Vimy

By 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.

How could an army of civilians from a nation with no military tradition secure the first enduring victory in thirty-two months of warfare with only 10,000 casualties, when the French had lost 150,000 men in their unsuccessful attempt? Pierre Berton's haunting and lucid narrative shows how, unfettered by military rules, civilians used daring and common sense to overcome obstacles that had eluded the professionals.

Drawing on unpublished personal accounts and interviews, Berton brings home what it was like for the young men, some no more than sixteen years old, who clawed their way up the sodden, shell-torn slopes in a struggle they innocently believed would make war obsolete. He tells of the soldiers who endured horrific conditions to secure this great victory, painting a vivid picture of trench warfare. In his account of this great battle, Pierre Berton brilliantly illuminated the moment of tragedy and greatness that marked Canada's emergence as a nation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 22, 2010
• ISBN: 9780385673617

Reviews for Vimy

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book filled me with admiration for Canada's soldiers. It also, at times, made me very sad as so many of these soldiers were really children....many, many of them still in their teens. Pierre Berton is a very good writer who was really able to recreate the atmosphere of life in the trenches of World War I. I was also very interested in the Canadian military leadership who pioneered modern management techniques in the way they training soldiers and ensured they understood the bigger picture. I only wish there were more actual quotes or background on the soldiers themselves. At times, reading this book was like watching an action movie with lots of fireworks, shooting, etc. I don't much like action movies. But I'm very glad I read this on the 100th anniversary of this historic battle.

[mahallett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a little too long. very sad.

[aneumann_19 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the best history book about war I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

[cecrow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lived up to my expectations for careful research and well-told, real-life stories that place you in the action, making you feel what it was like to fight the battle of Vimy Ridge.