Battle Of The St Lawrence

On May 11, 1942, a German U-boat torpedoed SS Nicoya, violently ending a peace in Canada’s waters that stretched back to 1812. By the end of 1944, another 18 merchant ships and four Canadian warships would be destroyed. More than 300 men, women and children—including at least 260 Canadians—died by explosion, fire or icy drowning. Drawing on numerous first-hand accounts from both Canadians and Germans, respected writer and historian Nathan Greenfield has penned a lively, revealing narrative, the first popular account of World War II in Canadian waters. This is a must-read for military history enthusiasts, veterans and their families.

A long held secret of the Second World War was German U-Boat activity in the St. Lawrence River. This is its history, one of shortsighted governments, advanced submarine technology and the heroism of the defenders.

From 1942 to 1944, 15 German submarines destroyed or severely damaged 27 ships, including three Canadian warships, a U.S. Army troop transport, and the Newfoundland ferry Caribou. More than 250 lives were lost. It was the only battle of the twentieth century to take place within Canada’s boundaries, and the only battle to be fought almost exclusively by Canadian forces under Canadian, rather than alliance, high command. And for more than 40 years the battle was characterized as a Canadian defeat. But was it a defeat? Drawing on new material from wartime records—including ultra-top-secret Allied decryptions of German naval radio communications, Roger Sarty shows that Canada mounted a successful defence with far fewer resources and in the face of much greater challenges than previously known. He draws vivid pictures of the intense combat on Canada’s shores and the interplay of the St Lawrence battle with war politics in Ottawa, Washington and London. At the same time, he weaves a second story: how researchers reassembled the scattered war records in Canada, Britain, the United States and Germany and brought the long-forgotten battle to life for new generations of Canadians and international audiences.

A detailed history of the naval battles fought by Canadians during the Second World War, based on an extensive use of primary source material and personal accounts.

On May 11, 1942, a German U-boat torpedoed SS Nicoya,violently ending a peace in Canada's waters that stretched back to 1812. Bythe end of 1944, another 18 merchant ships and four Canadian warships would bedestroyed. More than 300 men, women and children--including at least 260Canadians--died by explosion, fire or icy drowning. Drawing on numerous first-hand accounts from both Canadians andGermans, respected writer and historian Nathan Greenfield has penned a lively,revealing narrative, the first popular account of World War II in Canadianwaters. This is a must-read for military history enthusiasts, veterans and theirfamilies.

The Second Battle of Ypres was, by any definition, a brutal event in a brutal war. The already terrible conditions of trench warfare, punctuated by the unimaginable horror of shell fire that turned men into “pink mist,” became even worse when the Germans introduced chlorine gas. But despite the terror, the battle marked a key moment in the formation of Canadian identity and pride. After the Germans’ initial gas attack opened a 12-kilometre-long hole in Allied lines, it was the heroic 1st Canadian Division—men who had been in the trenches for just over a week -- who rushed to fill the gap and block the enemy advance. Drawing on never-before-published material, Nathan M. Greenfield, author of The Battle of the St. Lawrence, presents a gripping new account of the Second Battle of Ypres. Here are the voices of the soldiers themselves -- both Canadian and German -- reaching across more than 90 years with a stunning immediacy.

The U-boats constituted a serious threat to North American security and a major challenge to coastal and convoy defence. Hadley reveals the military and political impact on Canada of in-shore submarine warfare and vibrantly documents the successful German strategy of deploying daring long-range solo sorties to pin down the enemy close to home.

One of the turning points in the War of 1812. In the fall of 1813 the largest army yet assembled by the United States invaded Canada, determined to capture Montreal. The courageous but ill-trained and badly led American forces were defeated by British, Canadian and native troops in two important encounters: the Battle of Chateuaguay and, above all, the Battle of Crysler's Farm, fought on a muddy field beside the St. Lawrence River.