Shelagh Whitaker - Normandy: The Real Story

The subtitle of this book mirrors its theme: How Ordinary Allied Soldiers Defeated Hitler. It is the thoughts and deeds of these warriors of Normandy that we now present. They were far from ordinary, these young soldiers and airmen; they gave up their youth and lives to fight for freedom. Scores of these veterans of six nations were generous in sharing with us their personal experiences, their diaries, letters, and photographs, giving us unconditional permission to use them. The many references in our endnotes at the back of this book to these interviews and personal archives are a reflection of their value. We are very grateful for the confidence and support of these men. The authors take full responsibility for any errors or omissions.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council. We thank the National Archives, the National Archives of Canada, the Public Record Office in the UK, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, the Royal Canadian Military Institute, the Eisenhower Center for American Studies (Metropolitan College, University of New Orleans), and the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, for their generous permissions for the use of their documents and photographs.

We especially single out the historians of the Laurier Centre, Mike Bechthold, John Maker, and Karen Priestman, the indexer of this book, for their invaluable research, guidance, and assistance.

We walked the battlefields of Normandy with much help and encouragement. Of great valueand funwere the days we spent clambering over battle sites with the fine young scholarship students of the Canadian Battlefields Foundation. For each of the past ten years the Foundation has awarded scholarships to twelve senior university students for two intensive weeks studying the battle sites of the wars of the twentieth century.

We had a fascinating day reliving the St. Lambert battle through the eyes of men who grew up in that area, assembled and coordinated with the help of a scholar of the battle, Colonel Jacques van Dijke of Rotterdam. We thank Ms. Pierre Grandvalet, Fank, Margerie, Madeleine, Huille, and Masson for their tmoinages and hospitality.

In Argentan we met M. Poulain; in Chambois, M. Chambart; in Thury Harcourt, Abb Launay (formerly padre of Tournai-sur-Dives); in Falaise, M. Digueres and M. James; in Mortain, M. Langlois and M. Buis-son; in Paris, M. Eddy Florintin.

Our research on the Polish military was greatly assisted by Krzysztof (Chris) Szydlowski, vice president of the 1st Polish Armoured Association of Canada, who introduced us to veterans of those days; and by Alicja Al-tenberger, executive editor of The Life of Polonia, a Quarterly Publication of the Polish American Congress of Eastern Massachusetts, Boston.

We appreciate the thoughtfulness and professionalism of our agents, Linda McKnight, Westwood Creative Artists of Toronto, and Milly Mar-mur of New York City, and of our editor at Presidio Press, Ron Doering. The excellent maps are the work of Paul Kelly, gecko graphics inc. Kirsten Sheffield created the wonderful portraits of the soldiers of Normandy.

We are grateful to Linda Risacher Copp, Professor Ian Shaw, Bill Baggs, Ken Turnbull, and Martie Whitaker for their critiques and technical advice. During the lengthy process of producing five books of military history, our families have stood by us with unwavering love and understanding. Thank you.