Canada's Cold War - looking for book suggestions

[RaceAddict]

I'm wondering if anyone here can point me in the direction of some good reading about Canada's involvement in the Cold War. I'm fascinated by that entire era and the sometimes razor's edge dynamics of it, particularly over in Europe, but I'll admit I really don't know a lot about Canada's contribution to it all. I've been listening to the Cold War Conversations podcast for a year or two now, and though it's primarily Euro-centric a couple of Canadian guests have been featured (Lt Colonel Laurie Hawn, for example) it's been thoroughly enlightening, to say the least.

I'm an avgeek at heart, so I know the basics about the F-101s with nuclear rockets oops, F-104s and some of their various missions (nuke and conventional strike) based here and in Germany, etc. I'd love to learn more about those units stationed in Germany.

I'm looking for any sort of book, really... first hand accounts, documentary books, anything else.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Sean Maloney has book called “War Without Battles” that covers the history of Canadian Brigades in Europe, 1951-1993.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Not a book but a thesis. Might be informative. The bibliography may provide some suggestions.

The Rise and Fall of Canada's Cold War Air Force, 1948-1968

This thesis examines the expansion of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) under the St. Laurent government with the concept of the Big Air Force that emerged from the defence re-armament programme announced on 5 February 1951. During this critical Cold War period, the RCAF became Canada’s first...

scholars.wlu.ca

 

[The Bread Guy]

It's not a non-fiction history book, but Macksey's "First Clash" is an interesting & granular story about how a Soviet invasion & fighting could have unfolded for a Canadian unit in Germany.

 

[Halifax Tar]

It's not a non-fiction history book, but Macksey's "First Clash" is an interesting & granular story about how a Soviet invasion & fighting could have unfolded for a Canadian unit in Germany.
View attachment 70266

Great read. It's always in my sea bag.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Great read. It's always in my sea bag.

Loved reading it when I was a young section commander - may pull it out to do a re-read.

 

[daftandbarmy]

It might be fun to have a look at this book, and Hackett's 'Variant C', especially given the conflict in Ukraine right now

The Third World War: The Untold Story (1982) is a war novel by Sir John Hackett portraying a fictional Third World War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact forces, which breaks out in 1985. It is written in the style of a non-fiction, post-event historical account. It was published in 1982 by Macmillan in New York and Sidgwick & Jackson in London. The book is an update to Hackett's 1978 novel, The Third World War: August 1985.

'Variant C' involves a conventional invasion with a nuclear strike as a backup option in the event of the invasion stalling.

The Politburo debates the nuclear option intensely. Eventually, it was decided that any use of nuclear weapons would inevitably escalate to a full strategic exchange which would leave the Soviets so damaged as to make victory not worthwhile. Variant C was therefore chosen, augmented with some selective chemical strikes occurring where they might prove to be most effective, with the understanding that if the advance of Warsaw Pact forces was halted by Western resistance (led by NATO), nuclear weapons could be used to regain the initiative on the battlefield.

The Third World War: The Untold Story - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[MarkOttawa]

Not a book but a thesis. Might be informative. The bibliography may provide some suggestions.

The Rise and Fall of Canada's Cold War Air Force, 1948-1968

This thesis examines the expansion of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) under the St. Laurent government with the concept of the Big Air Force that emerged from the defence re-armament programme announced on 5 February 1951. During this critical Cold War period, the RCAF became Canada’s first...

scholars.wlu.ca

Another for AvGeeks:

Cold War Fighters: Canadian Aircraft Procurement, 1945-54 ​

by Colonel (ret'd) Randall Wakelam
Cold War Fighters: Canadian Aircraft Procurement, 1945-54: Wakelam, Colonel (ret'd) Randall: 9780774821490: Books - Amazon.ca



Mark
Ottawa

 

[desindarfur]

If memory serves First Clash was commissioned by the CAF for students at the Staff College. It was on the reading list for the Militia Command and Staff Course (now called AOC).

 

[RaceAddict]

Thanks for the input guys. Fiction, non-fiction, even that thesis... all of it looks good.

After a few Google searches I've realized that finding some of these titles might take a little work... $35-$40 for a "used" paperback is steep.

On the plus side, while adding "Cold War Fighters 1945-54" to my cart Amazon suggested a few more titles:
"Unlikely Diplomats: The Canadian Brigade in Germany, 1951-64"
"Sovereignty and Command in Canada-US Continental Air Defence, 1940-57"
"In Peace Prepared: Innovation and Adaptation in Canada's Cold War Army"

 

[MarkOttawa]

And very useful on NATO, Korean War, Suez Crisis:

Mike: The Memoirs of the Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson, Volume Two: 1948-1957​

https://www.amazon.ca/Mike-Memoirs-Lester-Pearson-1948-1957

/dp/1442615656/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H1F7QBXF3YN4&keywords=mike+pearson+memoirs+volume+2&qid=1650915863&sprefix=mike+pearson+memoirs+volume+2%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1

Disclosure: I worked on book as research assistant.



Mark Collins

 

[AmmoTech90]

Books by John Clearwater cover Canada's nuclear weapons and involvement in other stategic weapon development

Canadian Nuclear Weapons: The Untold Story of Canada's Cold War Arsenal | Quill and Quire

John Clearwater, a military-strategic analyst with the Department of National Defence, creates "an operational-technical history" in Canadian Nuclear Weapons, reconstructing the story of tho

quillandquire.com