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Fight to the Finish: Canadians in the Second World War, 1944-1945
Winner of the 2016 Ottawa Book Award
The magisterial second volume of Tim Cook's definitive account of Canadians fighting in the Second World War.
Historian Tim Cook displays his trademark storytelling ability in the second volume of his masterful account of Canadians in World War II. Cook combines an extraordinary grasp of military strategy with a deep empathy for the soldiers on the ground, at sea and in the air. Whether it's a minute-by-minute account of a gruelling artillery battle, vicious infighting among generals, the scene inside a medical unit, or the small details of a soldier's daily life, Cook creates a compelling narrative. He recounts in mesmerizing detail how the Canadian forces figured in the Allied bombing of Germany, the D-Day landing at Juno beach, the taking of Caen, and the drive south.
Featuring dozens of black-and-white photographs and moving excerpts from letters and diaries of servicemen, Fight to the Finish is a memorable account of Canadians who fought abroad and of the home front that was changed forever.
The magisterial second volume of Tim Cook's definitive account of Canadians fighting in the Second World War.
Historian Tim Cook displays his trademark storytelling ability in the second volume of his masterful account of Canadians in World War II. Cook combines an extraordinary grasp of military strategy with a deep empathy for the soldiers on the ground, at sea and in the air. Whether it's a minute-by-minute account of a gruelling artillery battle, vicious infighting among generals, the scene inside a medical unit, or the small details of a soldier's daily life, Cook creates a compelling narrative. He recounts in mesmerizing detail how the Canadian forces figured in the Allied bombing of Germany, the D-Day landing at Juno beach, the taking of Caen, and the drive south.
Featuring dozens of black-and-white photographs and moving excerpts from letters and diaries of servicemen, Fight to the Finish is a memorable account of Canadians who fought abroad and of the home front that was changed forever.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
21 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Tim Cook
35 books156 followersTim Cook (1971 in Kingston - October 26, 2025) was a Canadian military historian and author.
Dr. Tim Cook was the Chief Historian & Director of Research at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, and a part-time history professor at Carleton University. He has also published several books about the military history of Canada during World War I.
Dr. Cook is a member of the Order of Canada.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Cook...
Dr. Tim Cook was the Chief Historian & Director of Research at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, and a part-time history professor at Carleton University. He has also published several books about the military history of Canada during World War I.
Dr. Cook is a member of the Order of Canada.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Cook...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 19, 2016
I’ve just finished the second of Tim Cook’s books on the role of Canadians in World War II. This review covers both volumes “The Necessary War: 1939–1943” and Fight to the Finish: Canadians in the Second World War, 1944-1945.
Thru these books, I’ve gained a new appreciation of the part the Canadian fighters played. I had read on the Nazis, the holocaust, the Resistance, the generals and the politicians who called the shot but not on the soldiers who actually won the war. Some movies— “Memphis Belle” and “Saving Private Ryan” come to mind—have given me an inkling of what it was like at the front but those films always show us very circumscribed events. They do not begin to tell us what it must have been like to risk your life for years on end and see your friends blown to smithereens beside you. And none of these movies or books ever presents us the Canadian point of view.
Last fall, my spouse and I went to the International Festival of Authors in Toronto. Tim Cook was on the panel of one of the presentations we attended. After the show, there was a singing session and Daniel bought the first book of the series “The Necessary War”. He finished it, wanted to continue on to the next one and told me that I would like it. I’m glad he did. These two books are necessary reading for all Canadians. I realized how little I knew about the Second World War. I could have told you some major events and could have made an attempt at sorting them in chronological order, but the result would have been a poor skeleton on which most of the bones would have been missing. These books filled the gap. Now I can say on which front the Canadians have battled and when. The author does a very good job by both showing us the big picture and by giving us the small details to remind us that the war was fought by human beings.
The first book covers at length the Battle for the Atlantic. I had heard anecdotal stories of U-boat creeping up the St-Lawrence but knew nothing about the building of the Canadian fleet, the sacrifice of our navy to ensure a safe passage to cargo ships resupplying England and the lives lost in the cold Atlantic by both our marine (1,990) and the Merchant Navy (1,629).
I remembered that Canadian had fought in Italy but I always saw that front as a comedy almost with the Italian playing the buffoons. I didn’t understand how the German defended every kilometre of land. I was as ignorant as Lady Astor (the first woman to sit as an MP in the British House of Common), who suggested that the soldiers who were in Italy had dodged their duty by not fighting in Normandy; I had never heard of our victory at Ortona and didn’t know that 5,399 Canadians were killed and 19,486 wounded during the Italian campaign.
Everybody knows—or should know—that D-Day was on June 6, 1944, but very few people understand that the battle for Normandy lasted 77 days.
And who, among civilians, have heard about the Battle of the Scheldt where the Canadian fought in Netherlands to open the port of Antwerp and free the starving Dutch to whom they are heroes to this day.
Tim Cook, a military historian at the Canadian War Museum, combines amazing research with quotes taken from letters written by the soldiers at the front. With this book he gives a voice to those young men whose voice was silenced forever. He shows respect by always naming them in full, giving their rank and the unit in which they serve. He is a one man cheering section for the Canadian who fought bravely to preserve our liberty and rid the world of evil. He is never neutral but is overtly on the side of the sailors, the bomber crew and the infantrymen to whom we owe everything.
His book doesn’t end with the peace treaty but follows the veterans thru the present time, regretting that not more has been done to remember their huge sacrifice. He is visibly angry about the poor treatment of the First Nations soldiers who were not informed of the many options open to them and on how the merchant seamen were cheated.
These books left me with many regrets; that they were published too late for most veterans to read them; that I have been ungrateful all to the soldiers who, by their sacrifice, allowed me to lead a peaceful and safe life in a free country. To quote Major A. J. Hamilton, who served with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, “...we worry whether our children are taught the price for the freedom they take for granted. “ I not forget and pay my dues by visiting Ottawa’s war museum this year.
Thru these books, I’ve gained a new appreciation of the part the Canadian fighters played. I had read on the Nazis, the holocaust, the Resistance, the generals and the politicians who called the shot but not on the soldiers who actually won the war. Some movies— “Memphis Belle” and “Saving Private Ryan” come to mind—have given me an inkling of what it was like at the front but those films always show us very circumscribed events. They do not begin to tell us what it must have been like to risk your life for years on end and see your friends blown to smithereens beside you. And none of these movies or books ever presents us the Canadian point of view.
Last fall, my spouse and I went to the International Festival of Authors in Toronto. Tim Cook was on the panel of one of the presentations we attended. After the show, there was a singing session and Daniel bought the first book of the series “The Necessary War”. He finished it, wanted to continue on to the next one and told me that I would like it. I’m glad he did. These two books are necessary reading for all Canadians. I realized how little I knew about the Second World War. I could have told you some major events and could have made an attempt at sorting them in chronological order, but the result would have been a poor skeleton on which most of the bones would have been missing. These books filled the gap. Now I can say on which front the Canadians have battled and when. The author does a very good job by both showing us the big picture and by giving us the small details to remind us that the war was fought by human beings.
The first book covers at length the Battle for the Atlantic. I had heard anecdotal stories of U-boat creeping up the St-Lawrence but knew nothing about the building of the Canadian fleet, the sacrifice of our navy to ensure a safe passage to cargo ships resupplying England and the lives lost in the cold Atlantic by both our marine (1,990) and the Merchant Navy (1,629).
I remembered that Canadian had fought in Italy but I always saw that front as a comedy almost with the Italian playing the buffoons. I didn’t understand how the German defended every kilometre of land. I was as ignorant as Lady Astor (the first woman to sit as an MP in the British House of Common), who suggested that the soldiers who were in Italy had dodged their duty by not fighting in Normandy; I had never heard of our victory at Ortona and didn’t know that 5,399 Canadians were killed and 19,486 wounded during the Italian campaign.
Everybody knows—or should know—that D-Day was on June 6, 1944, but very few people understand that the battle for Normandy lasted 77 days.
And who, among civilians, have heard about the Battle of the Scheldt where the Canadian fought in Netherlands to open the port of Antwerp and free the starving Dutch to whom they are heroes to this day.
Tim Cook, a military historian at the Canadian War Museum, combines amazing research with quotes taken from letters written by the soldiers at the front. With this book he gives a voice to those young men whose voice was silenced forever. He shows respect by always naming them in full, giving their rank and the unit in which they serve. He is a one man cheering section for the Canadian who fought bravely to preserve our liberty and rid the world of evil. He is never neutral but is overtly on the side of the sailors, the bomber crew and the infantrymen to whom we owe everything.
His book doesn’t end with the peace treaty but follows the veterans thru the present time, regretting that not more has been done to remember their huge sacrifice. He is visibly angry about the poor treatment of the First Nations soldiers who were not informed of the many options open to them and on how the merchant seamen were cheated.
These books left me with many regrets; that they were published too late for most veterans to read them; that I have been ungrateful all to the soldiers who, by their sacrifice, allowed me to lead a peaceful and safe life in a free country. To quote Major A. J. Hamilton, who served with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, “...we worry whether our children are taught the price for the freedom they take for granted. “ I not forget and pay my dues by visiting Ottawa’s war museum this year.
January 27, 2024
I am not Canadian, but I have long been appalled by the short shrift given to Canada's participation in the European theater. This applies to every book and film I have read or seen. Tim Cook's book provides the missing puzzle piece without which one cannot fully understand how the allies won the war. This is a MUST READ for anyone interested in the ground campaigns in Italy and France.
January 8, 2026
A triumphant conclusion to Tim Cook's duology on Canada's role in World War II. This book is focused mostly on the ground war in Europe and Italy during 1944 and 1945. Cook does his usual fantastic job in telling the story of Canadians and their role in the liberation of Europe.
October 22, 2017
This is a detailed look at the Canadian military during WW2. Tim Cook is a historian who has written several books on Canada's role in the wars of the 20th Century. He provides details on individual soldiers and officers that is not often found in history books. We can be proud of the sacrifices these young people made for our freedom.
May 16, 2018
Volume 2 of a two part book series by Tim Cook.
An overview of Canada's involvement in WWII told in a comprehensive, engaging and compelling way, and in a way that left this reader feeling even more proud of the contributions made by Canadian soldiers. I originally chose this book because it included a chapter about the medical corp. My Grandfather was a doctor who came over D-Day + 2 and I've always been curious about what his experiences must have been like. If he talked about it, it wasn't within earshot of his then young granddaughter. Well, the chapter was so interesting and written in such a way that I had to go back to read the rest of the book.
Not dry, not boring, well written which is so refreshing to see in a non-fiction work about a monumental piece of Canada's history by a Canadian Author (where was this back when I was studying history?). This is a great overview of the Canadian experience in the latter half of WWII with enough drama that it sometimes reads like a novel but with enough personal stories and quotes to make sure you know it is all very real. Notably in the chapters on the Italian Campaign, we learn how especially difficult and fraught with danger and German resistance this part of the Canadian experience in the war is (the Italian Campaign is typically overshadowed by the US and UK reporting and which usually negates or fails to mention at all the participation of other nations in this difficult campaign).
{If you want to know first hand what it was like to fight in the Italian campaign, and I do not feel I am doing a disservice to the author by mentioning these titles, try Farley Mowat's "And No Birds Sang" for one man's personal experience fighting on the ground (you'll understand his later desire to spend as much time as possible in remote lowly populated locations following his return); and Kenneth Koskodan's "No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland's Forces in WWII" part of which details rather grimly the other rarely mentioned ally in this campaign, the Polish}.
This book is a great over view of Canada's on-the-ground-and-running involvement in fighting the enemy in WWII, 1944-45. For a look at the first years of the war, you'll need to read "The Necessary War, Vol. 1." also by the author, which if it is like this book at all, isn't nearly as daunting to get into once you've jumped into the first pages of chapter 1.
Recommend for readers looking for alternate perspectives of the Canadian WWII experience.
Good job Mr. Cook!
An overview of Canada's involvement in WWII told in a comprehensive, engaging and compelling way, and in a way that left this reader feeling even more proud of the contributions made by Canadian soldiers. I originally chose this book because it included a chapter about the medical corp. My Grandfather was a doctor who came over D-Day + 2 and I've always been curious about what his experiences must have been like. If he talked about it, it wasn't within earshot of his then young granddaughter. Well, the chapter was so interesting and written in such a way that I had to go back to read the rest of the book.
Not dry, not boring, well written which is so refreshing to see in a non-fiction work about a monumental piece of Canada's history by a Canadian Author (where was this back when I was studying history?). This is a great overview of the Canadian experience in the latter half of WWII with enough drama that it sometimes reads like a novel but with enough personal stories and quotes to make sure you know it is all very real. Notably in the chapters on the Italian Campaign, we learn how especially difficult and fraught with danger and German resistance this part of the Canadian experience in the war is (the Italian Campaign is typically overshadowed by the US and UK reporting and which usually negates or fails to mention at all the participation of other nations in this difficult campaign).
{If you want to know first hand what it was like to fight in the Italian campaign, and I do not feel I am doing a disservice to the author by mentioning these titles, try Farley Mowat's "And No Birds Sang" for one man's personal experience fighting on the ground (you'll understand his later desire to spend as much time as possible in remote lowly populated locations following his return); and Kenneth Koskodan's "No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland's Forces in WWII" part of which details rather grimly the other rarely mentioned ally in this campaign, the Polish}.
This book is a great over view of Canada's on-the-ground-and-running involvement in fighting the enemy in WWII, 1944-45. For a look at the first years of the war, you'll need to read "The Necessary War, Vol. 1." also by the author, which if it is like this book at all, isn't nearly as daunting to get into once you've jumped into the first pages of chapter 1.
Recommend for readers looking for alternate perspectives of the Canadian WWII experience.
Good job Mr. Cook!
February 25, 2017
Cook continues his excellent two-volume overview of Canada in WW2. It covers 1944 through to the end, plus some on demobilization and the aftermath for the veterans, positive and negative, and the legacy today for vets. In addition to the three arms of the Forces, and the Merchant Marine, he gives some political background of the King government's skating through various hot issues. This volume, necessarily, focuses more on the Army in Italy and north-western Europe than the first volume, since that was when the Army was most active. My only main quibble with both volumes is that I would like to have seen more on Canada's involvement in other theatres in what was a global conflict. The portion defending the bombing campaign also goes on a bit long. One minor one is that I am not sure that the photo on page 143 is actually of SS Col. Kurt Meyer, since the fellow in the photo is wearing a Wehrmacht uniform.
As with volume I, this is generally a 10,000 look at the war, but with dips down to stories of the individual. I wish I had read these two books before reading Mark Zuehlke's also-excellent series of books on individual battles in which the Canadian Army fought, which are at a far more detailed level. (For example, battles to which Cook devotes half-to-full chapters, Zuehlke devotes entire books).
As with volume I, this is generally a 10,000 look at the war, but with dips down to stories of the individual. I wish I had read these two books before reading Mark Zuehlke's also-excellent series of books on individual battles in which the Canadian Army fought, which are at a far more detailed level. (For example, battles to which Cook devotes half-to-full chapters, Zuehlke devotes entire books).
March 15, 2023
As usual, Cook writes an engaging and informative history. I have read and enjoyed several of his books. There is a somewhat jarring problem with this book however: it is rife with technical errors regarding the equipment used, and even in one case dates associated with Operation Atlantic are mistakenly labeled as being in June and September when it occurred in July 1941 (as he says on a previous page). I don't understand how this got by the editing phase. A Thomson gun is said to be a Sten, an M-10 tank destroyer is called a self propelled gun (artillery), a Halifax bomber is captioned as a Lancaster and he specifically points out in one photo caption that the reader should note they are loading .50 cal ao into a Hawker Typhoon when it is obviously 20mm (the Typhoon didn't carry .50 cal guns). Again, the story told is excellent but the technical gaffes are jarring.
August 30, 2018
The too-long-untold contribution of Canada's military to the Allied victory in World War II gets a robust telling in this excellent history. "Fight to the Finish" covers only the final two years of the war -- two years in which Canada sacrificed tens of thousands of its men on frontline battles against Nazi Germany, on land, at sea and in the air. This book is a necessary re-balancing of the scales. Interesting, too, that Canadians often fought side-by-side with the Poles, whose contributions to Allied victory were also late in being recognized.
September 25, 2017
This is my fourth Tim Cook history book and he continues to impress. This is book 2 of his two book history of Canadians in the Second World War. It covers 1944-45. He writes wonderfully informative and engaging history books that are never dry. This history of the Canadians' contribution to the victory in Europe is something that all Canadians should know about. I'll try to write a longer review later. In the meantime, I highly recommend this book.
January 17, 2020
Tim Cook est un historien hors-pair et son livre "Fight to the Finish" met en premier plan l'histoire militaire canadienne et nous apprend à connaître les généraux, leurs qualités et défauts, ainsi qu'à mettre à jour les exploits militaires canadiens. Son style d'écriture est fluide et très plaisant. Hormis le dernier chapitre que j'ai trouvé moralisateur, le reste de l'ouvrage est très bien étoffé et vaut la peine d'être lu par tous les férus d'histoire.
March 6, 2022
Another excellent, insightful and thought-provoking book after Tim Cook's The Necessary War. I found it fascinating to read about Canada's outstanding contribution through the prism of the grander picture of the conflict overall. Perhaps my only issue was the last chapter, which, personally, became a little too opinionated for my liking. It also hit home that some of my liberal values do not always correlate with the war veterans, a somewhat jarring place to end my journey through their story.
December 15, 2017
An excellent account of the Canadian war effort in 1944 and 1945.
May 13, 2024
A poignant memory searching; required; read I thought for all.
September 17, 2025
A powerful and unflinching look at WW2 and the Canadian forces who helped defeat Hitler. Highly recommended!
November 19, 2016
This book was an excellent follow up to Tim Cook's first volume on Canadians in the Second World War. Like his 2 volume set on the Canadian Military in WWI, this is the best account of Canada's forces in WWII that I have yet read. Cook is alway remarkably successful at blending the experiences and perspectives of individual soldiers with the 'big picture' strategy of each battle and the war in general. The result is a well-balanced account of Canada's war experience and a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews