Canada’s First & Leading Tour Operator for Canadian Battlefields Since 1986
Trusted as Canada’s longest-running battlefield tour operator, we have proudly escorted Canadian Veterans and their families for over 30 years—honouring their stories, their service, and the generations who follow in their footsteps.
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Resources
SUGGESTED: READING - PODCASTS - FILMS - DOCUMENTARIES
HELPFUL ONLINE RESOURCES
Recommending the best of Canadian War Fiction, podcasts, films & documentaries, in an effort to understand the battlefields. We asked our diverse battlefield community across Canada to help put together a recommended resources to prepare you for your journey.
NON-FICTION
Aftermath: The Remnants of War
By: Donovan Webster
In riveting and revelatory detail, Aftermath documents the ways in which wars have transformed the terrain of the battlefield into landscapes of memory and enduring terror: in France, where millions of acres of farmland are cordoned off to all but a corps of demolition experts responsible for the undetonated bombs and mines of World War I that are now rising up in fields, gardens, and backyards; in a sixty-square-mile area outside Stalingrad that was a cauldron of destruction in 1941 and is today an endless field of bones
Among the Walking Wounded
By: John Conrad
In the shadows of army life is a world where friends become monsters, where kindness twists into assault, and where self-loathing and despair become constant companions. Whether you know it by old names like “soldier’s heart,” “shell shock,” or “combat fatigue,” post-traumatic stress disorder has left deep and silent wounds throughout history in the ranks of fighting forces.
Cinderella Army
By: Terry Copp
Cinderella Army continues the story of the operations carried out by the First Canadian Army in the last nine months of the war, and extends the argument developed in Fields of Fire that "the achievement of the Allied and especially the Canadian armies
Destined to Survive
By: Jack Poolton
Private Jack Poolton was among the Canadians landing at the disastrous raid on Dieppe. Fortunate to have survived, Jack was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Germany. In Destined to Survive: A Dieppe Veteran’s Story, Jack Poolton relates the story of his training, capture, and experiences in the POW camp. We follow Jack’s three escape attempts, and his subsequent punishment.
Empires of the Dead: How One Man’s Vision Led to the Creation of WWI’s War Graves
Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction.
The extraordinary and forgotten story of the building of the World War One cemeteries, due to the efforts of one remarkable man, Fabian Ware.
Juno: Canadians At D-day June 6, 1944
Ted Barris
On the eve of the 60th anniversary of D-Day, Barris takes us back to those momentous few hours that forever changed the course of our history in the voices of those who were there. In what might be described as Canada’s longest day, we follow the course of action hour by hour, minute by minute, as we meet and follow the soldiers who leapt off landing craft into the shallow waters off Normandy, who were strafed by machinegun fire before they could even reach the shore.
One Day In August: The Untold Story Behind Canada's Tragedy At Dieppe
One of the most important Canadian non-fiction books we have published: the groundbreaking, thrilling, ultra-secret story behind one of WWII's most enduring mysteries, which fundamentally changes our understanding of this sorrowful event in Canada's past.
Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy
Max Hastings's "exceptional" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) account of the famous World War II D-Day landings "[will] stand with that of the best journalists and writers who witnessed it" (The New York Times Book Review).
Last Night I dreamed of Peace
Dang Thuy Tram
Brutally honest and rich in detail, this posthumously published diary of a twenty-seven-year-old Vietcong woman doctor, saved from destruction by an American soldier, gives us fresh insight into the lives of those fighting on the other side of the Vietnam War.
The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering, and Remaking Canada's Second World War
Tim Cook
National Bestseller and finalist for the Ottawa Book Awards. The Fight for History examines how Canadians framed and reframed the war experience over time. Just as the importance of the battle of Vimy Ridge to Canadians rose, fell, and rose again over a 100-year period, the meaning of Canada's Second World War followed a similar pattern. But the Second World War's relevance to Canada led to conflict between veterans and others in society—more so than in the previous war—as well as a more rapid diminishment of its significance.
The Somme Paperback – March 15 2010
Peter Hart
On July 1, 1916, the British Army launched the “Big Push” that was supposed to bring an end to the horrific stalemate on the Western Front between British, French, and German forces. What resulted was one of the greatest single human catastrophes in twentieth century warfare. Scrambling out of trenches in the face of German machine guns and artillery fire, the Allied Powers lost over twenty thousand soldiers that first day. This “battle” would drag on for another four bloody months, resulting in over one million causalities among the three powers.
Vimy
Pierre Berton
One chill Easter dawn in 1917, a blizzard blowing in their faces, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in France went over the top of a muddy scarp knows as Vimy Ridge. Within hours, they held in their grasp what had eluded both British and French armies in over two years of fighting: they had seized the best-defended German bastion on the Western Front.
HISTORICAL FICTION
All The Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Mark T. Sullivan
Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.
Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager—obsessed with music, food, and girls—but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.
The Book Thief
# 1 New York Times Bestseller & one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Books of all time.The extraordinary, beloved novel about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah
In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.
DOCUMENTARIES
The Enemy Within
Eva Colmers
2003 52 min
This feature-length documentary looks at German POWs from the WWII who were housed in 25 camps across Canada. Filmmaker Eva Colmers follows her father's story - Theo Melzer - who spent three and a half years in a POW camp in Lethbridge,
Fields of Sacrifice
1963 38 min
This 1964 documentary returns to the battlefields where over 100,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The film also visits cemeteries where servicemen are buried. Filmed from Hong Kong to Sicily, this docu
Lost Over Burma: Search for Closure
1997 46 min
This documentary follows a mission into the Burmese jungle to recover the remains of a RCAF crew of six young Canadians lost during World War II. Their lives and wartime experiences are recalled through the memories of colleagues and families
Rosies of the North
1999 46 min
They raised children, baked cakes... and built world-class fighter planes. Sixty years ago, thousands of women from Thunder Bay and the Prairies donned trousers, packed lunch pails and took up rivet guns to participate in the greatest industrial war effort in
FILMS
During World War I, two British soldiers -- Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake -- receive seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time, they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow comrades -- including Blake's own brother.
All Quiet on the Western Front
War breaks out in Germany in 1914. Paul Bäumer and his classmates quickly enlist in the army to serve their fatherland. No sooner are they drafted than the first images from the battlefield show them the reality of war.
Passchendaele
During fighting, Sergeant Michael Dunne of the Canadian Fighting Tenth battalion is wounded in action and returned home to Calgary. Diagnosed as neurasthenic, he is honourably discharged and put to work in recruiting troops for the front. When David, the foolish, asthmatic younger brother of Michael's beloved nurse Sarah tries to enlist, Michael sends him away. However, David is persistent.
Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) takes his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Surrounded by the brutal realties of war, while searching for Ryan, each man embarks upon a personal journey and discovers their own strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honor, decency and courage.
PODCASTS
Battles of the First World War
The Battles of the First World War Podcast goes in-depth into the battles of the Great War of 1914-1918. The goal is to really go into the details of how and why these battles unfolded and happened as they did. In telling the narrative of these clashes we can revisit some of the stories of the men and women who lived, fought, and died during the first titanic struggle of the 20th Century, for these people have stories that deserve to be told.
Echoes of the Vietnam War
echoes across generations. Hear the stories of service and sacrifice from people who are affected — veterans, their families, and others who add perspective to those experiences. Brought to you by the nonprofit that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, “The Wall,” in Washington, D.C.
Front Lines
Front Lines is a weekly podcast produced by Legion Magazine, Canada’s leading military history publication. Join writer Stephen J. Thorne each week for fascinating stories and compelling commentary on Canada’s rich military past and present.
WW2 Podcast
A military history podcast that looks at all aspects of WWII.
With WW2 slipping from living memory I aim to look at different historical aspects of the Second World War.
USEFUL SOURCES ONLINE
Many supportive organizations, host communities, and official tourist boards provide a variety of valuable resources and information online. We encourage you to browse the following websites to find more in preparation for our Battlefield Tours.
Brussels Tourism Board
Dive into the heart of Brussels
So you think you know Brussels like the back of your hand? Think again! Here we share with you all our favourite things to see and do, our secret spots and our hottest tips to enjoy the capital. Keep your eyes peeled and your mind open and follow us off the beaten track!
Commonwealth Graves Commission
Visits to the Commonwealth cemeteries can be made more memorable with some background information. Take the time to learn more about the cemeteries you’re visiting at the Commonwealth Graves’ official website, and learn more about the men who are buried here.
Explore the resources of Dieppe! Learn more about restaurants, markets, hiking routes and more!
Europe Remebers
Europe Remembers is an awareness campaign launched by the LRE Foundation in collaboration with various organisations across Europe to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The Flanders Tourist Board
The official site of the Belgian Tourist Office Flanders-Brussels providing a rich array of information that you may need on your journey to the Western province of Flanders, Belgium. With descriptions of historic cities, dining suggestions, and visitors information for an array of museums & exhibitions, we encourage you to review this valuable online source.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
The hottest and latest things to see, eat and do in Hong Kong
The Juno Beach Centre
Learn more about what organizations work in maintaining and innovating the Historic Site of Juno Beach. Find out what efforts have been put forth to reach out to Canadians who have been affected by the Juno landings, along with impressive collections of their stories and memoirs.
The Normandy Tourist Board
With articles, news, events, and resources, this is the official tourist site to find all you need to know about Normandy and the surrounding areas. Learn about the history, and present day offerings that the area of Normandy is most known for.
The Netherlands Tourist Board
A small country that’s big on culture and nature
Somme Tourist Board
With resources for activities, events, and points of interest along the Somme and surrounding areas. Learn about the history, and present day offerings that the unique and fascinating region of Somme provides.
Vietnam Tourist Board
Discover the highlights of Vietnam through the country's official tourism website.