Bernd Horn - Fortune Favours the Brave: Tales of Courage and Tenacity in Canadian Military History

FORTUNE
FAVOURS
THE BRAVE

FORTUNE
FAVOURS
THE BRAVE

Tales of Courage and Tenacity
in Canadian Military History

Edited by Colonel Bernd Horn
Foreword by Senator Romo Dallaire

Copyright Bernd Horn, 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Editor: Michael Carroll
Copy-editor: Nigel Heseltine
Design: Jennifer Scott
Printer: Marquis

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Fortune favours the brave : tales of courage and tenacity in Canadian military history / edited by Bernd Horn.

Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-55002-841-6

1. Canada--History, Military. 2. Battles--Canada. 3. Soldiers- Canada--History. I. Horn, Bernd, 1959

FC226.F67 2009 355.00971 C2008-903965-3

1 2 3 4 5 13 12 11 10 09

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and The Association for the Export of Canadian Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishers Tax Credit program, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

J. Kirk Howard, President

Printed and bound in Canada.
www.dundurn.com

1. 1 Deadly Encounter at Wood Creek, 8 August 1758
   Bernd Horn
2. 2 Rendezvous with Destiny: The British Amphibious Assault - Landing at Louisbourg, le Royale, 8 June 1758
   Michel Wyczynski
3. 3 "Present Moment Is Highly Favourable for an Attack": The British Capture of Fort Niagara, 19 December 1813
   John Grodzinski
4. 4 "Under the Cover of Darkness": The Canadian Trench Raid of 8-9 June 1917
   Ken Reynolds
5. 5 A Clash of Wills: The Canadian Struggle for Mount Sorrel, 2 June 1916
   Andrew Godefroy
6. 6 One Tough Fight: Canadian Paratroopers Penetrate the Reich, 24 March 1945
   Bernd Horn
7. 7 The Battle of Kap'yong, 23-26 April 1951
   William Johnston
8. 8 Deadly Struggle on "Little Gibraltar," 23 October 1952
   Bernd Horn
9. 9 "Doin' the Biz": Canadian Submarine Patrol Operations Against Soviet SSBNs, 1983-87
   Michael Whitby
10. 10 The Medak Pocket: Professional Soldiers' Discipline and Aggressive Use of the Camera
    Lee Windsor
11. 11 No Small Action: Operation Medusa, Panjwayi, Afghanistan
    Bernd Horn
12. 12 Operation Intizaar Zmarey: The Battle of Arghandab, 30 October-1 November, 2007
    Sean Maloney

I have always been impressed by the courage, dedication, and resilience of Canada's military personnel. As a small boy, I watched my father and his comrades, recently returned veterans from the cauldron of war in Europe, humbly soldier on in a peacetime army, seemingly ambivalent to their great contribution in shaping the world. I witnessed the same sense of duty and humility when I myself donned the uniform to serve my country. Quite simply, our men and women in uniform serve a greater cause, quietly and professionally, doing what is asked of them. They act in accordance with a yet unwritten social contract between the military and their fellow citizens that demands an unlimited liability on their part. They have never failed Canadians, and the ethos of soldiering in Canada will continue to guarantee that commitment now and into the future.

Consistently, our service members have ventured out fearlessly and helped shape the world in accordance with Canadian values and interests. Although peace-loving, regardless of the task assigned, this nation's soldiers, sailors, and air personnel have always demonstrated a tenacious warrior spirit. Ironically, the Canadian public, whose perception of peacekeeping is based on missions conducted during the Cold War and a misguided understanding of what the task entails, have always seen their Canadian Forces in a more benign light.

The war in Afghanistan, however, is changing some of this perception. But what Canadians must realize is that their military has always been combat capable and comprised of warriors. This is nothing new. Fortune Favours the Brave captures this reality. It showcases the indomitable spirit of Canadians who throughout our military history have gone into harm's way to serve their nation, their fellow Canadians, and the global community at large. This book demonstrates the bold, courageous, and unconquerable spirit of the average Canadian soldier, sailor, and airman/ woman. It speaks to our military heritage as capable warriors, dependable allies, and a dreaded foe.

Throughout my 35-year career, I had the distinct honour of leading our nation's sons and daughters in peacetime and on operations. Their unrelenting professionalism, civility, and unrivalled tenacity to accomplish the mission were humbling.

This book captures that tradition. I highly recommend it to all Canadians, whether military or civilian. It captures the essence of our rich and colourful Canadian military history. It also speaks to the warrior ethos and warfighting tradition of our nation's military.

Romo Dallaire
Senator
Lieutenant-General (Retired)

Bernd Horn

A s always in an endeavour such as this, the completed project is never really the work of one individual. Many hands play their part. In that vein I wish to acknowledge, on my account and on behalf of all contributors, the assistance of others. Initially, I wish to thank the contributors themselves for putting in the time and enormous effort necessary to create the essays that appear in this book. The knowledge they bring to their subjects and their continued enthusiasm in sharing what they know is always inspiring.

In addition, I would like to thank once again Paramount Press, Susan Surgeson, and Gail Cariou of Parks Canada, as well as Robert Flacke Sr. and the Fort William Henry Corporation, who made possible the use of many of the graphics that are used in the first three chapters of the book. Similarly, I would also like to thank Silvia Pecota for the use of her outstanding artwork on the back cover. Thanks is also due to Lucie Ethier of the National Defence Imagery Library and Lieutenant-Colonel Joe Holland for their assistance in sourcing photographs of the Medak pocket and Captain (Retired) Robert M. Mahar for his photographs from Korea.

I also wish to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of Dr. Emily Spencer for her assistance in research, proofing, and editorial comment, as well as Michel Wyczynski for his consistently outstanding advice on research and archival matters.