Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy

by Terry Copp

Fields of Fire offers a stunning reversal of accepted military history. Terry Copp challenges and refutes the conventional view that the Canadian contribution to the Battle of Normandy was a 'failure': that the allies won only through the use of 'brute force,' and that the Canadian soldiers and commanding officers were essentially incompetent. His detailed and impeccably researched analysis of what actually happened on the battlefield portrays a flexible, innovative army that made a major, and successful, contribution to the defeat of the German forces in just seventy-six days. Challenging both existing interpretations of the campaign and current approaches to military history, Copp examines the Battle of Normandy, tracking the soldiers over the battlefield terrain and providing an account of each operation carried out by the Canadian army to illustrate the valour, skill, and commitment of the Allied citizen-soldier in the face of a well-entrenched and well-equipped enemy army. Using signal message logs, war diaries, operational research reports, and interviews, Copp re-examines often overlooked battles such as the advance inland on D-Day and the defence of the bridgehead, as well as the frequently analyzed struggle for Verrières ridge and the operations to reach Falaise, placing each operation within the context of overall Allied strategy. He demonstrates that previous accounts exaggerated the prowess of the German army and that while Allied air power and numerical strength were important, the Canadian and other Allied citizen armies won the war on the battlefield by employing an effective doctrine. The Canadian contribution to the Battle of Normandy, Copp argues, was an extraordinary achievement, well out of proportion to the number of troops engaged in battle, and the army was far more successful than previous historians have claimed. Passionately written and compellingly argued, Fields of Fire will make an irrefutable and controversial mark on Canadian military history.

Genres: World War II, History, Canada, Nonfiction, War, Military Fiction

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and insightful book that challenges the long-held notion that the Commonwealth troops in Europe were a poor match for the Wehrmacht. While not glossing over the difficulties in command and execution, it shows that the Canadian forces were innovative and performed well in the difficult task of attacking their foes. The commonly held belief that the Allies only won by the overwhelming use of air power is shown to be a gross distortion of the actual events that occurred. Highly recommended for the student of military history.

[Sean Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Copp is an excellent historian who has payed close attention to original sources in challenging the differing views of the performance of Canadians in the battle for Normandy. He traces the origins and evolution of the blame placed on Canadian’s efforts from the official history by CP Stacey to the scathing conclusions drawn John A English. This is not a jingoistic revision of events nor the work of an apologist, but a serious correction of the record that delves into the details of command decisions and results backed up by hard statistics, solid evidence and draws realistic conclusions.

This is not a book for the casual reader. Students and those who have a particular interest in Canadian history in the Second World War will find it useful and interesting.

The only criticism I have is that the maps, which are crucial to following the unfolding events, are not particularly good. The lines are crude, topography sparse and movement details bare if not missing.

Despite the poor illustration of geography, I cannot recommend this book highly enough to academics or dilettantes interested in this subject.

[Greg Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a close examination of Cdns in Normandy, starting with D-Day. There is great detail of the Cdn regiments that fought alongside their Allied partners for the final 76 days of WW2. While Copp's account is very thorough, it is sometimes difficult to follow which division was engaged in which battle. I found the maps not clear and I often referred to different maps (in other books) to get a better understanding of the positions. On the whole however, Copp gives a comprehensive account of the challenges, mistakes and the victories.

[Mac · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a Canadian, I really wanted to like this but it is too overtly biased and not well written enough. Find something else.

[Phillip Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine look at the Canadians in Normandy. They fought well and helped to destroy the Nazis in France. Highly recommended! We owe them a lot!

[Robert Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Armchair military historians have over the years hinted that Canadian troops in Normandy did not perform as they should have. Terry Copp's book puts that myth to rest once and for all. Very thorough research especially with front line troops show time and again the Canadians prevailed despite the many obstacles they faced by friend and foe. A lot of very young brave Canadians died in Europe and they deserve all the praise one can give and to the other Allies. This is a very good read.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, well researched book, though a dry read. What stands out was the yeoman job the Canadian army performed during the first few months of the Normandy invasion, from D-Day to Falaise, despite Montgomery's handling of them, the lack of reinforcements, and a British air force that refused to cooperate with the ground forces, causing many instances of friendly fire deaths.

[Aaron Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandfather was with the Winnipeg rifles on that day, any history through the eyes of the men that were there is priceless and should never be forgotten.