Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
When we think of the turning point in the Second World War, we often think about the Normandy landings on D-Day. That is true to a certain extent, and yet even then the Germans could have pushed the Allies back. In order to get from D-Day to VE-Day, it was essential for the Allies to … Read More “Breakout From Juno – Review” »
I watched the four episode series, Age of Tanks, on Netflix. Although it doesn’t focus specifically on the Second World War, it has one episode dedicated to it. The first episode was on the introduction of the tank during the First World War. Many people don’t realize that “tank” was a codeword to distract the … Read More “Age of Tanks – Review” »
Many pastors read books on leadership, theology and other related subjects. But what about military history? This is an area that I read a lot about, both out of personal interest and professional development. I find that military history is applicable to church ministry and not in a bad way. Hopefully you are not experiencing … Read More “Why As a Pastor I Read Military History” »
Most people are happy that Adolf Hitler did not win the Second World War. But it could have easily ended differently. One of the best books on military history that I have read recently was How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Led to Nazi Defeat by Bevin Alexander. In some … Read More “How Hitler Could Have Won World War II – Review” »
A number of years ago, I picked up a copy of the second volume of Winston Churchill’s Second World War, entitled Their Finest Hour. I almost gave up on it after reading the first chapter but kept going. I’m glad I did as I loved it and devoured the rest of the series. The reason … Read More “Winston Churchill’s Second World War – Review” »
A number of years ago, I picked up Their Finest Hour, which was the second volume of Winston Churchill’s series on the Second World War. I read it and enjoyed it. More recently, I found copies of the rest of the series and just finished reading the first volume, The Gathering Storm. I enjoyed this … Read More “The Gathering Storm – Review” »
I picked up Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand mainly because I have an interest in World War II. I enjoyed the book for much more than that. Unbroken is the story of Louie Zamperini, an olympic athlete who eventually became a POW in Japan. It starts with Louie’s struggles as a child and the intervention of … Read More “Unbroken” »
One of my main interests is the history of World War Two, especially the role played by the Canadians. It helps that I am in the Canadian army reserves. One of the events where the Canadians really proved themselves was at the Juno landing on D-Day. I am amazed at how often I hear about D-Day … Read More “Juno: Canadians at D-Day” »
I am a bit of an armchair historian when it comes to the Second World War. For as long as I can remember, I have read everything I could get my hands on that was related to the war. Some time back, I picked up a used copy (a first edition actually) of Winston Churchill’s … Read More “Their Finest Hour” »
D-Day was the invasion of Normandy by the American and British, right? Actually the Canadians were there as well, not just to reinforce the British but to land on their own beach. The landing at Juno Beach was one of the great battles of World War Two. It has always been one of my pet … Read More “Juno Beach – Review” »
As a reserve army chaplain, I am interested in both the history and the nature of military chaplaincy. That is why I was looking forward to reading The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century, edited by Doris L. Bergen. This book looks at military chaplaincy from Roman times … Read More “The Sword of the Lord” »
