Hell and High Water

by Lance Goddard

Although it has been overshadowed by other events of the Second World War, Canada's role in the Italian Campaign, from 1943 to 1945, was significant. Canadian forces played a major role in this campaign, whose goal was to open a second front in order to ease the pressure on Russian forces in the east. Canada fought under British command alongside British and American units, but our soldiers saw some of the fiercest fighting and achieved glory many times, including at the Battle of Ortona, one of Canada's greatest military accomplishments.

The pictorial history examines the Italian Campaign from the view of the soldiers serving there. Regiments represented in interviews in this book include the Princess Patricia's Light Infantry, the Perth Regiment, the Governor-General's Horse Guards, the Ontario Regiment, the 48th Highlanders, the Calgary Regiment, the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and the Royal Canadian Navy.

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jo-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I selected a volume to understand more of the role of Canadian forces in the Second World War. I have seen a movie on the Battle of Monte Cassino, and thus arise my interest in the Italian campaign. This book did not diasappoint! It relates the campaign from the shores of Sicily to the north of Italy through the eyes of those who fought and survived to tell the story. As the book explains, the work was overshadowed by other campaigns - D-Day - but no less important. I sincerely recommend it to those interested in the campaign and the role of the Canadian forces.