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Zombie Army by Daniel Byers
$95.00
Zombie Army : The Canadian Army and Conscription in the Second World War by Daniel Byers
This book uncovers the overlooked role of Canada’s Second World War conscripts, nicknamed “zombies,” who transitioned from home defense to vital recruits for overseas duty. Daniel Byers challenges traditional views on military decisions, revealing a political crisis over the push for a large overseas force. The book also reexamines Quebec’s wartime involvement. A must-read for scholars and students interested in a fresh perspective on Canada’s response to the Second World War.
Description
“Under Canada’s National Resources Mobilization Act of 1940, thousands of men were forced to serve their country. Byers ably brings to life the story of these conscripts – who they were, where they came from, and what happened to those who served and those who refused to do so.” – J.L. Granatstein, author of The Weight of Command: Voices of Canada’s Second World War Generals and Those Who Knew Them
“Zombie Army is a masterful account of compulsory military service during the Second World War. Byers skilfully links voluntarism with compulsion, home front to battle front, and political strategy to war fighting.” – Serge Durflinger, author of Fighting from Home: The Second World War in Verdun, Quebec
Zombie Army tells the story of Canada’s Second World War military conscripts – reluctant movie monsters of the 1930s. In the first full-length book on the subject in almost forty years, Byers combines underused and newly discovered records to argue that although conscripts were only liable for home defence, they soon became a steady source of recruits from which the army found volunteers to serve overseas. He also challenges the traditional nationalist-dominated impression that Quebec participated only grudgingly in the war.
Daniel Byers is an assistant professor in the Department of History at Laurentian University.
