ISBN 1-896941-17-6
446 pages

Foreword; Acknowledgments; photos; maps; illustrations; diagrams; charts; OBs and TOEs; Glossary; Sources; Index

   This book was made possible by many people in addition to the two authors. Wartime photos and illustrations came from a variety of Canadian servicemen. Christopher Johnson produced excellent maps and line drawings. A number of donors provided funding. The Canadian War Museum served as a partner in the project. And Robin Brass Studio undertook design, layout, and production. All those contributors should all be very proud, because this is a spectacular book.
   Although it covers the entire history of the Royal Canadian Armored Corps from its cavalry antecedents in 1759 to its current incarnation at the beginning of a another century, more than 250 of the book's 446 pages directly cover the Second World War. The WWII-related material is divided into thirteen chapters:

   Creation and Building of the Corps
   Training the Corps in Britain: Sharpening the Sword
   The Raid on Dieppe
   Armoured Operations in Sicily
   The Pursuit through South Italy
   The Battles of the Moro and Ortona
   The Battles of the Liri Valley
   The Advance into Northern Italy
   The Battle of Normandy: The Landings and Break-In
   The Battle of Normandy: The Breakout
   Normandy to the Scheldt: The Grand Pursuit
   The Battles for the Rhineland
   Liberation of the Netherlands and the End of the War

   Very thorough and detailed text covers not only the pair of Canadian armored divisions (1st—later redesignated 5th—and 4th) and their components, but also the independent tank brigades and reconnaissance battalions and, of course, the famous Kangaroos—the 1st Armored Personnel Carrier Regiment. Sources include the official histories by Stacey and Nicholson, a wide assortment of unit histories, and interviews with veterans as well as war diaries, operational reports, orders, and other wartime documents. The authors are careful to keep the big picture in mind while reporting on the minutiae of tank combat and individual actions.

   The first to cross at Rouvres was a troop commanded by Sergeant Frederick Kenyon of the 1st Hussars' 'A' Squadron, and his troop immediately became involved in a firefight with five German field guns. The Hussars destroyed all five guns but Kenyon's tank was put out of action. Dismounted, he carried on the battle with hand grenades and his pistol, driving out enemies who could have disrupted the crossing operation. His gallantry was recognized by the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
   Meanwhile, three squadrons of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons advanced on the left flank of II Canadian Corps. 'C' Squadron deployed along the left boundary to protect the flank in the sector from St. Sylvain to just short of the Laison River, while 'A' Squadron moved directly to Ernes to picquet the area between Ernes and the village of Vendeuve. 'A' Squadron patrols encountered large numbers of German infantry, most of whom were quite happy to surrender, and at one point several of the troops had more than sixty prisoners. Near Ernes, patrols assisted a few tanks that had gone astray in the dash to the river. 'B' Squadron, which was to pass through when the high ground at Mont d'Eraines (west of Epancy) was secured, advanced as far as Sassy but was held up as the 4 CAD thrust began to bog down.
   Once the Germans were driven off the heights overlooking the Laison, it took nearly an hour for units to gather in their strays and stragglers and reorganize to continue the advance.

   The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps is decidedly not a mere photo album, but it is lavishly illustrated. The photographs—most of the WWII era photos are black and white—are well chosen to complement rather than overwhelm the text, and they are carefully captioned with dates, locations, and identities of men and units. The photos are also without exception remarkably crisp and sharply focused. In addition to the photos, the authors have illustrated their book with reproductions of dozens of gorgeous paintings done by artists who accompanied the Canadian forces. The maps, largely patterned after those in the official histories, are very nice, and a series of sidebars on armored fighting vehicles of the Canadians add line drawings and detailed specifications. The whole is further illustrated with beautiful, full-color layouts of regimental badges and Canadian medals.
   All of the book's visual components prove completely successful, but the real victory here goes to Robin Brass Studio (the same folks who brought us South Albertas: A Canadian Regiment at War) for designing a tome which is greater than the sum of its parts. Just hefting the book and glancing through its pages reveals a level of skill and care sadly lacking in many military books produced during a time of on-the-fly assembly line design. Fortunately, The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps is more than a feast for the eyes. It transcends visual flash with solid and informative text by Marteinson and McNorgan, text that provides a fine history of an important element of the Allied victory in western Europe during World War II.
   Recommended.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Robin Brass Studio.
   Thanks to Robin Brass for providing this review copy.