Category: D-Day

The Ferocious Battle for Normandy

On By Marc NadeauIn Bernard Montgomery, D-Day, Erwin Rommel, France, History, James Holland, Military, Normandy, Penguin Random House Canada, Thomas Babington Macaulay, World War IILeave a comment

In less than 60 days, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landing in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. The celebrations surrounding that event are already under way. In the last hours, the French Ambassador to Canada travelled to Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, to present the Légion d’honneur – France’s highest distinction established by Napoleon in 1802 – to a 104-year-old veteran who set foot on the beach on that fateful morning.

As we salute these men and prepare to sadly see the last ones depart for eternity, the need for remembrance becomes ever more crucial. Historians play an essential role on that score. Plenty of great books have been written about the longest day and the campaign that followed.

I just finished reading James Holland’s contribution to that impressive list, through the Ladybird Expert Book series. For anyone wanting to grasp the development of the Battle for Normandy in a summarized and vividly written style, this book is a must.

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Le combat du soldat britannique

On By Marc NadeauIn Éditions Perrin, Benoît Rondeau, Commandos, D-Day, Gurkhas, Histoire, Napoléon Bonaparte, Royal 22e Régiment, Seconde Guerre mondiale, Soldat britannique1 Comment

Mon degré d’appréciation d’un livre repose sur les connaissances acquises et le plaisir ressenti à le parcourir. Le soldat britannique : Le vainqueur oublié de la Seconde Guerre mondiale (Perrin) de l’historien militaire Benoît Rondeau rencontre haut la main ces deux critères. Il comble une lacune flagrante et désolante dans l’historiographie, en ramenant en première ligne la contribution de ces Tommies qui sont constamment négligés au profit des Américains, des Russes et des Allemands. Comme il le rappelle à la toute dernière page, « au printemps 1940, la vaillante armée britannique est restée seule, la tête haute, face au péril nazi. »

Dans son livre Anatomie de la bataille – un classique – sir John Keegan s’employait à disséquer l’expérience au combat des hommes de troupe ayant pris part aux batailles d’Azincourt, de Waterloo et de la Somme. Benoît Rondeau, pour sa part, ne ménage aucun détail, pas même l’importance des chaussettes, pour brosser le tableau de la réalité quotidienne éreintante de ceux et celles qui ont combattu sous l’Union Jack entre 1939 et 1945.

Tous les aspects de l’effort de guerre consenti par le soldat britannique sont passés au peigne fin. On peut notamment y apprendre – mais en sommes-nous étonnés – que les femmes servant dans l’armée de Sa Majesté – dont la future reine Elizabeth II – étaient moins bien payées et que les rations qui leurs étaient attribuées étaient moindres que celles prévues pour les hommes. Du côté des relations entre militaires et civils, on apprend notamment que le passage des troupes australiennes en Afrique du Sud pendant les hostilités aura marqué la mémoire d’un jeune homme nommé… Nelson Mandela.

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Every Man can be a Hero

On By Marc NadeauIn Courage, D-Day, First Division, HarperCollins, History, Humility, Jim DeFelice, Military, Normandy, Ray Lambert, US Army, Valor, William MorrowLeave a comment

Back in early September 2015, my family and I rented a car in Paris to spend a day in Normandy. I had always dreamt of visiting Juno Beach, where we fellow Canadians landed 77 years ago today. While strolling on the sand, I kept thinking about the level of bravery and heroism required to conduct such an unusual task. Because running to a possible and likely death is certainly not an ordinary action.

Ever since, I have tried to read as much as I can about the men of June 6, 1944. I reviewed Alex Kershaw’s and Giles Milton’s excellent books here. Late last night, I finished reading The Hero Code by retired Admiral William McRaven and Peter Caddick-Adams’ Sand and Steel is on my summer reading list.

Earlier this week, I finished reading the gripping D-Day memoir Every Man a Hero by Ray Lambert and Jim DeFelice (William Morrow). I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself with Admiral McRaven’s book, which I plan to review soon on this blog, but let’s just say that I found the answer to a lingering question between these covers.

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La définition du courage: Les soldats du Débarquement

On By Marc NadeauIn Éditions Noir sur Blanc, Band of Brothers, D-Day, Deuxième Guerre mondiale, Giles Milton, Histoire, Histoire militaire, Juno Beach, Ohama Beach, Operation Overlord, Saving Private Ryan, Sword Beach, Tom Hanks1 Comment

SoldatsDDay_GilesMiltonJe me suis souvent posé la question à savoir comment se sentaient les soldats qui ont été parachutés et qui sont débarqués en Normandie dans le cadre de l’Opération Overlord. À la fin de l’été 2015, j’ai eu l’immense privilège de fouler le sable de Juno Beach, le secteur canadien du débarquement. Après la visite d’une position fortifiée, nous nous sommes dirigés sur la plage avec notre guide. J’ai alors été envahi d’un double sentiment. Je ressentais d’une part une très grande fierté de savoir que les bottes canadiennes ont traversé ce sol sacré pour libérer l’Europe de la horde brune. D’autre part, je ne pouvais m’empêcher de me demander comment ces hommes se sentaient au moment d’accomplir le destin auquel leur dévouement les appelait.

J’ai visionné la série Band of Brothers à d’innombrables reprises, ainsi que le film Saving Private Ryan avec l’incomparable Tom Hanks. Pour tout dire, l’épopée du débarquement en Normandie me fascine au plus haut point et j’ai lu quantité de livres sur le sujet. Mais aucun n’avait répondu à cette lancinante question qui m’habitait depuis des années.

Avant le début de la pandémie de la Covid-19, je me suis procuré un exemplaire du livre D-Day : Les soldats du Débarquement de l’historien écrivain britannique Giles Milton. D’abord à cause du sujet, mais aussi parce que j’apprécie particulièrement cet auteur qui donne toutes ses couleurs à la bravoure des hommes et des femmes en temps de guerre. Je vous parlerai un jour de son fameux Les saboteurs de l’ombre : Le guerre secrète de Churchill contre Hitler.

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FDR: The Fearless President

On By Marc NadeauIn Admiral James Stavridis, D-Day, Fox News Channel, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harper Collins Publishers, History, Joseph Stalin, Operation Overlord, Tehran Conference, William Morrow, Winston Churchill, World War IILeave a comment

3DaysAtTheBrink_BretBaierI have always loved to read about FDR, one of my favorite Presidents. Being a fan of presidential libraries and having done some research in a few in the past, I have vivid memories of the time I spent at his inspiring Presidential Library at Hyde Park. I was therefore very interested in Bret Baier’s latest book, not only because it covers a period of contemporary history – World War II – for which I have an unquenchable intellectual thirst, but also because he dove into the presidential archives, a real treasure trove for anyone eager to fully understand the magnitude of the accomplishments of those larger than life Commanders in chief who lead America at crucial times.

The title of Bret Baier’s book Three Days at the Brink: FDR’s Daring Gamble to Win World War II refers to the Tehran Conference (1943), where the Big Three (FDR, Churchill and Stalin) agreed on the necessity to open a second front on the West – with Operation Overlord – to relieve some pressure on the Soviet troops, which occurred on June 6, 1944. But only a quarter of the book is devoted to the historic conference.

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The Brave of the First Wave

On By Marc NadeauIn Alex Kershaw, D-Day, Histoire, Histoire militaire, Lord Lovat, Military, Normandy, Penguin Random House Canada, The First Wave1 Comment

TheFirstWave“The bigger the challenge, the better we play.” – Lord Lovat

Late in the summer of 2014, life blessed me with the opportunity to visit Juno Beach, the hallowed ground where Canadian troops landed on June 6th, 1944.

While I visited the German bunker, carrying my son in a sling, I kept meditating about the kind of men that landed on that fateful day.

Men who could cope with gigantic – and potentially lethal – problems such as a landing craft drifting away from the planned landing side, German guns that were supposed to have been silenced through bombings, lack of ammunition or food, the psychological tool of being sleep-deprived and surrounded by enemies who only waited for the right moment to assault and kill you.

These were not the type of men we encounter every day, I told myself. But maybe they were, in the sense that they were all different and they were all human, made of flesh and blood. Just like you and me.

A few weeks ago, I received a copy of the magnificent book The First Wave by military historian Alex Kershaw by the fantastic people at Penguin Random House Canada.

What a treat it was for the military history enthusiast in me.

The key to responding to the question I kept asking myself on the beach lies on page 312, when the author writes that a Veteran US Ranger “[…] stressed that during the most critical combat of modern times it was the “heart and mind” that had mattered most.”

Witness to that, “[…] an advance party had cut through a barbed-wire perimeter [protecting a gun battery] and crawled across the hundred-yard-wide minefield, disarming mines with their bare fingers in the dark.” (page 87). Talk about heart and mind!

But the men who fought their way on and through the beaches were also led by exceptionally inspiring figures.

Let me just quote two, among all those evoked by Alex Kershaw. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt (son of the 26th President of the United States) and Lord Lovat (Simon J. Fraser), 24th chieftain of Clan Fraser.

General Roosevelt insisted on landing with his troops walking with his cane (he was suffering from arthritis) “[…] wearing a knit watch cap, not the regulation helmet […]”, insisting to board his landing craft unaided.

As for Lord Lovat, the inspiring Scottish commando leader certainly must have looked like an eccentric for his German enemies, for he “[…] was armed with a hunting rifle, dressed for a good day’s walk on the moors: a white turtleneck sweater, suede vest, khaki corduroy pants, and a duffle coat, which he would leave behind when he went ashore.”

The ordinary men from Canada, Great Britain and the United States who successfully assaulted the Nazi fortress on that historic day became extraordinary through their endurance, sacrifice and determination. And they were inspired by men who rejected the blandness of conformity by showing themselves for what they were, whether it was being afflicted by illness or expressing pride in their ancestry.

Alex Kershaw is probably the best book I have read so far about D-Day and the importance of supreme courage when the going gets tough (I’m referring here to Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder’s men who were besieged in a cramped command post without food, water, ammunition and sleep (page 243)).

Beautifully written (I love Kershaw’s style) and engaging, The First Wave should be the first companion you think of bringing on the roads of summer vacations or on a beach where you will be able to enjoy what these guys fought for – freedom.