|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Book Description
Shock Troops follows the Canadian fighting forces during the titanic battles of Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, and the Hundred Days campaign. Through the eyes of the soldiers who fought and died in the trenches on the Western Front, and based on newly uncovered Canadian, British, and German archival sources, Cook builds on Volume I of his national bestseller, At the Sharp End. The Canadian fighting forces never lost a battle during the final 2 years of the war, and although they paid a terrible price in the killing fields of the Great War, they were indeed, as British Prime Minister David Lloyd George exclaimed, the shock troops of the Empire.
About the Author
Tim Cook is the Great War historian at the Canadian War Museum. His previous book, Shock Troops, won the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. He also won both the J.W. Dafoe Prize and the Ottawa Book Award for At the Sharp End. He lives in Ottawa with his family.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Horrors of the Great War - Part II,
By
This review is from: Shock Troops Canadians Fighting The Great War 1917-18 (Hardcover)
In this second instalment on his two-volume masterpiece on the Canadians (infantry) in World War I, the author picks up where he left off at the end of "At the Sharp End" (Volume one). Here, the horrors experienced by the soldiers on the Western Front continue to be recounted with just as much gory, heart-wrenching detail as in the first volume. However, in this case, the major battles in which the Canadian Corps undertook were resounding victories - although very costly ones. As before, the life of the trench warrior is the main focus, but the high command is also well covered. What I found particularly fascinating in this volume were the last few chapters in which the last hours and minutes of the war are discussed, as well as the events after the armistice: the soldiers' feelings at not being sent home immediately and the way they expressed their discontent, the eventual incorporation of thousands of returning soldiers into Canadian society, feelings towards the Canadian high command (Currie), the tabulation of the casualty statistics, the adequacy of pensions for disabled soldiers and their families, and how the Great war has been viewed over the decades until the present. As in the first volume, the writing style is clear, authoritative, accessible and always very engaging. The detailing of the various activities of the Canadian Corps's different military units can be a bit overwhelming at times; but the stories of some of the individual selfless sacrifices, astounding acts of heroism and the ultimate accomplishments of the Corps as a whole can leave the reader in awe. Once again, this is a book that can be read and appreciated by absolutely anyone.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shock Troops - Tim Cook,
By
This review is from: Shock Troops Canadians Fighting The Great War 1917-18 (Hardcover)
I am not a professional book reviewer but as my Father's family was totaly involved in WW 1 I have read anything I can get my hands on relative to the Canadian involvement in that war. Tim Cook's treatment, in my opinion, is the best written to date. His research and subsequent publication is unbelievably excellent. Mr Cook's first volume "At The Sharp End", deserves the same comment. Anyone looking for a very readable detailed historical account of the Canadians in World War 1 cannot do better than these two volumes.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gripping Account of the Great War.,
By
This review is from: Shock Troops Canadians Fighting The Great War 1917-18 (Hardcover)
I still have some pages left, so I have not read the conclusion. This book covers every single aspect of a soldiers life in the Great War. Like a lot of Canadians, I had relatives that fought in the Great War. I wanted to know what they went through. You later realize why the quote "he never talked about the war," was so common to hear from older relatives. WW1 was not a pleasant experience. This book, and At The Sharp End, will give you everything there is to know about life on the Western front. Cook has done an outstanding job at researching the material.While reading, there are times when it is a little rough to stomach all the stories of death and disease. The hardship these people endured, is almost beyond belief.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
