The Weight of Command
The Weight of Command
Voices of Canada’s Second World War Generals and Those Who Knew Them
Three-quarters of a century after the Second World War, almost all the participants are gone. This book contains interviews with and about the Canadian generals who led the troops during that war. Edited and introduced by one of the foremost military historians of our time, this carefully curated collection brings to life the generals and their wartime experiences.
The interviews are based on lengthy conversations that J.L. Granatstein had with the surviving generals, their key staff officers, fighters under their command, and their families. Generals McNaughton, Crerar, Simonds, Foulkes, and Burns are among those discussed. The content is revealing and conversations frank. Peers and subordinates alike scrutinize key commanders of the war, sometimes offering praise but often passing harsh judgment.
Canada’s army rose from nothing in 1939 to become “the best little army in the world” in 1945. It was an astounding feat, given that most senior officers received only on-the-job training to fight the war. In this book, we learn how and why so much was accomplished from the memories of those who were there. We also learn of the mistakes made and the high cost paid in lives and suffering.
This book will be of interest to all interested in military studies, Canadian history, and leadership. It will also be a core reference book for scholars in the field.
The ultimate compliment is to tell someone, ‘As usual you have nailed it!’ That’s what J.L. Granatstein has done in his presentation and analysis of the intimate, often colourful, interviews he conducted with generals and their staff – both the good and not so good – who led Canada’s efforts during the Second World War.
Histories of the Second World War Canadian Army have largely been based on personality-driven evaluations, usually by British officers. The Weight of Command will exhilarate readers with the discovery of something new. J.L. Granatstein weaves together interviews with commanders and fighters, as well as behind-the-scenes staff, providing an unparalleled record of the personal memories of those closest to the war.
The attitudes and experiences of the Canadian senior officer cohort were strikingly similar to other Dominion armies during the war: the feuds, jealousies, and occasional hatreds; insufficient capacity to wage war during the early years; and ambivalent relations with the British. J.L. Granatstein’s ‘360-degree appraisal’ – gained from conversations with commanders, subordinates, and staff – creates a riveting portrait.
Introduction
1 THE GENERALS
Major-General Bert Hoffmeister
Major-General George Kitching
Major-General Harry F.G. Letson
Major-General Bruce Matthews
2 THE FIGHTERS
Brigadier H.P. Bell-Irving
Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Bennett
Major-General M.P. Bogert
Colonel J. Allan (“Ding”) Calder
Major-General W.J. Megill
Lieutenant-General Robert Moncel
Major-General Roger Rowley
Major-General J. Desmond B. Smith
Major-General James Tedlie
Lieutenant-General Henri Tellier
Major-General C.B. Ware
Brigadier-General Denis Whitaker
3 THE STAFF
Brigadier G. Edward Beament
Lieutenant-General William A.B. Anderson
Brigadier George Pangman
Major Giles Perodeau
Finlay Angus Morrison
Major-General N. Elliot Rodger
Lieutenant-General Geoffrey Walsh
Major-General Robert P. Rothschild
Lieutenant-General S.F. Clark
Lieutenant-Colonel J. Douglas Crashley
John W.H. Bassett
Harold Morrison
Colonel H.O. Moran
Lieutenant-Colonel E.T. Winslow
Major-General H.A. “Sparky” Sparling
Colonel Robert Raymont
Brigadier John D. (Jack) Christian
Colonel Ernest A. Côté
Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Mingay
Brigadier P.A. Stanley Todd
Colonel W. Clement Dick
Brigadier-General R.T. Bennett
Brigadier Frank Lace
Brigadier Beverley Matthews
Brigadier William Ziegler
Rt. Hon. J.W. Pickersgill
Lieutenant-Colonel Trumball Warren
4 THE FAMILIES
Mrs. Margaret Palmer
Peter Crerar
Group Captain Victor C.H. Stuart
Marguerite Stuart Shortreed
Dr. Mary Burns
Joseph Pope
Major W.H. Pope
Mrs. Simonne Pope Fletcher
Tony Foster
Peter Hertzberg
Thea Hertzberg Gray
Mrs. Dagmar Hertzberg Nation
Mrs. Sherwood Lett
George Montague
P.K. (Patricia Katherine) Page
Mrs. Helen Price Perodeau
Mrs. Mary Plow
Mr. Justice Joseph Potts
Mrs. Betty Spry
Malcolm and Atholl Sutherland-Brown
W.F.R. Stein
Colonel Malcolm Turner
Major Fred Vokes
Harvie Walford
Peter Worthington
Mrs. Clara “Larry” Worthington
William Young
Appendices
List of Canadian Generals of the Second World War
Table of Army Ranks and Responsibilities
Selected Readings
Index
Capturing Hill 70
Canada’s Forgotten Battle of the First World War
Edited by Douglas E. Delaney and Serge Marc Durflinger
