new history of Canada's infantry during the first part of WWI often made me remember John Keegan's "Face of Battle", which I hold as the measure for all similar books. Tim Cook does a wonderful job of mixing necessary background, but perhaps dry facts, with the voices of the soldiers and commanders. Through in vivid descriptions of the battlefields themselves and the conditions under which the troops lived and endured, and you could not help but be engaged by this book. At the risk of making another poor comparison, I found that in my imagination I visualized a kind of infinite layers of grey such as you see in Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" punctuated by reds, pinks, black, and white from broken bodies that were churned deep into the battlefield.

Cook's next book, "Shock Troops" is lined up and ready to go, and I'm quite looking forward to it.

Very interesting and well written. Gave me a greater appreciation of the difficulties faced by the official historians and those writing contemporary history.½