The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War is arguably the most famous international rivalry in modern history. Few, however, are aware that Canada was also an early contender in space exploration. Indeed, in 1962, Canada bested the more powerful United Kingdom to become the third nation to reach outer space.

In Defence and Discovery, Andrew Godefroy presents the first comprehensive examination of the origins, development, and impact of Canada's space program. Drawing on newly declassified archival sources and a wealth of secondary...

The five British and Canadian generals depicted in Corps Commanders were a surprisingly eclectic lot - one a consummate actor, one a quiet gentleman, one a master bureaucrat, one a brainy sort with little will, and the last a brain with will to spare. And yet they all fit readily into British Commonwealth armies and fought their corps in similar fashion. All three Canadians controlled British formations and served under British army commanders, and the two Britons worked for and led Canadians as well. Such inter-army adjustments were relatively simple because they all spoke the same...

In December 1941, Japan attacked multiple targets in the Far East and the Pacific, including Canadian battalions in Hong Kong. This intriguing account of Canadian intelligence gathering and strategic planning on the eve of the crisis dispels the assumption that the Allies were totally unprepared for war. Canadians worked closely with their US and Allied counterparts to uncover Japan's intentions and to develop a strategic plan for defence. By highlighting Canada's role as a Pacific power, this book sheds new light both on the Pacific War and on events that led to the creation of the Grand...

The mysterious cancellation in 1959 of the CF-105 Arrow, Canada's state-of-the-art interceptor aircraft, holds such a strong grip on the imagination of Canadians that earlier developments in defence procurement remain in the shadows.

Randall Wakelam corrects this oversight - and demystifies aspects of the AVRO saga - by weaving together a compelling account of high-level decision making and the daily activities of the military between 1945 and 1954, a decade when Canada's air force was expanding rapidly to meet the Soviet threat. During these years, the cabinet, chiefs of staff, and...

What do you do when a nuclear weapon detonates nearby? During the early Cold War years of 1945-63, Civil Defence Canada and the Emergency Measures Organization planned for just such a disaster and encouraged citizens to prepare their families and their cities for nuclear war. By the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the civil defence program was widely mocked, and the public was vastly unprepared for nuclear war.

Canada's civil defence program was born in the early Cold War, when fears of conflict between the superpowers ran high. Give Me Shelter features previously unreleased...