The Soldiers' General: Bert Hoffmeister at War

J.L. Granatstein, Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus,
York University, served as Director of the Canadian War Museum from 1998
to 2000. His latest works are Who Killed Canadian History?, Who Killed
the Canadian Military, and Hell’s Cor

I am the author of the foreword to this book and it appears in a series
that I was instrumental in starting when I was at the Canadian War
Museum. No one can accuse me of impartiality, but the fact remains that
this is a first-rate book.

Bert Hoffmeister (1907–1999) was Canada’s best field commander in
the Second World War, a soldier who began the war as a militia company
commander, then commanded a battalion, a brigade, and a division in
Sicily and Italy. He led his 5th Canadian Armoured division in the final
engagements of the war in the Netherlands, and he was chosen to command
the Canadian division designated to invade Japan. Yet he was all but
completely unknown outside specialized military circles—until
Delaney’s study of him as a soldier. Hoffmeister had a natural
charisma, a fine mind, and great courage, all of which combined to make
him a leader of quality in an army that had few senior officers with
more personality than a turnip. His men followed him because they knew
he was as brave as they were and because they trusted him. And with
reason: Hoffmeister mastered the technology and tactics of war on the
Italian and Northwest European fronts, and his soldiers broke enemy
positions (the Hitler and Gothic Lines) of great strength. He was a
superb leader, a great man—and one no longer unknown thanks to
Delaney’s thorough research, capable writing, and (he was as an
infantryman himself), complete understanding of the soldier’s trade.