Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment - Softcover

Geoffrey Hayes (editor),

Softcover

ISBN 10: 155458227X ISBN 13: 9781554582273

Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2007

Synopsis

On the morning of April 9, 1917, troops of the Canadian Corps under General Julian Byng attacked the formidable German defences of Vimy Ridge. Since then, generations of Canadians have shared a deep emotional attachment to the battle, inspired partly by the spectacular memorial on the battlefield. Although the event is considered central in Canadian military history, most people know very little about what happened during that memorable Easter in northern France. Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment draws on the work of a new generation of scholars who explore the battle from three perspectives. The first assesses the Canadian Corps within the wider context of the Western Front in 1917. The second explores Canadian leadership, training, and preparations and details the story of each of the four Canadian divisions. The final section concentrates on the commemoration of Vimy Ridge, both for contemporaries and later generations of Canadians. This long-overdue collection, based on original research, replaces mythology with new perspectives, new details, and a new understanding of the men who fought and died for the remarkable achievement that was the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

About this title

About the Author

Geoffrey Hayes is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Waterloo and is the associate director of the Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. His research focuses on the First and Second World Wars and Canada's role in current international conflicts. Andres Iarocci's principal rsearch interests include Canada's First World War military operations and postwar commemoration. His publications include Canadian Forces Base Petawawa: The First Century (2005). Mike Bechthold is the managing editor of Canadian Military History and the communications director of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. He teaches military history at Wilfrid Laurier University and has published numerous articles on Canada and the Second World War.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 155458227X
• ISBN 13: 9781554582273
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368