The third of the LCMSDS battlefield guides to concentrate on the Canadian forces in Italy, The Canadian Battlefields in Italy: The Gothic Line and the Battle of the Rivers continues the journey through the Gothic Line, Canada’s greatest battle of the Italian Campaign, and on to Ravenna, where Canadian soldiers fought doggedly against the enemy and the elements in a remote corner of the war. The guidebook offers a broad introduction to the campaigns, concise summaries of each stage of the fighting, and itineraries that allow Canadian visitors to explore the battles from the most important perspective—the physical setting itself. Three-dimensional maps familiarize readers with the landscape and features that affected the course of the battles, while contemporary photos and war art recapture the scene as contemporaries saw it.

Eric McGeer holds a PhD from the Université de Montréal and teaches at St. Clement’s School in Toronto. He is the author of Words of Valediction and Remembrance: Canadian Epitaphs of the Second World War and several books on warfare and law in ancient Byzantium.

Terry Copp is Professor Emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University and director of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. He is a regular contributor to Legion Magazine and the author of numerous books including The Brigade: The Fifth Canadian Infantry Brigade in World War II, Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe, 1944–1945, and “Fields of Fire”: the Canadians in Normandy

Matt Symes is a PhD Student at Wilfrid Laurier University where he is studying sport and leisure in the Second World War.

Eric McGeer's profile page

Matt Symes is the Publications Manager for LCMSDS, the editor of canadianmilitaryhistory.ca and a PhD Candidate (ABD) at Wilfrid Laurier University. 1812: A Guide to the War and its Legacy is the fifth battlefield guide that Symes has worked on, including Canadian Battlefields 1915-1918: A Visitor’s Guide and three battlefield guides on the Italian Campaign during the Second World War. Symes was also the co-editor (with Geoffrey Hayes and Mike Bechthold) of Canada and the Second World War: Essays in honour of Terry Copp.

Matt Symes' profile page