Synopsis
Dawn, June 6, 1944. Off the Normandy coast 6,500 ships carry 150,000 Allied troops. This is D-Day, the long-awaited Allied invasion of German-occupied Europe. The Allies will storm five beaches. One is code-named Juno Beach. Here, 14,500 Canadians will land on a five-mile stretch of sand backed by three resort towns. The beach is heavily protected by a seawall, barbed wire, underwater obstacles and hundreds of mines. Behind these defenses a heavily armed German force waits inside thick concrete pillboxes and deep trenches that bristle with machine guns and artillery pieces.
About 3,500 Canadians will lead the way. The fate of the invasion is in their hands. They either break the German defenses or die trying. Piling out of small, frail landing craft, they struggle through bullet- and shell-whipped water to gain the sand. And the bloody battle for Juno Beach begins.
With his trademark you-are-there style, acclaimed military historian Mark Zuehlke plunges readers into a vivid and powerful account of the day-long battle that put the Allies on the march toward victory in World War II.
About the Author
Mark Zuehlke has been called the nation's leading popular military historian. Fascinated by Canada's military heritage, Mark first set to writing about the role Canadians played in World War II in Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle following a discussion with several veterans in a Royal Canadian Legion. Mark went on to develop the Canadian Battle Series, which documents the Canadian World War II experience. He is also an award-winning mystery writer, whose popular Elias McCann series has garnered much critical praise and won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. When not writing, Mark can often be found hiking, backpacking, cycling or tinkering around the Fernwood heritage house he shares with partner and fellow writer Frances Backhouse in Victoria, British Columbia.
About the Series
Rapid Reads is a line of short novels for new young adult and adult readers. Rapid Reads are intended for a diverse audience, including ESL students, reluctant readers, adults who struggle with literacy and anyone who wants and enjoys high-interest short novels. T style="font-size:small;">he plots are contemporary and entertaining, with adult language and themes.
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