D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada's 24 Hours of Destiny [Paperback]

Lance Goddard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Many have called it the most important event of the twentieth century - and Canada played a key role. When Canadian troops landed at Juno Beach, they faced some of the fiercest opposition of the attack, and yet they managed to advance further inland than all the other Allied forces. D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada's 24 Hours of Destiny chronicles that momentous day hour-by-hour, through the words of the men themselves. With more than 300 illustrations, this is a vivid remembrance of one of Canada's greatest military achievements.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"

"It's a fascinating book full of photos and it tells in detail the sacrifices made by the many young Canadian soldiers."

From the Inside Flap

A vivid remembrance of one of Canada's greatest military achievements.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dundurn (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550024922
• ISBN-13: 978-1550024920
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,308,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Should have hired a ghost writer, July 6, 2010

By 

Michael A Dorosh (Calgary, AB, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada's 24 Hours of Destiny (Paperback)

Compared to a book like Tim Saunders' JUNO BEACH, this book falls well short of the mark in presenting a detailed description of the events that took place on the Canadian invasion beaches during the invasion of Normandy on June 6th, 1944. Despite the book's length and the number of photographs, as well as the celebrity endorsement by the well known Major General Rohmer, the book simply fails to deliver. The photographs are all well known by now and can be found in other sources, including, many of them, for free online at the Library and Archives Canada website. The maps in the book are almost non-existent, save for a crude map that is repeated with hourly updates on the progress of the troops; it is poorly drawn and hard to relate to the material in the text, which jumps from personal anecdote to broad strategy and back again.

The book's introduction states it is intended as a companion to a television series; perhaps as such it is not intended to be taken seriously. I don't think companion books need to be relegated to simple supporting roles; Gwynne Dyer's "War" was an outstanding volume in its own right. This book doesn't even make an attempt to be taken seriously. Certainly the introduction gives no good account of itself off the bat, by insisting that "D-Day" was the - and I quote - "single most important experience of the twentieth century." Whatever that means. He follows up this baldly ridiculous statement by suggesting the Nazi's actions "were evil, their intent vicious." This kind of silly writing peppers the text throughout, though luckily the words of the veterans themselves are allowed to predominate, so it is not all bad. But other than that, there is little to recommend about this.

Definitely seek out Tim Saunders' book if you are looking for nuts and bolts info about the invasion itself, or seek out Ted Barris first for the experiences of the veterans.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 17, 2004

By 

Lawrence Hobbs "Author of Strategic DNA" (Calgary, AB, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada's 24 Hours of Destiny (Paperback)

I was delighted to read this marvellous companion to the television programme. Lance Goddard's book provides a fascinating perspective of Canada's involvement in the D-Day landings at the level of the individual participants.

With hourly, almost blow-by-blow, accounts from veterans who survived the battle, Mr. Goddard's book brings the invasion to life in a way that no dry third-person narrative could. The voices of these soldiers, sailors and airmen quietly demonstrate a pragmatic heroism with combined humility and pride. Indeed there seems a common thread of comrades doing a job that just had to get done.

Numerous photographs and evolving beachhead maps effectively support the narrative and bring to life concepts like tanks that swim and thousands of virtually worthless bicycles.

Together, in words and images, this book provides a rich Canadian view of D-Day that should be of equal interest to non-Canadians. As these elderly veterans are finally defeated by General Time this book will help later generations remember the essential sacrifices they, and their friends still in Normandy, made to defeat the Nazis.