Winner of the 2011 C.P. Stacey Award.

The battle of Vimy Ridge, the Dieppe raid, the Italian Campaign: the Canadian military has been indispensable to many of the greatest victories - and disasters - of our time. The evolution of Canada as a military power is chronicled here by military historians J.L. Granatstein and Dean F. Oliver in this authoritative and highly readable book. Their entries include concise biographies from James Wolfe to Louis Riel to Rick Hillier; key military-political issues like the conscription crises, war finance, and Canada-US relations; lesser-known conflicts such as the Pig War and the Aroostook War; and more recent issues facing the Canadian Forces, including sexual harassment and post-traumatic stress disorder. We see Canada through an international lens as a war fighter and a peacekeeper - and as a participant in some darker moments (as in the Somalia Affair of the 1990s). Rare photographic material and original wartime paintings (reproduced in full colour) illustrate the people, events, and hardware that define Canada's military history. Additional material includes a timeline chart and a list of ministers and military chiefs. An authoritative guide and compelling read, The Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History reminds us of our collective history that we must continue to investigate, understand, and now - more than ever - remember.

J. L. GRANATSTEIN is the author of over 60 books, including the bestsellersWho Killed The Canadian Military? and Whose War Is It?, along withYankee Go Home?, Victory 1945 and The Generals, which won the J. W. Dafoe Prize and the UBC Medal for Canadian Biography. A distinguished research professor of history emeritus at York University, he was a member of the RMC Board of Governors and is chair of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. He lives in Toronto. Visit Granatstein atwww.whosewar.ca.

J.L. Granatstein's profile page

Dean F. Oliver's profile page

"Indispensable." --Jonathan Vance, Professor of History, University of Western Ontario

"Written with expertise, clarity, and verve." --Canada's History Magazine

"Extremely useful resource...fascinating." --Times Literary Supplement

"A landmark in Canadian historiography - a wholly new approach to the research and writing of our country's military history." --Paul Chapin, On Track (Conference of Defence Associations journal)

"A valuable reference and a good read." --Journal of Canadian Military History