Out of the Shadows: Canada in the Second World War

by W.A.B. Douglas, Brereton Greenhous

First published in 1977 this accessible general overview of Canada’s contribution to the Second World War and of the war’s effect on Canada’s evolution. This revised edition incorporates new information, particularly in the realms of intelligence and cipher, allowing new interpretations of policies and operations. It also makes new judgements on Canadian generalship.

Genres: World War II, Canada

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 1992

Reviews

[Michael Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1977 by two Canadian historians who both have a background of writing about Canada in the Second World War. This book is after the history had settled a little and after Canada’s “contribution has come out of the shadows.” The book is a good overview of the actions and accomplishments of the Canadian Forces during this war. It also includes information on how Canada managed to get itself and its forces moving at the start of the war and how the politicians of the day, Prime Minister Mackenzie King. managed the issues of the day. It is well written and very readable. The authors have hit a good level of detail regarding the material (273 pages) and have given a good discussion of what actually happened without overwhelming the reader. My only comment relates to their discussion of the raid at Dieppe. Much of the detail of this action was classified secret and withheld for 70 years in the British archives. That material only became available about 40 years after the book. As a result, much of the important aspects of the Dieppe story are incomplete. Anybody interested in the complete story of Dieppe should read “One Day in August” by David O’Keefe.

The book focuses on the Canadian Army, including besides operations, how it grew, organization and training, and equipment. The are also chapters on the Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. The role of the RCAF and CN are included in those chapters where they played significant roles as part of integrated operations such as D-Day. A Canadian was ultimately made Commander-in-Chief of the Operational Sector covering the North Atlantic from Greenland to New York and half-way to Britain, including the coasts of Canada and Newfoundland. This was the only non-British, non-American Sector Commander in the war. Important roles of politicians and military leaders are described as are significant awards (e.g., Victoria Cross) to all ranks. The award citation is usually included or paraphrased.

Besides battling the Germans and Japanese, there were other vicious battles being fought. Prime Minster Mackenzie King fought his cabinet throughout the war to ensure that Canadians did not suffer the casualties that arose from the Great War. He believed that losing airmen in aircraft by the handful or several, was much preferable to losing soldiers by the hundreds or thousands and strongly encouraged the growth of the RCAF and the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Major-General Andrew McNaughton, Commander 1st Canadian Army, supported by the Prime Minister, fought bitterly to ensure that Canadians were commanded by Canadians. Canadians were not to be parcelled out for operations under other commands. This worked well in general however, as fighting grew, other Divisions were rotated through combat under various Army commanders. This allowed all ranks, including Generals, to learn and gather important field experience. Ultimately, a Canadian Division was separated for Italy. A second Division was also sent to Italy and a Canadian Corps was established. The authors were very clear in identifying where a Canadian Corps or Army included non-Canadian Corps, or Divisions. In my mind, nothing shows confidence like allowing your troops to be commanded by another country’s Generals. The 1st Canadian Army was the first Army ever fielded by Canada. (In the Great War, Canada’s largest unit was a Corps of four Divisions.) This Army was augmented without hesitation by Polish, French, British and US Divisions and Corps depending on the assignment and need.

This book continues to be an interesting Canadian history 35 years after its writing and eighty years after the occurrence. Besides the good writing, this book contains many photos. The photos are all in black and white as that is what they were. Some of the photos are clear winners and have been used frequently, however a number have never been seen before and are quite clear and interesting. Four Stars

[Joe Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a history of Canada's role in the second World War that was first written in 1977 and I read the second edition which was published in 1995, after a number of reports and documents were released from the Official Secrets restrictions. It is perhaps the most frank assessment of our participation in the conflict that I have read. Much like the CBC documentary "The Valour and the Horror" it calls out the shortcomings of our war efforts and some of the personalities whose contributions were, up until the mid 1990's, shrouded in secrecy. A worthwhile read to help understand how Canada's unpreparedness for war in 1939 translated into our initial struggles to meet the challenge of the times. Eventually our Navy, Air Force and Army proved their value as part of the United Nations but it took a few years to build the resources and train the personnel to prosecute the war to the fullest extent. A different perspective with a healthy scepticism and an interesting read.

[Raving Redcoat · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many of these books, the theme is "How X won World War 2." This book successfully avoids that temptation, and instead focusses on how Canadians made significant contributions to the war effort, and in the process further developed their national identity. This is not a strictly chronological narrative, but instead looks at different aspects, such as the RCN, RCAF, and different campaigns that the Army fought in. Well worth reading for anyone interested in World War II and/or Canadian history (eh?).