Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Baptism of Fire: The Second Battle of Ypres and the Forging of Canada, April 1915 by Nathan M. Greenfield

Baptism of Fire: The Second Battle of Ypres and the Forging of Canada, April 1915 by Nathan M. Greenfield first off yes the title is a little goofy. What we have here is a description of the training of the Canadian units and the Second Battle of Ypres. Probably most famous for the Germans first use of poison gas on the western front. Not only has Greenfield used Canadian sources but also material from the Germans opposing the Canadians. A nice change from most Canadian military history that rarely goes into the opposition's archives. I did find that the book is trying to cover all audiences both scholarly and newbie. Simple terms are explained than a few pages later is an extensive discussion of the veracity of a source. So the writing is uneven. Besides this complaint this is an excellent book on a WWI battle.

Recommended!

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