may I recommend that, if you are so inclined to sit back, sip a cold one and watch cows burn on the grill, you might find these two, among a hosto of other tomes, interesting reading for the summer..

On the Uhmurrican side, yet another good'un from David McCullough [ he of John Adams and Truman bios ].. 1776..this is one time the review hype and jacket quotes are valid and true...

And just to prove once more that America didn't win WWII all by itself, I suggest this modest effort just in time for D-Day to show that we Canajans can kick butt with the best of them..

Holding Juno: Canada's Heroic Defence of the D-Day Beaches: June 7-12, 1944 by Mark Zuehlke

all about the 3rd Canadian Division against the 12th SS Panzer Division - makes the Longest Day look tame..they saved not only the gains on Juno Berach but stopped the Germans from smashing through to cripple the British and American beachheads.

one excerpt:

Trooper terry Allen, listening to the voices of a battlefield:
" I heard one of the boys say, ' Did you get yours?...and one groaned and answered: ' Yeah, where did he shoot you?
In the guts.
Me, too..the dirty bastards"

During this campaign 130 Canadians were taken prisoner and summarily executed by the SS, particularly at Chateau d'Audrieu by SS Major Kurt Meyer...

Holding Juno - worth the click on Amazon....

okay.. I'm off to the DVD to spin The Longest Day and maybe Saving Private Ryan and a pull or two on the commemmorative juice...

later dudes...