{"product_id":"the-suicide-battalion-paperback","title":"The Suicide Battalion - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eR. James Steel\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eJ. L. McWilliams\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA staggering history of one of the First World War's most daring military units. An essential book for readers of Peter Hart, Tim Cook and Nick Lloyd. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe men of the 46th Canadian Infantry Battalion were some of the most effective shock troops of the Allied forces in the Great War. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThey drove back German forces wherever they met and refused ever to surrender. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSuch tactics struck fear in their enemies, yet, it came at a tremendous cost. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOf the 5374 officers and men who passed through the unit, a total of 4917, or 91 per cent, were either killed or wounded. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJ.L. McWilliams and R. James Steel chart the history of this battalion from when it was formed on 7th November 1914 through all of its major battles, including the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, the Hundred Days Offensive and breaking through the Hindenburg Line, to when it was finally disbanded at the end of the war. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRather than focus simply on the grand strategies of generals, McWilliams and Steel use numerous personal accounts, both written at the time and afterwards, to depict what life was life for the regular soldier of the 46th Battalion during these treacherous years spent in muddy trenches in France and Belgium. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"a grim reminder of the atrocious conditions in which that war was fought, and a shocking realization of the futility of costly and pointless attacks ordered by generals blindly dedicated to the delusive doctrine of attrition.\" G. W. L. Nicholson, \u003ci\u003eThe Canadian Historical Review\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"fascination derives from the depiction of ordinary soldiers from this hard-luck battalion from the Canadian prairies.\" A. M. J. Hyatt, \u003ci\u003eCanadian Military History\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Suicide Battalion\u003c\/i\u003e is an engrossing history of one remarkable battalion's journey through the First World War. These hardened, Canadian veterans became the shock troops Allied forces and were used time again to pierce the German frontline.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 262\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.59 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 25, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42162103812231,"sku":"9781913518172","price":18.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/5b9197c0ac8a5bde219d8a4490c98886.webp?v=1733286658","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/the-suicide-battalion-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}