New Canadian Library and other Canadian Lit Challenge discussion

This book, published in 1955, concerns the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, known as the Hasty Ps, famed for their role in the Allied invasion of Sicily during WWII. The author was a second lieutenant and a platoon leader of this regiment at the time and records the suffering, bravery, and friendships that he witnessed. This was Canada's most decorated regiment in WWII and their story deserves to be known. Lest we forget.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farley_...

http://farleymowat.ca/about-farley-mo...

I didn't mean to barrel into this book so fast, expecting to slowly read it over the month. However, I have been drawn so quickly into the story due to the eloquence and clarity of Mowat's writing. Already I am at chapter 7 having laid aside The Three Musketeers for a time in favour of seeing what happens next in this book. Mowat has been able to make the men of the story very real and important to me and I want to know how these brave men coped with war and to share their experience.

I knew very little about the Italian campaign before reading this book. I learned just how difficult the Regiment's challenges were, often due to errors in strategy or worse, at the top level of the military, in achieving their objectives.

What I learned the most was how a group of men become bonded together and how important that was to their survival mentally as well as physically. The Italian campaign and other's away from the French/Germany sites are not as well known and deserve better attention and Mowat does a great job.