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On Easter Monday 1917 with a blizzard blowing in their faces, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in France seized and held the best-defended German bastion on the Western Front - the muddy scarp of Vimy Ridge. The British had failed to take the Ridge, and so had the French who had lost 150,000 men in the attempt. Yet these magnificent colonial troops did so in a morning at the cost of only 10,000 casualties.The author recounts this remarkable feat of arms with both pace and style. He has gathered many personal accounts from soldiers who fought at Vimy. He describes the commanders and the men, the organization and the training, and above all notes the thorough preparation for the attack from which the British General Staff could have learnt much. The action is placed within the context both of the Battle of Arras, of which this attack was part, and as a milestone in the development of Canada as a nation.… (més)
The aim of this book is to bring the Battle of Vimy Ridge to life and evaluate what it means to Canadians and to the world. The most important thing I learned from this book is that the idea of Vimy being a separate battle is largely a Canadian-centric view; elsewhere in the world, it is considered simply part of the Battle of Arras. But to Canadians, Vimy is widely considered to be the coming of age of a nation.
Berton tells the story of the battle by following a few men, some of whom appeared in previous books he wrote about the settling of western Canada. He combines monumental tragedy with moments of humour and even shocking banality—what comes to mind for me is the troops marching on the day of battle, spotting a couple of rabbits and taking some pot shots at the rabbits rather than fighting the enemy. (Fortunately for the rabbits and this reader, the rabbits got away.)
The book includes maps, which I like but at the same time don’t really consult. No pictures, but a sizeable bibliography and a note from the author on sources. It’s written well, as one might expect from a Pierre Berton book, but I did find it took some effort to get through. I think those with a slightly stronger interest in military history might really like it. ( )
This book filled me with admiration for Canada's soldiers. It also, at times, made me very sad as so many of these soldiers were really children....many, many of them still in their teens. Pierre Berton is a very good writer who was really able to recreate the atmosphere of life in the trenches of World War I. I was also very interested in the Canadian military leadership who pioneered modern management techniques in the way they training soldiers and ensured they understood the bigger picture. I only wish there were more actual quotes or background on the soldiers themselves. At times, reading this book was like watching an action movie with lots of fireworks, shooting, etc. I don't much like action movies. But I'm very glad I read this on the 100th anniversary of this historic battle. ( )
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"As far as I could see, south, north along the many miles of the Ridge, there were the Canadians. And I experienced my first full sense of nationhood." - Lieutenant Gregory Clark, M.C., Weekend Magazine, November 13, 1967
Dedicatòria
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It is probable that with the exception of the Krakatoa explosion of 1883, in all of history no human ears had ever been assaulted by the intensity of sound produced by the artillery barrage that launched the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917.
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Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
On Easter Monday 1917 with a blizzard blowing in their faces, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in France seized and held the best-defended German bastion on the Western Front - the muddy scarp of Vimy Ridge. The British had failed to take the Ridge, and so had the French who had lost 150,000 men in the attempt. Yet these magnificent colonial troops did so in a morning at the cost of only 10,000 casualties.The author recounts this remarkable feat of arms with both pace and style. He has gathered many personal accounts from soldiers who fought at Vimy. He describes the commanders and the men, the organization and the training, and above all notes the thorough preparation for the attack from which the British General Staff could have learnt much. The action is placed within the context both of the Battle of Arras, of which this attack was part, and as a milestone in the development of Canada as a nation.
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Berton tells the story of the battle by following a few men, some of whom appeared in previous books he wrote about the settling of western Canada. He combines monumental tragedy with moments of humour and even shocking banality—what comes to mind for me is the troops marching on the day of battle, spotting a couple of rabbits and taking some pot shots at the rabbits rather than fighting the enemy. (Fortunately for the rabbits and this reader, the rabbits got away.)
The book includes maps, which I like but at the same time don’t really consult. No pictures, but a sizeable bibliography and a note from the author on sources. It’s written well, as one might expect from a Pierre Berton book, but I did find it took some effort to get through. I think those with a slightly stronger interest in military history might really like it. (