In the footstaps of the first Canadian Army, Northwest Europe 1942-1945

First Canadian Army was not only the largest field command of the Second World War for Canada, but it also was a major coalition formation with a number of units from different countries under General H.D.G. Crerar. Through the medium of text, art and photos this book traces the operations of First Canadian Army during the liberation of Northwest Europe: from the long prelude of garrison and training in the United Kingdom, to the beaches of Normandy and the killing fields of France, through the clearing of the Channel ports, into the horrible conditions of the Scheldt and the violent fighting in the German Rhineland, to the final freedom of the Dutch people in Holland. This narrative will help people to put these momentous events of the Second World War into geographical and historical perspective. Through it all, First Canadian Army slogged along in poor weather and slugged it out with a determined foe. This is the story of Canadians and compatriots who took their place in the line with bigger, more glamourous and better-known Allies.