No-one interested in the history of Canadian military aviation will want to miss this 3-volume series from Larry Milberry!
Volume 2 completes 1939-45. Ch.1 & 2 cover night fighters, intruders & medium bombers. Much on Canadians on Defiants, Beaufighters & Mosquitos, the former a period of frustration, the latter of success. Many personal stories end happily, but sad times also fill the pages. Ch.3 deals with Bomber Command, beginning with Canadians on RAF squadrons, then moves to the first RCAF squadrons on Hampdens & Wellingtons. With some 70,000 words, Ch.3 says much of the bombing campaign. If CAFWP has a brutal chapter, this is it -- some 10,000 young Canadians die on bombers. Chief data sources are the official 6 Group records + diaries, logs & albums of the men who were there. Ch.4 studies Coastal Command on Beaufighters, Liberators, Sunderlands, etc. 60,000 words of new coverage and photos. While RCAF at War revealed new material on the Hornell VC, more is added here. Special coverage of 422 & 423 Sqns (Sunderlands) is not to be missed, nor are the excerpts from combat reports. Air transport is the theme of Ch.5, with more of Norseman, Dakota, Fortress, etc.
This long awaited book examines the many styles of sniper rifles and optics used by the Canadian Army. Starting with the Ross rifle of Great War fame, mated to the Warner & Swayze telescopic sight, the book examines issues and usage of a variety of sniper rifles. World War II saw a medley of equipment used in the early days. There is all new information on Small Arms Limited (Long Branch) and their experimental rifles as well as information on Research Enterprises Limited and the experimental scopes they developed for the Long Branch rifles. Post-war rifles used by the Canadian Army include Garand, Parker-Hale C3 and C3A1, The FN C1 and C2 (FAL) and the incredible MacMillan Bros Tac50.
The entire text is based on original research at the Canadian National Archives and the Canadian Department of National Defence.
Ever wondered what it would be like to fly a biplane or triplane in the First World War? Raymond Collishaw and the Black Flight takes you to the Western Front during the Great War. Experience the risks of combat and the many close calls Collishaw had as a pilot, flight commander, and squadron leader. Understand the courage Collishaw and his fellow flyers faced every day they took to the air in their small, light, and very manoeuvrable craft to face the enemy.
As the third-highest-scoring flying ace among British and colonial pilots in the First World War, scoring 60 victories, Collishaw was only surpassed by Billy Bishop and Edward Mannock. This book traces Collishaw's life from humble beginnings in Nanaimo, British Columbia, to victories in the skies over France.
The story of HMCS Oakville, a corvette that fought U-boats in WWII and remains a hero to its hometown in Oakville, Ontario.
This is an in-depth look at the history and legacy of HMCS Oakville, a Canadian World War II corvette that fought in the Battle of the Atlantic, and was one of the few corvettes to sink a U-boat. From its creation through its christening off the shores of its namesake town, its exploits at sea, the famous encounter with U94, and the ships lackluster end, Oakvilles is a story that showcases not only our nations proud naval heritage, but also the importance of remembrance.
Oakvilles Flower sets the scene of naval war in the Atlantic ? the battles between convoys, stealthy U-boats, and the lowly corvettes that formed the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy. We follow Oakville, one of those corvettes, through its rise and fall as a Canadian naval legend, to its revival in the town of Oakville, championed by the local Sea Cadet Corps that shares its name and safeguards its legacy.