Research Catalog
Civilians at the sharp end : First Canadian Army Civil Affairs in northwest Europe
- Title
- Civilians at the sharp end : First Canadian Army Civil Affairs in northwest Europe / David A. Borys.
- Author
- Borys, David A., 1981-
- Publication
- Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2021]
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | JFE 21-6273 | Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315 |
Details
- Description
- [xx], 248 pages : illustrations, maps; 24 cm
- Summary
- "Mitigating the destruction and chaos wrought upon the civilian populations of northwest Europe during the latter years of the Second World War became the focus of Civil Affairs, a little-known branch of the First Canadian Army. Comprised of a motley collection of civilians-turned-soldiers--too old for combat yet too valuable to remain off the front lines--the members of Civil Affairs served as liaisons between Canadian combat forces and the civilians they encountered on the ground. Civilians at the Sharp End follows the story of the Civil Affairs branch through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany in 1944-45. David Borys highlights how Civil Affairs helped civilians caught in the jaws of war by delivering food and medicine, providing shelter for refugees and displaced persons, establishing law and order, dealing with resistance groups, and aiding in the reconstruction of infrastructure in damaged urban areas. Once in Germany the branch was further challenged as it transformed into a military government and became a force of occupation, rehabilitating a war-torn Germany, purging the state of its Nazi leadership, while at times having to protect German civilians from the recently liberated prisoners of the Nazi state. Borys demonstrates that while the Canadian Army was indeed concerned for the welfare of civilians, military operations took priority over civilian needs. Civil Affairs was forced to negotiate this complex terrain, assisting civilian populations while ensuring that they never impeded the work of the Canadian military and the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany."--
- Subject
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-244) and index.
- Additional Formats (note)
- Issued also in electronic format.
- Contents
- The AMGOT Model -- A Battlefield Classroom - Civil Affairs in Northern France -- Death from Above in Belgium -- To Free or Feed the Netherlands -- From Civil Affairs to Military Government.
- Call Number
- JFE 21-6273
- ISBN
- 9780228005476
- 0228005477
- 9780228006497
- 022800649X
- OCLC
- 1198918270
- Author
- Borys, David A., 1981- author.
- Title
- Civilians at the sharp end : First Canadian Army Civil Affairs in northwest Europe / David A. Borys.
- Publisher
- Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2021]
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-244) and index.
- Additional Formats
- Issued also in electronic format.
- Chronological Term
- 1939-1945
- Other Form:
- Online version: Borys, David A., 1981- Civilians at the sharp end. Montreal ; Kingston ; London Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2021 0228006503 9780228006503 (OCoLC)1198918238
- Research Call Number
- JFE 21-6273