Primary Documents and Official Accounts:
Canadian Military Headquarters Report # 139 The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in France (6 June – 6 September 1944) 7 July 1945 Canadian Military Headquarters Report # 147 Canadian Participation in the Operations in North-West Europe, 1944. Part I: The Assault and Subsequent Operations of 3 Cdn Inf Div and 2 Cdn Armd Bde, 6-30 Jun 44. 3 December 1945 Canadian Military Headquarters Report # 162 Canadian Participation in the Operations in North-West Europe, 1944. Part II: Canadian Operations in July. 8 November 1946 Canadian Military Headquarters Report # 169 Canadian Participation in the Operations in North-West Europe, 1944. Part III: Canadian Operations, 1-23 August. 14 January 1947 Canadian Military Headquarters Report # 183 Canadian Participation in the Operations in North-West Europe, 1944. Part IV: First Canadian Army in the Pursuit 23 Aug - 30 Sep. 22 September 1947 See Also: C.P. Stacey, Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War: Volume III, The Victory Campaign, The Operations in Northwest Europe. Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 1960. (Available online as a PDF file) http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/oh-ho/detail-eng.asp?BfBookLang=1&BfId=29 See Chapters 4-11: Chapter 4: The Plan of Attack Chapter 5: The Landings in Normandy, 6 June 1944 Chapter 6: Normandy: The Bridgehead Battle, 7-30 June 1944 Chapter 7: Normandy: The Battles of Caen and Bourguebus Ridge, 1-23 July 1944 Chapter 8: Normandy: The Breakout Begins, 24-31 July 1944 Chapter 9: Normandy: The Falaise Road, 1-12 August 1944 Chapter 10: Normandy: Victory at Falaise, 12-23 August 1944 Chapter 11: Normandy: The Balance Sheet |
Internet Resources:
CBC Digital Archives http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/war-conflict/second-world-war/second-world-war.html Veterans Affairs Canada - D-Day and the Battle of Normandy (Photos, videos, lesson plans, information on memorials and events, links to biographies of Victoria Cross recipients on the Directorate of History and Heritage site.) http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/d-day Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies - Canadian War Diaries of the Normandy Campaign (PDF version of the War Diaries for Canadian Divisions and units serving in Normandy July/August 1944. Not all units or portions of the war diaries available.) http://lmharchive.ca/canadian-divisions-of-the-normandy-campaign/ The Ronnie Shephard Fonds - Normandy Invasion Special Observer Report – Beach Party. (Report of initial lessons learned from Normandy landings concerning weapons and defences prepared by a party landing in Normandy on D+6. The first 8 pages may be useful.) http://lmharchive.ca/the-ronnie-shephard-fonds/normandy-invasion-special-observer-report-beach-party/ BBC Witness – Broadcasting D-Day (Downloadable MP3 file. Uses some of the original BBC reports to tell the story of D-Day. 9 minute general overview, not specific to Canada.) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0201hng Books and Monographs: Bill McAndrew, Donald E. Graves and Michael Whitby. Normandy 1944: The Canadian Summer, Art Global: Montreal, 1994. Marc Milner. Stopping the Panzers: The Untold Story of D-Day, Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2014. Terry Copp. Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003. |
Historians’ Perspectives:
Introductory articles available online:
Introductory articles available online:
Legion Magazine: Canadian Military History in Perspective Series
D-Day at Sea and In the Air: Army, Part 20 March 1, 1998 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/1998/03/d-day-at-sea-and-in-the-air/ The Airborne On D-Day: Army, Part 21 May 1, 1998 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/1998/05/the-airborne-on-d-day/ The Normandy Battle of Attrition: Army, Part 22 September 1, 1998 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/1998/05/the-airborne-on-d-day/ Allied Bombing in Normandy: Army, Part 23 November 1, 1998 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/1998/11/allied-bombing-in-normandy/ The Approach to Verrieres Ridge: Army, Part 25 March 1, 1999 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/1999/03/the-approach-to-verrieres-ridge/ The Toll of Verrieres Ridge: Army, Part 26 May 1, 1999 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/1999/05/the-toll-of-verrieres-ridge/ Reassessing Operation Totalize: Army, Part 27 September 1, 1999 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/1999/09/107/ The March to the Seine: Army, Part 30 March 1, 2000 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2000/03/the-march-to-the-seine/ Fighting Normandy’s Terrain: Army, Part 90 October 18, 2010 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2010/10/fighting-normandys-terrain-army-part-90/ Murder in Normandy: Army, Part 91 November 28, 2010 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2010/11/murder-in-normandy-army-part-91/ A Well-Entrenched Enemy: Army, Part 92 February 5, 2011 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2011/02/a-well-entrenched-enemy-army-part-92/ Lessons of Carpiquet: Army, Part 93 March 28, 2011 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2011/03/lessons-of-carpiquet-army-part-93/ Clearing Buron: Army, Part 94 June 12, 2011 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2011/06/clearing-buron-army-part-94/ Taking Caen: Army, Part 95 August 17, 2011 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2011/08/taking-caen-army-part-95/ |
The Bloody Battles Around Caen: Army, Part 96
September 21, 2011 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2011/09/the-bloody-battles-around-caen-army-part-96/ Flawed from the Start: Army, Part 97 December 5, 2011 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2011/12/flawed-from-the-start-army-part-98/ Short, Bloody Steps: Army, Part 98 February 10, 2012 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/02/short-bloody-steps-army-part-98/ Chaos in the Dark: Army, Part 99 March 22, 2012 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/03/chaos-in-the-dark-army-part-99/ Ferocity and Futility: Army, Part 100 May 22, 2012 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/05/ferocity-and-futility-army-part-100/ Mayhem in Normandy: Army, Part 102 October 23, 2012 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/10/mayhem-in-normandy-army-part-102/ Montgomery’s Blunder: Army, Part 103 December 5, 2012 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/12/montgomery-e2-80-99s-blunder-army-part-103/ Pounding Towards Falaise: Army, Part 104 January 21, 2013 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2013/01/pounding-towards-falaise-army-part-104/ Breakthrough to Falaise: Mistakes on the Road to Success: Army, Part 105. March 31, 2013 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2013/03/breakthrough-to-falaise-mistakes-on-the-road-to-success-army-part-105/ The Havoc Continues: Closing in on Falaise May 31, 2013 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2013/05/the-havoc-continues-closing-in-on-falaise/ Pocket of Destruction: Closing the Falaise Gap July 31, 2013 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2013/07/pocket-of-destruction-closing-the-falaise-gap/ The Cork in the Bottle: Canadians and Poles at the Falaise Gap September 16, 2013 by Terry Copp https://legionmagazine.com/en/2013/09/the-cork-in-the-bottle-canadians-and-poles-at-the-falaise-gap/ Legion Magazine: Canada & the Victoria Cross Series Valour to the End: Part 18 of 18 November 1, 2006 by Arthur Bishop https://legionmagazine.com/en/2006/11/valour-to-the-end/ |