Above and Beyond: The Canadians' War in the Air, 1939-45

Dean F. Oliver is a postdoctoral fellow at the Norman Paterson School of
International Affairs.

Above and Beyond is a compilation of Canadian war memoirs, organized
chronologically, and interwoven with a running commentary on the war
itself. The historical narrative is weak, offering barely enough
background to understand the events in which his subjects participated;
but the volume’s broad selection of stories and personal recollections
is more than satisfying.

While Dunmore displays a marked preference for the exploits of fighter
pilots, the numerous anecdotes cover virtually every type of air
operation, from commando drops to strategic bombing, in virtually every
theatre of operations, from the Pacific Ocean to Norway’s fjords. The
treatment he accords Allied leaders, equipment, and tactics is, for the
most part, remarkably evenhanded, and, though the language remains
delicate, his condemnations of the French in 1940, of British strategic
bombing policy, and of military bureaucracy in general are both clear
and convincing. There are times when punches have been pulled (as in his
account of the problems plaguing No. 6 [Canadian] Group, Bomber
Command), but the text (marred by a few factual errors) remains
surprisingly tart, lively, and engaging.

An accomplished novelist before turning to nonfiction writing, Dunmore
has produced an articulate, readable, and engrossing tome that pays
homage to those Canadians lost in the air war. This is popular history
of the finest kind.