Steel Calvary is the story of the transformation of a horse cavalry unit to one of Canada's most famous armoured regiments.

Twentieth century warfare is epitomized by the image of Allied tanks growling across the countryside, engaging their Nazi counterparts. One of the most storied of such regiments is the 8th (New Brunswick) Hussars. Founded in 1848 as the first volunteer cavalry regiment in British North America, the Hussars began the Second World War as a Motorcycle Regiment before converting to tanks in 1941. First posted to Italy in late 1943, the regiment was introduced to war near Ortona. They formed part of the great drive beyond Monte Cassino to Rome. But their reputation was forged at the Gothic Line and Coriano Ridge during two weeks that marked their fiercest and bloodiest trial of the war.

Steel Cavalry: The 8th (New Brunswick) Hussars and the Second World War is volume 18 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.

Lee Windsor is Deputy Director of The Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick. His research interests focus on the 1953-1945 Italian campaign. Windsor served in the Canadian Forces Reserve for nine years with the Hussars and the West Nova Scotia Regiment. He was one of the principal authors of Kandahar Tour: Turning Point in Canada's Afghan Mission.

Lee Windsor's profile page

"Windsor provides a compelling account, often at a personal level, of how the Hussars proved themselves to Canada and to the world in the bloody battles at the Gothic Line and Coriano Ridge. His book is well-researched and includes great photos and maps that should appeal to anyone interested in military history."

<i> Canada's History Magazine</i>

"Author Lee Windsor has done an excellent job of chronicling the accounts of these hard-fought battles. Using a combination of individual soldier’s stories and previously published regimental histories, he has painted a vivid picture of modern armoured warfare."

<i>The Chronicle Herald</i>