Falaise Gap: Hill 140 drama

[Crewman]

Originally posted by Chris Johnson
I have to be careful what I write as I have had some minor involvement in the book, but having read his endnotes, it's safe to say that Brian Reid has done the most comprehensive primary research to date.

Cheers,

Chris

Chris,

Thank you for your reply. Would not you like to write something about your involvement in this book? Did you research anything for the author?

I would love to know how took place the research of all Polish threads of the Operation Totalize because we have to remember that Polish 1st Armoured Division was one of two main armoured forces of this operation together with the Canadian 4th Armoured Division. So far serious weak point of all Canadian books dedicated to Operations Totalize, Tractable and closing the Falaise Gap has been lack of in-depth research in Polish sources as well as lack of interviews with the Polish veterans of these battle episodes, meanwhile many Polish ETO tankers live in Canada and such a research is not so hard. The Canadian authors also do not research London-based Polish Gen. Sikorski's Institute and Museum that has full Polish documentation of this battle episode. I am afraid that the only one source of information about Polish Division is 1st Canadian Army archive. But unfortunately the same goes for the Polish authors that do not research any other sources than Polish Institute at London.

As I can see only Donald E. Graves used French edition of Polish Maj.-Gen. Stanislaw Maczek's momoirs when he wrote his "South Albertas. A Canadian Regiment at War". But Maczek's book is not so good, the same as all other Generals' books. The Generals tell us what they want to tell, not necessarily what we are interested in. The Generals' publicistic offer are half-truths and next we do have such spectacles as 60 years long American-Polish veterans' spectacle under the title of "Who captured Chambois?" in the Falaise Gap. Ehhh, long stories...


Best regards

C.