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On to Victory
- The Canadian Liberation of the Netherlands, March 23 - May 5, 1945
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
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On to Victory
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Summary
It is remembered in the Netherlands as "the sweetest of springs", the one that saw the country's liberation from German occupation. But for the soldiers of First Canadian army, who fought their way across the Rhine River and then through Holland and northwest Germany, that spring of 1945 was bittersweet. While the Dutch were being liberated from the grinding boot heel of the Nazis, their freedom was being paid for in Canadian lives lost.
On to Victory is the story of those final cruel days of the war. From the brutal battlefields of Holland and northwest Germany where a collapsing enemy army still fought with fierce determination, to the unique truce in which the Germans and Allies provided food to millions of Dutch citizens starved almost to death, to those heady moments when each town and city was finally liberated, this is the little-told story of First Canadian Army's last campaign of World War II. With his trademark "you are there" style that draws upon official records, veteran memories, and a keen understanding of the experience of combat, Mark Zuehlke brings to life this final chapter in the story of Canada in World War II.
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Editor reviews
Having fought their way through western Germany and Holland, the First Canadian Army received a jubilant welcome from the newly liberated Dutch people in the waning days of World War II. Author Mark Zuehlke is famous for his "you are there" brand of history writing, and prodigious voice actor William Dufris does him justice here, deftly affecting the colloquial drawl of a battle-weary soldier one moment, the hushed, academic calculations of a backroom tactician in the next. Dufris recants Zuehlke's painstaking research in his rich natural baritone, so that listeners can easily distinguish where the author's own analysis gives way to first-person role playing.
What listeners say about On to Victory
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anon
- 18-10-22
Excellent account of a near forgotten part of ww2.
Thought provoking well researched book tracking the Canadian liberation of Netherlands. A series of actions often overlooked by historians.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- djmp
- 19-05-23
Deeply moving
A well researched and told story of a little known but important campaign not least in helping avert a complete disaster for the people of Holland still under occupation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aucher
- 29-08-22
40,000 thank yous Canada (and to you too Mark)
Well-read in Normandy (been there numerous times and have recently added to my knowledge James Holland’s Normandy and Band of Brothers) I knew there was nevertheless a noticeable gap in my understanding of Normandy to the Netherlands and Germany concerning the Canadian Armies endeavours and considerable sacrifice. I there fire set out with what turned out to be this excellent volume to get a better idea. A detailed, set of personal accounts takes you through the attritional slog from France against a fanatical enemy, often fighting to the last.
I then reached about halfway and the Canadians were joined by their colleagues who had fought in the Sicily landings and up through the the Gustav and Gothic lines. Having just read Holland’s Sicily I felt obliged to go back to Mark’s earlier volumes and pick up the Canadians through there, until we reached the point whereby they are relieved and relived to rejoin their comrades in NW Europe. So glad I did.
These are 3 mighty tomes, very well read (preferred 1.1 and sometimes 1.2 speed) by a performer who either knows his stuff or is well researched and advised. The usual ‘impressions of characters’ but this didn’t seem to grate so much this time.
As a Brit I now have a much better idea of what Canada - often eclipsed by the British and US in these campaigns for convenience and perhaps purposeful disrespectfulness - this is the book to read to get a much better perspective. Thank you Mark and thank you Canada. Soon I’ll get to the Netherlands and ‘walk some of the ground. And would be happy to be mistaken for a Canadian.
An excellent book in all respects. Stuart
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