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The Royal Canadian
Armoured Corps:
An Illustrated History

By John Marteinson & Michael R. McNorgan

A handsome history of Canada's
armoured regiments from their
cavalry roots, to World War I,
World War II, the KoreanWar,
and UN and NATO peace-
keeping duties.

 "As a single-volume account of one nation's armoured history, with enough on the vehicles for those interested in operational matters and more than enough on operations for those more familiar with the hardware, this account shows how things can be done.... Anyone interested in Canadian armour operations, in themselves or as part of the world-wide view or even just during WW2, will find this the book they have been waiting for..." Peter Brown in AFV News

A proud and distinguished history

The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps has a proud and distinguished history. While the modern history of the Corps clearly begins with its official formation in the early days of the Second World War, its roots in the Canadian militia cavalry go back more than 180 years.

Many histories have recorded the heritage of individual units, but most are no longer available and they focus on the deeds of their own members. The broader history of the mobile arm of the Canadian Army and of its actions as a whole has never been told.

This handsome, profusely illustrated book, a Millennium project, will be published in English and French editions to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

The opening chapters deal with the service of the cavalry ancestors of the Armoured Corps in the War of 1812, the Rebellions of 1837-38 and the North-West Rebellion. The First World War and the interwar period saw the advent of the tank and other new forms of armour, and the organization developed and expanded enormously to meet the demands of the Second World War.

The major part of the book deals with the service of the Corps in the Second World War as Canadian armoured units played important roles in the Allied invasion of Europe and the defeat of the Third Reich.

Finally, the Armoured Corps has been involved in most of Canada's military commitments since the war, including peacekeeping duties in many parts of the world.

 

The authors 

John Marteinson is editor of Canadian Military Journal, the new Canadian Forces professional journal which began publication in 2000. He served for 35 years with the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. His early postings were in tank and reconnaissance squadrons, including a tour as a helicopter pilot, in Canada, Germany and Cyprus with the Fort Garry Horse and the 8th Canadian Hussars.

He also served in a variety of staff and instructional positions, including tours at the Combat Arms School and at the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College. On his retirement from the Regular Force in 1987 he was appointed editor of Canadian Defence Quarterly, a post he held for eight years.

He is co-author of The Gate: A History of The Fort Garry Horse (1970) and of A Pictorial History of the 8th Canadian Hussars (1973), and author/editor of We Stand on Guard: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Army (Montreal: Ovale Publishing, 1992). His most recent book is a regimental history, The Governor General's Horse Guards: Second to None (October 2002).

Michael R. McNorgan is a native of London, Ontario, and holds a Master's Degree in History from Carleton University. A former member of the First Hussars, he has served in the Canadian Forces for more than thirty years and is currently with the Directorate of History and Heritage in Ottawa. A lifelong student of mounted warfare, Michael McNorgan is also a contributor to Fighting for Canada: Seven Battles, 1758-1945, published in July 2000 by Robin Brass Studio.

Drawings by renowned AFV artist Chris Johnson show the tanks, armoured cars and other vehicles used by the RCAC and its ancestors.

Maps by Chris Johnson show the major engagements involving RCAC regiments.

Photos from the earliest days to the present

Badges of RCAC regiments through the years

To learn more about the
Royal Canadian Armoured
Corps Association, go to
www.rcaca.org

 
The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps:
An Illustrated History
448 pages
8.5 x 11 inches
More than 300 photographs, illustrations and maps
Appendices, index
ISBN 1-896941-17-6 
Hardcover with jacket
In Canada: $69.95
In U.S.A.: $54.95
Publication: October 2000

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