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George G. Blackburn

The Guns of Victory: A Soldier's Eve View, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, 1944-45 Hardcover – October 3, 1996

by George Blackburn (Author)

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For the Canadian Soldiers who lived through the momentous battle for Normandy in the summer of 1944, it was inconceivable that the conflict in Europe could continue for another eight long months. The war was won, they thought, and to win it they had been pushed to what seemed like the limits of endurance. But ahead lay not only an enemy with no thoughts of surrender, but also appalling battle conditions reminiscent of the legendary miseries of Passchendaele.

This much-anticipated sequel to The Guns of Normany picks up where its critically acclaimed predecessor leaves off, and it continues in the same absorbing, startlingly vivid style. After the battle for Normandy, Blackburn’s 4th Field Regiment, with the rest of 1st Canadian Army, is called upon to pursue the enemy through the flooded Low Country, clearing the Scheldt estuary – a task equal to that of D-Day – and opening the port of Antwerp to allow for the huge influx of supplies necessary to press on against the German forces, now fighting with mounting desperation and ferocity.

After enduring the worst winter in local memory, and spending yet another Christmas far from home, in the spring of 1945 the Canadians are thrust into the crucial Battle of the Rhineland, which will eventually allow Allied forces to plunge into the heart of the Reich.

When victory comes, it is with no sense of triumph over a vanquished foe, but with the profoundest relief that this most terrible conflict in history is finally over.

Told with Blackburn’s now trademark sense of drama and eye for detail, this story of the desperate struggle for Europe becomes as large as life. It should fully establish Blackburn as the author of an acknowledged classic on the Second World War.

Print length

520 pages
Language

English
Publisher

McClelland & Stewart
Publication date

October 3, 1996
Dimensions

6.25 x 2 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0771015011
ISBN-13

978-0771015014
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“It is exciting when the second volume of a great memoir continues and deepens the experiences of the first one. This is so with…The Guns of Victory – now a companion to last year’s triumph, The Guns of Normandy.”
–Douglas Fisher, columnist

“This…volume, continuing Blackburn’s story from the clearing of the Channel ports through the Scheldt and Rhineland battles to V-E Day, is a stunning successor [to The Guns of Normany].…This epic should be a part of every Canadian’s consciousness.”
–J.L. Granatstein, Quill & Quire

“…an outstanding historical balance in which the human element of warfare is much more prominent than in purely operational accounts.”
–Lee A. Windsor, Vanguard

“A riveting narrative worthy of a novelist.”
–David Evans, Edmonton Journal

“The narrative is enthralling.…The personal experience, quiet integrity and unstated courage of the author make his work so much more authentic and deeply felt than any academic historian…could hope to emulate.”
–Peter Buitenhuis, Vancouver Sun

“Blackburn’s scope is immense, his writing fast-paced and gritty.…This is a riveting good read.”
–Paul Jackson, Calgary Sun

“The Guns of Victory is a bittersweet, exhilarating account of some of the darkest days in human history.…Blackburn writes well, lacing his narrative with anecdotes and word pictures that are vivid, telling and lasting. This is history first-hand, perhaps the best kind there is.”
–John Melady, Globe and Mail

“The Guns of Victory… rings with utter authenticity.”
–S.F. Wise, Ottawa Citizen

“The Guns of Victory shows how young Canadians liberated a people and captured their hearts forever.…[It] and The Guns of Normandy are now part of our national heritage, a beacon for future generations of Canadians.”
–Tom Clark, National Editor, BBS-TV

“Blackburn’s work reads like a fine novel – gripping, tense – but its strength is in the stark realism. He was there.”
–H. Clifford Chadderton, Chairman, National Council of Veteran Associations

“The Guns of Victory adds immeasurably to the understanding of what went on at the ordinary front-line soldier’s level.…The book ranks with Robert Graves’s First World War account in Good-by to All That.”
–David Green, Regina Leader-Post

From the Inside Flap

dian Soldiers who lived through the momentous battle for Normandy in the summer of 1944, it was inconceivable that the conflict in Europe could continue for another eight long months. The war was won, they thought, and to win it they had been pushed to what seemed like the limits of endurance. But ahead lay not only an enemy with no thoughts of surrender, but also appalling battle conditions reminiscent of the legendary miseries of Passchendaele. <br><br>This much-anticipated sequel to <i>The Guns of Normany</i> picks up where its critically acclaimed predecessor leaves off, and it continues in the same absorbing, startlingly vivid style. After the battle for Normandy, Blackburn’s 4th Field Regiment, with the rest of 1st Canadian Army, is called upon to pursue the enemy through the flooded Low Country, clearing the Scheldt estuary – a task equal to that of D-Day – and opening the port of Antwerp to allow for the huge influx of supplies necessary to press on against the Ge

From the Back Cover

“It is exciting when the second volume of a great memoir continues and deepens the experiences of the first one. This is so with…The Guns of Victory – now a companion to last year’s triumph, The Guns of Normandy.”
–Douglas Fisher, columnist

“This…volume, continuing Blackburn’s story from the clearing of the Channel ports through the Scheldt and Rhineland battles to V-E Day, is a stunning successor [to The Guns of Normany].…This epic should be a part of every Canadian’s consciousness.”
–J.L. Granatstein, Quill & Quire

“…an outstanding historical balance in which the human element of warfare is much more prominent than in purely operational accounts.”
–Lee A. Windsor, Vanguard

“A riveting narrative worthy of a novelist.”
–David Evans, Edmonton Journal

“The narrative is enthralling.…The personal experience, quiet integrity and unstated courage of the author make his work so much more authentic and deeply felt than any academic historian…could hope to emulate.”
–Peter Buitenhuis, Vancouver Sun

“Blackburn’s scope is immense, his writing fast-paced and gritty.…This is a riveting good read.”
–Paul Jackson, Calgary Sun

“The Guns of Victory is a bittersweet, exhilarating account of some of the darkest days in human history.…Blackburn writes well, lacing his narrative with anecdotes and word pictures that are vivid, telling and lasting. This is history first-hand, perhaps the best kind there is.”
–John Melady, Globe and Mail

“The Guns of Victory… rings with utter authenticity.”
–S.F. Wise, Ottawa Citizen

“The Guns of Victory shows how young Canadians liberated a people and captured their hearts forever.…[It] and The Guns of Normandy are now part of our national heritage, a beacon for future generations of Canadians.”
–Tom Clark, National Editor, BBS-TV

“Blackburn’s work reads like a fine novel – gripping, tense – but its strength is in the stark realism. He was there.”
–H. Clifford Chadderton, Chairman, National Council of Veteran Associations

“The Guns of Victory adds immeasurably to the understanding of what went on at the ordinary front-line soldier’s level.…The book ranks with Robert Graves’s First World War account in Good-by to All That.”
–David Green, Regina Leader-Post

About the Author

George C. Blackburn, M.C., was born in 1917 in a farmhouse near the village of Wales, which disappeared under the waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway. He has been a newspaper reporter, Director of Information of the Federal Labour Department, and Director of Fair Employment Practices. In addition he has been a radio producer, an award-winning documentary scriptwriter, an award-winning playwright, and a lyricist and composer. His musical “A Day to Remember” was housed in a theatre built specially for the purpose in Upper Canada Village. He and Grace, his wife of fifty-seven years, have three children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

George Blackburn earned his Military Cross helping to save the Twente Canaal bridgehead in Holland.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ McClelland & Stewart; First Edition (October 3, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 520 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0771015011
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0771015014
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 2 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,562,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #615 in 20th Century Canadian History
- #617 in Canadian Military History
- #37,876 in World War II History (Books)

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4.1 out of 5

10 global ratings

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4 star		28%
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Howard Wexler

Wonderful Soldier's Eye Story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 5, 2003

The Guns of Victory is a fascinating account of what it was like to be an artillery officer for the Canadian army during some of the heaviest fighting of the second World War.
Blackburn is not a full "grunt", he is an officer. But he is on the front lines, and by war's end, he has become the longest-serving artillery officer on the front lines. That is a rather dubious honor as Blackburn learns that an informal betting pool has been established on when he would be either wounded or killed.
This is the third book in Blackburn's trilogy, Where The Hell Are The Guns and The Guns of Normandy being the first two. As in the others, you get a wonderful picture of the emotions of serving in the war, the fears, joys and hardships. There are some things that happen in a war that are simply weird and Blackburn reports them as well.
This would be a 5-star review, but the book fails in providing enough pictures. The two or three maps included are woefully inadequate. Plus the book does a poor job of explaining the various companies, troops etc. Perhaps they were explained in other parts of the trilogy, but a glossary is badly needed.
A companion CD-ROM would have helped greatly in showing more of the faces, sites and campaigns of the war.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Joan B

The recipient loved it.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

I purchased this item as a gift. The recipient loved it.

Helpful

Brilliant Final Volume Of A Superb WW II Trilogy!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 23, 2003

In this, the concluding chapter of Canadian war veteran George G. Blackburn's superb three-volume eyewitness history of our northern neighbor's involvement in the war in Europe, we find a truly stunning successor to the previous two volumes. As with "The Guns Of Normandy" volume, we discover a masterful narrative punctuating the combination of dramatic life and death struggles contrasted with moments of drumming ennui or utter despair. For the Canadian soldier on the ground, the several months following the heroic and costly landing on D-Day were seemingly a coda, a time that seemed unreal because while they had the enemy on the run, the remaining elements of the Wehrmacht fought savagely and well in the ensuing period of time. So, although many of the allies felt it was all over but the shouting, especially after the re-taking of Paris and much of France, as Blackburn shows us from the ground grunt's view, it was anything but over and done with.
This volume picks up the narrative thread where the previous volume left it, with the much-vaunted Canadian 4th Field Regiment ordered in to relentlessly pursue the Germans as they retreated through the treacherous topography of the flooded French area known as the `Low Country'. As the pursuit ensued, the soldiers began to reach the limits of their physical and emotional endurance. And the battle as it unfolded before them promised no respite from the hellish demands posed by an enemy with no real thought of surrendering or fleeing. Yet, as they knock the Wehrmacht from its hastily devised defense perimeters within the Scheldt estuary again and again, they gradually succeeded in creating the conditions for re-opening of Antwerp, and thus helped to unleash the productive power and formidable logistics trail previously left hanging for want of such a large and capable deep-water port.
In the midst of all this, the Canadians, along with the rest of the Allied forces, had to suffer through the worst winter in decades in the European theater in the open and on the ground, and many died from such harsh exposure to the elements. Yet the Germans, fighting under these horrific conditions, still were able to mount savage resistance as they fought even more ferociously even as they began to understand how desperate their situation was. And as they beat the foe back yard by yard, mile by mile, back across the Rhine, the Canadians are enlisted in the increased fight once more in the Battle of the Rhineland, the final push toward the German heartland. And, as victory finally comes, Blackburn assures us it was indeed a bittersweet experience, felt equally with measures of pride and relief, knowing the unbelievable ordeal of the last several years was finally over.
As with his other books, here Blackburn relates his personal experience with a wonderfully literate and engagingly approachable writing style, and he surely uses his journalist's experience and his obvious facility with words to great advantage here, adding immeasurably to our understanding of what the experience on the ground was in as the first fatal hours and days turned into weeks and months of savage fighting, as the Allies bludgeoned their ways through the brutal resistance of a frenzied Nazi war machine. This is a story we should hear again and again, as we rediscover once more how truly amazing the feat of both the Canadians in particular, but all the Allies in general, stood tall in the very face of tyranny and smashed it into smithereens, saving the world from what has to be considered the face of absolute evil. Mr. Blackburn writes with surprising intensity and emotion, and his sense of recall of particular events and existential circumstances for himself and his fellows is both impressive and quite moving at points in his narrative. This is first person history at its best, one that employs both a more objective coda to the book, which also serves to lend a more authoritative aura to the proceedings than would otherwise have been possible. I recommend not only this book, but the other two volumes as well. Enjoy!

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michael A Dorosh

2nd Person works for me

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 25, 2004

Not sure who all these Yankees are reviewing the quintessential Canadian war memoir, but they have good taste.

Written in the second person, this book is unique, but it doesn't end there. Blackburn has a rare ability to recall small details and the entire story rings with authenticity. His stories run the gamut, as all good war memoirs do, from the sad to the hysterically funny.

Second Canadian Division seems to have produced few authors (unlike the First Division, with Mowat taking the lead) but those few that have put pen to paper have been incredibly good. Whitaker and Williams were best when recounting the history of others, and this memoir stands out above any war memoir written by a Canadian in any single war. All three books in the trilogy are a terrific source of information about the Canadian Army in the Second World War.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Tony

Excellent book. Excellent service

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on November 16, 2022

Verified Purchase

Title says it all. Arrived earlier than reported. Enjoyed every page.

Amazon Customer

I served as a signalman with the 4th light anti ...

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

I served as a signalman with the 4th light anti aircraft 3rd Canadian division August 44 to June 45 and found that both books were as close to the truth than any other books I had read thank you Doug. iverson

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

An amazing first hand account of the Canadians and British forces in Holland and Germany 1944 to 45.

One person found this helpful

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