An eye-opening and hard-hitting account of one of the gravest, most costly Allied tactical errors of World War Two: the failure to close the Falaise Gap.This remarkable book which sheds light on an oft-forgotten area of the Second World War should be essential reading for those who enjoy the works of Martin Blumenson, Simon Trew, and Carlo D’Este.By 12 August 1944, the entire German Seventh Army and what remained of the Fifth Panzer Army were trapped within a pocket with only one route out — the Falaise Gap.This twenty-mile exit remained open for nearly a week, and by the time the decision had been made to close the Gap nearly a quarter of a million enemy soldiers, all their equipment, and thousands of tanks and vehicles had escaped.This monumental error, which undoubtedly prolonged the war could and should have been prevented, yet why was the Gap not swiftly closed when the opportunity to capture an entire German army presented itself? Were any of the leading generals: Patton, Montgomery, Bradley, or Eisenhower, ultimately to blame for this, or was it a result of a general lapse of concentration across Allied forces during the heat of battle?As a fighter-reconnaissance pilot who undertook one hundred and thirty-five mission tours Major-General Richard Rohmer was able to gain a bird’s-eye view of the Battle for Normandy. This, combined with his experience as a military commander, analyst, and best-selling author, allows him to have a unique insight into the events leading up to the creation and resolution of the Falaise Gap.Drawing upon meticulous research from a variety of sources as well as his own wartime logbook Rohmer’s Patton’s Gap is a remarkable book that presents a thorough overview as well as eyewitness account to the controversial conclusion of the Battle of Normandy. Read more

In the early nineteenth century, Britons and Americans renewed their struggle over the legacy of the American Revolution, leading to a second confrontation that redefined North America.  Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Alan Taylor’s vivid narrative tells the riveting story of the soldiers, immigrants, settlers, and Indians who fought to determine the fate of a continent. Would revolutionary republicanism sweep the British from Canada? Or would the British contain, divide, and ruin the shaky republic?  In a world of double identities, slippery allegiances, and porous boundaries, the leaders of the republic and of the empire struggled to control their own diverse peoples. The border divided Americans—former Loyalists and Patriots—who fought on both sides in the new war, as did native peoples defending their homelands. And dissident Americans flirted with secession while aiding the British as smugglers and spies. During the war, both sides struggled to sustain armies in a northern land of immense forests, vast lakes, and stark seasonal swings in the weather. After fighting each other to a standstill, the Americans and the British concluded that they could safely share the continent along a border that favored the United States at the expense of Canadians and Indians. Moving beyond national histories to examine the lives of common men and women, The Civil War of 1812 reveals an often brutal (sometimes comic) war and illuminates the tangled origins of the United States and Canada.   Moving beyond national histories to examine the lives of common men and women, The Civil War of 1812 reveals an often brutal (sometimes comic) war and illuminates the tangled origins of the United States and Canada. Read more

NATIONAL BESTSELLERThe "riveting" (National Post) tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes“Enthralling. ... Gripping. ... A captivating and emotionally investing journey.” —Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAfter steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble.This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands.The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction.Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times. Read more

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For over 35 years, my Grandfather’s World War I memoirs lay in a battered tin box at the back of various storage cupboards in my grandparents’ and then my parents’ homes. When I finally found them, I knew they were too valuable to sit in the dark, unread; I wanted to share my Grandfather’s words with everyone. A compilation of his letters and diary entries from 1914-1918 and his written memoirs from the 1970s, the account you are about to read is told in my Grandfather’s words, unembellished and resolutely true to the commitment he felt toward his country and his fellow man. Read more

The remarkable true story of a Canadian paratrooper’s escape from behind enemy lines following the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944.Ideal for readers of James Holland, Anthony Beevor and Cornelius Ryan.On September 17, 1944, over 8,000 men of the British 1st Airborne Division landed in German-occupied Netherlands as part of the largest airborne invasion ever undertaken. Twenty-two-year-old Canadian paratrooper Leo Heaps was one of them.Told with authenticity and clarity, Heaps’ personal account of the nightmare battle fought after the paratroopers dropped at Oosterbeek paints a remarkably vivid picture of one of the most dramatic and little-known events of the Second World War.Captain Leo Heaps volunteered to serve with the British Army early in 1944 and arrived in England in May of that year. Attached to the Dorset Infantry Regiment, he took part in the D-Day assault on Normandy in June. After twelve days, he was wounded and returned to England. In August, he applied to join a British Parachute Regiment and was accepted. A mere three weeks later, Heaps made his first and only jump as the Arnhem assault commenced.Escape from Arnhem is a powerful and personal account of a young man’s experience fighting in the Battle of Arnhem. His capture by the Germans and incredible escape was only the beginning. His immediate return to Holland as part of Operation Pegasus and his vital work with the Dutch resistance to help rescue hundreds of Allied soldiers behind enemy lines resulted in Heaps being awarded the Royal Military Cross for "outstanding gallantry."Written only a year after the war ended, the images of the Battle of Arnhem are as fresh and raw as the wounds of war themselves and offer a stark reminder of the triumph and tragedy during and after the Battle of Arnhem. Read more

A detailed account of the long and deadly battle for Hitler’s Siegfried Line during World War Two from September 1944 to March 1945.This is the perfect read for fans of Charles B. MacDonald, Tim Saunders, Samuel W. Mitcham Jr, and Steven J. Zaloga.The battle for the Siegfried Line or Germany’s West Wall covered a front of 350 miles and cost the allies (British, Canadian, American and French), during six long and bloody months, over a quarter of a million casualties.Built in secret by Hitler between 1936-39 at enormous expense and regarded as a ‘white elephant’ by many it was widely mocked, becoming the subject of a popular comic song among allied troops singing how they ‘would hang their dirty washing’ on the Siegfried Line.At the time little did anyone expect it to cause the war to be extended by six months at such an enormous cost to human life and to be the scene of the biggest battle fought by the United States in the twentieth century.In this book author Charles Whiting, using numerous historical sources including; books, articles and interviews contends that rather than being viewed as a series of separate engagements what happened during this time at the Seigfried Line should be recognised as the single most important battle of the entire war in the west.Using vivid descriptions and direct quotes from allied commanders and soldiers, Whiting recounts the critical decisions that were made and the suffering and trauma experienced by those on the ground in the most horrific battlefield conditions as they tried time and again to break through Hitler’s impregnable fortified line. Read more

The epic story of what happened after the beaches had been stormed during D-Day.An essential history of the Normandy Campaign, perfect for readers of Max Hastings, Cornelius Ryan, and Stephen E. Ambrose.D-Day was the greatest successful amphibious assault in history, but what happened after the Allied troops had landed in France? How did Hitler and his Nazi forces respond in the days following this devastating attack?Major-General H. Essame, who commanded an infantry brigade during the battle of Normandy, provides the preeminent account of Operation Overlord after the beachhead had been secured.Essame demonstrates how Montgomery, as Commander in Chief of Ground Forces, was able to overcome numerous obstacles and outsmart Hitler, Rundstedt, Rommel, and Kluge, whose armies were left reeling from the Allied onslaught.The actions of Bradley and his American armies pouring through the breach after D-Day, as well as the British and Canadian forces who had to fight viciously through the bocage, are covered in vivid detail.Normandy Bridgehead is a unique historical work, coming not only from a man who led troops into the battle but also a renowned military historian who draws information from a wide array of sources to give a thorough overview of the campaign. Discover the strategic brilliance along with personal heroism and sacrifice that was required to ensure that what had been gained on the beaches of Normandy would not be lost by the Allies.‘the comments and opinions about people and events which [Essame] disperses through his text carry the authority of a fighting soldier of unparalleled experience among military commentators.’ David Mason Read more

“If not us, who? If not now, when?”In November 2022, Michel Maisonneuve, retired Lieutenant-General of the Canadian Armed Forces, was presented the prestigious Vimy Award in recognition of his outstanding lifetime contributions to the defence of Canada and its democratic values. Before an elite audience of 650 representing government, judicial, academic, corporate and military professions, he launched a stirring defence of the nation he served for five decades. His bracing acceptance speech at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau warned that the principles he was being celebrated for protecting were under assault as never before. Canada was abandoning its history, its civil liberties, its fiscal prudence, its concern for the vulnerable, and its commitment to global stability—things that had long made it not only a great place to live but an important member of the family of nations.The standing ovation Maisonneuve received that night was followed the next morning by calls for his cancellation. His stalwart defence of his views and his courage in speaking out where others dared not have since earned him the nickname “the anti-woke general” and made him a folk hero among Canadians tired of apologizing for their country.In Defence of Canada is one warrior’s heartfelt rallying cry for Canadians to face the reality of their country’s decline, recommit to principles of peace, order and good government, and build for the benefit of future generations a tolerant and diverse nation with boundless potential. Read more

Frontier Soldiers of New France Volume 2 explores the evolution of the French colonial troops’ campaign attire and equipment adapted for North America’s demanding climate and terrain, integrating European military methods with practical adjustments for wilderness warfare. It focuses on the material culture of the Compagnies franches de la Marine in New France from 1683 to 1760, examining their specific campaign clothing, arms, and equipment. The study highlights their adaptation to the local environment and interactions with Native American cultures, including the adoption of items such as breechcloths, leggings, toboggans, snowshoes, moccasins, scalping knives and tomahawks.The survival of New France owed much to a strategic doctrine of raiding warfare developed by Canadian colonial officers in collaboration with allied Native American tribes and the colonial militia. This groundbreaking study provides the first comprehensive survey detailing the clothing, weaponry, and equipment used by the stationed troops from 1683 to 1760 to maintain defensive pressure on New Englanders and engage hostile Native American tribes in warfare. Drawing from pioneering research based on archeology, extant pieces and newly discovered records, it illuminates their remarkable adaptability to North American conditions, encompassing both winter and summer wilderness campaigns. Read more

Winner, Evelyn Richardson Award for Non-Fiction and Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical WritingFinalist, Dartmouth Book Award for Non-Fiction, and the Margaret and John Savage Award for Best First Book (Non-fiction)A Hill Times' 100 Best Books in 2020 SelectionOn Canada's History Bestseller ListGrowing up on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Tyler LeBlanc wasn’t fully aware of his family’s Acadian roots — until a chance encounter with an Acadian historian prompted him to delve into his family history. LeBlanc’s discovery that he could trace his family all the way to the time of the Acadian Expulsion and beyond forms the basis of this compelling account of Le Grand Dérangement.Piecing together his family history through archival documents, Tyler LeBlanc tells the story of Joseph LeBlanc (his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather), Joseph’s ten siblings, and their families. With descendants scattered across modern-day Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, the LeBlancs provide a window into the diverse fates that awaited the Acadians when they were expelled from their homeland. Some escaped the deportation and were able to retreat into the wilderness. Others found their way back to Acadie. But many were exiled to Britain, France, or the future United States, where they faced suspicion and prejudice and struggled to settle into new lives.A unique biographical approach to the history of the Expulsion, Acadian Driftwood is a vivid insight into one family’s experience of this traumatic event. Read more

A brilliant American combat officer and this country’s most famous traitor, Benedict Arnold is one of the most fascinating and complicated people to emerge from American history. His contemporaries called Arnold “the American Hannibal” after he successfully led more than 1,000 men through the savage Maine wilderness in 1775. The objective of Arnold and his heroic corps was the fortress city of Quebec, the capital of British-held Canada. The epic campaign is the subject of Benedict Arnold’s Army, a fascinating campaign to bring Canada into the war as the 14th colony. The initiative for the assault came from George Washington who learned that a fast moving detachment could surprise Quebec by following a chain of rivers and lakes through the Maine wilderness. Washington picked Col. Benedict Arnold, an obscure and controversial Connecticut officer, to command the corps who signed up for the secret mission. Arnold believed that his expedition would reach Quebec City in twenty days. The route turned out to be 270 miles of treacherous rapids, raging waterfalls, and trackless forests that took months to traverse. At times Arnold’s men were up to their waists in freezing water dragging and pushing their clumsy boats through surging rapids and hauling them up and over waterfalls. In one of the greatest exploits in American military history, Arnold led his famished corps through the early winter snow, up and over the Appalachian Mountains, and on to Quebec. Benedict Arnold’s Army covers a largely unknown but important period of Arnold’s life. Award-winning author Arthur Lefkowitz provides important insights into Arnold’s character during the earliest phase of his military career, showing his aggressive nature, need for recognition, experience as a competitive businessman, and his obsession with honor that started him down the path to treason. Lefkowitz extensively researched Arnold’s expedition and made numerous trips along the same route that Arnold’s army took. Benedict Arnold’s Army also contains a closing chapter with detailed information and maps for readers who wish to follow the expedition’s route from the coast of Maine to Quebec City. There is a growing interest in the Founding Fathers and the Revolutionary War as a source of national pride and identity and the Arnold Expedition as told through Benedict Arnold’s Army is one of the greatest adventure stories in American history. Arthur S. Lefkowitz lives in central New Jersey Read more

Do you want to learn how the bloodiest military conflict of all time began, was fought and ultimately won by the AlliesRead about the 50 most important events of World War II, from the very beginning to the fall of the Axis Powers.This book is perfect for history lovers.Author James Weber did the research and compiled this huge list of events and battles that changed the course of history forever.Some of them include: - The Japanese Invasion of Manchuria (September 18, 1931)- The Signing of the Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union (August 23, 1939)- The Battle of Britain (Summer 1940)- Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)- The Destruction of Cologne during the Thousand Bomber Raid (May 30, 1942)- The Battles of Midway (June 1942)- The German Surrender at Stalingrad (February 2, 1943)- Drop of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945)and many many moreThe book takes you through the most important events of WWII from before the beginning of the war in 1939 until its end in 1945. It contains all the major battles and fights. You will find pictures and explanations to every event, making this the perfect resource for students and anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge in history.Download your copy now! Read more

The first illustrated book with full-colour visuals giving a compelling account of the explosion and its aftermath. On the morning of December 6, 1917, the residents of Halifax's North End witnessed first-hand the terrifying destruction of the First World War when a fully loaded munitions ship collided with a larger relief ship, caught fire and then exploded in the harbour. The blast laid waste a huge residential area as well as the waterfront and several factories. This book offers a definitive account of the explosion and its aftermath, and the most extensive collection of images -- many in colour -- available in print. David Flemming recreates the scene on the water when the ships collided and on the waterfront where people watched the fire, and describes how resources were stretched to the limit to create temporary hospital and morgues. He recounts how the Explosion was handled by authorities, how blame was shouldered and avoided. He explains the ironic twist that led to the explosion being used to calibrate the bombs that wrought even worse devastation at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Read more

For the Canadian Soldiers who lived through the momentous battle for Normandy in the summer of 1944, it was inconceivable that the conflict in Europe could continue for another eight long months. The war was won, they thought, and to win it they had been pushed to what seemed like the limits of endurance. But ahead lay not only an enemy with no thoughts of surrender, but also appalling battle conditions reminiscent of the legendary miseries of Passchendaele. This much-anticipated sequel to The Guns of Normany picks up where its critically acclaimed predecessor leaves off, and it continues in the same absorbing, startlingly vivid style. After the battle for Normandy, Blackburn’s 4th Field Regiment, with the rest of 1st Canadian Army, is called upon to pursue the enemy through the flooded Low Country, clearing the Scheldt estuary – a task equal to that of D-Day – and opening the port of Antwerp to allow for the huge influx of supplies necessary to press on against the German forces, now fighting with mounting desperation and ferocity. After enduring the worst winter in local memory, and spending yet another Christmas far from home, in the spring of 1945 the Canadians are thrust into the crucial Battle of the Rhineland, which will eventually allow Allied forces to plunge into the heart of the Reich.When victory comes, it is with no sense of triumph over a vanquished foe, but with the profoundest relief that this most terrible conflict in history is finally over.Told with Blackburn’s now trademark sense of drama and eye for detail, this story of the desperate struggle for Europe becomes as large as life. It should fully establish Blackburn as the author of an acknowledged classic on the Second World War. Read more

The American attack on Quebec in 1775 was a key episode in the American War of Independence (1775-1783). Capture of the city would give the Americans control of Canada – a disaster for the British. The subsequent campaign involved a 350-mile trek across uninhabited wilderness, a desperate American attack on the city of Quebec that left one American general dead and another wounded, and a British counterattack that culminated in a brutal naval battle off Valcour Island on Lake Champlain. In this book Brendan Morrissey details the events of this ferocious struggle whose results would have such momentous consequences at Saratoga in 1777. Read more

On June 6, 1944, nearly 15,000 Canadians - at sea, in the air, and on the ground - joined the long-anticipated D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on the Normandy beaches. The piece of ground on which the Canadians fought so hard against heavily armed and embedded German troops was codenamed Juno. On that day, the Candian infantry fought their way farther inland than any other Allied troops. For Canada, and all Canadians, this was a coming of age, an extraordinary moment of courage and sacrifice. On the eve of the 60th anniversary of D-Day, Barris takes us back to those momentous few hours that forever changed the course of our history in the voices of those who were there. In what might be described as Canada's longest day, we follow the course of action hour by hour, minute by minute, as we meet and follow the soldiers who leapt off landing craft into the shallow waters off Normandy, who were strafed by machinegun fire before they could even reach the shore. Read more

The 47th Regiment of Foot served throughout the whole of the American War of Independence. The regiment experienced the transition from peacetime soldiering in Ireland and New Jersey, through the deteriorating political situation, to open rebellion. The officers and men had to alter their tactics and doctrine from peacetime garrison duties, through conventional warfare around Boston to woodland operations in Canada and upper New York.Who were the 47th Foot? How well did they overcome the challenges they faced? What became of them? Where they unthinking automatons lead by an officer class incapable of adapting to the reality of warfare in North America?Paul Knight examines the regiment within the context of a British Army which was neither stuck in the past nor incapable of reform. New uniforms, weapons, and drill manuals reflected the lessons of the previous war within an environment of doctrinally innovative generals. Against this, the regiment had to train in an era of the financial parsimony and where the friction of peacetime soldiering mitigated against training objectives. Nevertheless, the 47th was judged ‘A Very Fine Regiment and Fit for Service’ before it sailed for New Jersey in 1773.In North America, the 47th served in peaceful New Jersey and New York before joining the Boston Garrison in response to the deteriorating political situation there. After Boston, they were sent to Quebec where they drove American Rebels out of Canada before participating in the ill-fated Saratoga Campaign. Most of the regiment then endured years of captivity as part of the Convention Army. A fortunate part of the regiment avoided this fate and defended Canada’s borders for the remained of the war.This period saw the 47th, and the British Army in North America, quickly adapting to the rapidly evolving political and military situations they encountered. They successfully evolved their tactics and doctrine from peaceful garrison duties to conventional warfare in response to open rebellion and then to irregular tactics for woodland fighting.Paul Knight shows how the 47th Foot was able to adapt to the changing threats and operational environment quickly and effectively. These were thinking soldiers led by flexible officers capable of adopting to the prevailing operational environment. Read more

Welcome to a top-level clearance world that doesn't exist...Now with updated material for the paperback edition. This is the adventurous, insightful, and often chilling story of a road trip through a shadow nation of state secrets, clandestine military bases, black sites, hidden laboratories, and top-secret agencies that make up what insiders call the "black world." Here, geographer and provocateur Trevor Paglen knocks on the doors of CIA prisons, stakes out a covert air base in Nevada from a mountaintop 30 miles away, dissects the Defense Department's multibillion dollar "black" budget, and interviews those who live on the edges of these blank spots. Whether Paglen reports from a hotel room in Vegas, a secret prison in Kabul, or a trailer in Shoshone Indian territory, he is impassioned, rigorous, relentless-and delivers eye-opening details. Read more