Our Books

It’s 1988, and secrets that were buried in the jungles of Vietnam twenty years earlier are starting to re-emerge. David “Kick” Tacker is a Canadian-bornbut American-madestone-cold Killer, and is barely holding his psyche together shattered by years of war and violence. He fought in MACV-SOGs secret war in Vietnam until there was no more war to be made, and then sustained himself with clandestine work around the world. READ MORE.

In 1792, British naval lieutenant George Vancouver arrived in the Pacific northwest on a mission of exploration. He has orders to take possession of Nootka Sound, but finds the Spanish, led by Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, already there and unwilling to leave. Quadra and Vancouver negotiate their countries’ claims, manoeuvring for advantage and seeking the support of Maquinna, chief of the Mowachaht, who recognizes the threat posed by all the newcomers to his territory. Their fate lay in the hands of their commanders. How they respond could pitch Spain and Britain into outright war. READ MORE.

A comprehensive history of the operations conducted by Canadian artillery units in Afghanistan, from 2002 to 2006. Based on hundreds of interviews and primary source documents, there is no other book that provides as accurate a picture of the invaluable contribution made by the artillery. READ MORE.

Chief Warrant Officer Necole Belanger created a professional persona that was no-nonsense and highly put-together—even perfect. But the truth was much more complex.
Necole’s story is a tale of two lives, the CWO raised in a military family, and the woman coming to terms with her sexuality and her identity, in a time where the two could not co-exist. A lesbian member of the military police during the LGBTQ Purge in the Canadian Armed Forces, Necole would achieve success and promotion in her military career despite a near-constant struggle for identity. READ MORE.

As the Canadian 4th Armoured Division fought its way through Italy, its soldiers experienced some of the most intense fighting of the war. But when they found a five-year-old Italian orphan near the ruins of Frosinone, they opened their hearts and made him one of their own. READ MORE.

Russia has won the war in Ukraine and is eyeing the Baltics next. The world stands on the precipice of war. When a spy deep in the Kremlin contacts his handlers and mentions a code word for an insane Russian plan for winning a nuclear war, it sets off alarm bells in Washington. A legendary CIA officer is sent to meet him. Former Special Forces and CIA operator Joshua Devlin is coaxed out of retirement to be his backup, with promises that the job will be little more than babysitting. READ MORE.

The American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN) was the military broadcast network that served American service personnel during the Vietnam War. But much of what has been previously written about the AFVN has been overstated and far from comprehensive, including the most famous work: the movie Good Morning, Vietnam.  READ MORE.

On November 11, 1941, four Fairey Swordfish of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm took off from Hal Far base in Malta to fly a mission over the Strait of Sicily. Their plans quickly went awry, turning their story into one of skill, determination and grit that is only now being fully told. This book, inspired by a photo of an aircraft upside down on Cefalù beach in Sicily, led to years of meticulous research by the authors to uncover the full story of the men and aircraft of the mission.  READ MORE.

In the aftermath of an embarrassing attack against the Canadian Army in Afghanistan, desperate measures are needed to salvage their reputation. Enter Captain Leslie McNabb, a coward with a family legacy of posthumously rewarded heroism. He’s assigned the task of creating the perception of success. The mission? Rebuild Ghunday, the Taliban-infested village responsible for the attack. The problem? The village only needs to be rebuilt because the Canadians destroyed it, and they don’t want any more “help.” READ MORE.

South Sudan became independent in 2011, but the hope for a peaceful future was short-lived. By 2013, the world’s youngest nation was engulfed in a brutal civil and tribal war. Deployed as a Military Liaison Officer as part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, John Vintar recounts the harsh realities of how the United Nations conducts peacekeeping operations in Africa. READ MORE.

To stay in power, Russian President Dmitri Barsukov must seize control of the vast oil and gas resources in the Black Sea. President of the United States Daniel Evans must stop the takeover. Chief Petty Officer Brian Thompson and the crew of the USS James E. Williams, dispatched on a search and rescue mission, find themselves back in harms way. READ MORE.

Soft Targets is a collection of short stories linked by themes of identity, camaraderie, vulnerability, and loss. They examine the stories we tell about war, and how conflict shapes us as individuals and as a society. A profoundly human journey, Inks shows us the wounds, both seen and unseen, soldiers collect along the way. In the end, we’re all soft targets. READ MORE.

When the men of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery went to war in 1914 they lacked training, had insufficient guns and ammunition, and clung to a strategy that emphasized manoeuvre and direct-fire engagements. When the opening phases of the Great War came to an end and the conflict became static siege warfare, Canadian gunners had to grow and adapt. READ MORE.

Canada may not come to the mind of many when we talk about terrorism. And yet it has been both the site, and origin, of terrorist attacks both here and around the world throughout our century and a half as a country. Irish nationalism, Sikh extremism, Islamist terrorism, and other forms of violent ideologies, we’ve seen them all. READ MORE.

Night Vision is a collection of poetry representing a journey of healing from trauma, told from the perspective of a female veteran. These poems lead you through a winding path of emotion. From valleys of pain and trauma, over mountains of healing, through golden fields of recovery, and finally, to the cool waters of new beginnings. Each stage reminds us of the humble humanity within us all. READ MORE.

Of the over 3,100 Canadian women who served as nursing sisters during the First World War, sixty-one paid the ultimate sacrifice. “Bluebirds at War” tells each of their stories, based on meticulous research that has uncovered a forgotten piece of Canadian history. READ MORE.

The development of Auftragstaktik was the foundation stone of Prussia’s, and later Germany’s, astounding battlefield performances. Universally praised in military circles, Auftragstaktik remains both poorly understood and badly practised. This uniquely German leadership philosophy lies shrouded in a fog of mystery and misinterpretation. READ MORE

1951. A growing Soviet threat. A volatile nuclear arms race. A dead body in the snow. Canada’s newly formed Special Branch is tasked to investigate the murder of a Soviet diplomat whose naked body is dumped on the American Ambassador’s lawn. READ MORE.

North Africa proved to be the birthplace and proving ground for some of the Allies’ most prestigious special operations forces. Unleash the Dogs of War details their secret missions to track German troop movements, raids to destroy German air bases deep behind enemy lines and even an audacious attempt to kill Rommel himself. READ MORE

Chief Warrant Officer John G. Barnes recounts his military career, with a focus on his experiences in Afghanistan as a Company Sergeant Major of Charles Company in the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment during Operation MEDUSA. READ MORE

It was inevitable that we would turn the colonial mentality on ourselves. No matter what we think we are achieving, eventually, imperial wars come home to roost. A generation of men asked to watch children suffer without flinching return to America. The ethics of the wars of Pax Americana become the ways and mores in our own streets. The logic of the war in Afghanistan is transferred to the classrooms of Chicago’s public high schools. America is reborn in a shape we never intended. READ MORE

War fascinates us, but what do we really know about its nature?  Strategia is the product of Colonel Oliviero’s decades-long intellectual quest to address this fundamental query. His work offers both the serious student and the casual reader a foundation stone upon which to build a deeper understanding of military thought and theory, and thereby a richer appreciation of mankind’s deadliest pursuit.  READ MORE

Praxis Tacticum: The Art, Science and Practice of Military Tactics is an essential primer on tactics by Colonel Chuck Oliviero. Modern militaries claim that they are professional bodies, responsible to teach, control and discipline their members.  But at least one aspect of this claim is poorly executed: tactics are not taught to junior leaders, which is why this practical guide is essential reading for all junior leaders, officers and NCOs alike. READ MORE

Under the flag of the United Nations, Canada sent its soldiers into the midst of violence and bloodshed to bring peace to the region. One of those soldiers was Lieutenant Tom Mykytiuk. READ MORE

Interdiction a modern military thriller written by Navy veteran Matt Hardman. When a Pakistani nuke is stolen, the President of the United States sends the ailing USS Williams on a last-ditch interdiction mission to intercept the weapon and stop a conflict that would spiral out of control. READ MORE

9/11 was an inside job. The moon landings were faked. JFK is alive and well and spends his days with Elvis. Everyone knows what happened on 11/3/11. But do they really know the truth? Dive into a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and see the world through JD’s eyes. AE Merrick’s debut novel is a wild ride through mind control, paranoia, and isolation in search of the ever-elusive truth. READ MORE

A walking guide to the fields where the Regina Rifles fought the 12.SS-Panzerdivision “Hitler Jugend” on 8-9 June, 1944. Written by historian Sean Claxton, this book allows the reader to conduct a self-guided tour in less than a day. READ MORE

The Empire’s Smallest Regiment tells the little-known story of the Gambia Company of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF).  Written by US Air Force officer Charles Estep, this book aims to fill a historiographical void by providing a valuable history of the Gambia Company and shed light on the experiences of ordinary Gambian soldiers, while also exposing the greater historical trends of theBritish colonial military in West Africa. READ MORE

The crawler tractor – which was often mistakenly referred to as a bulldozer – was invaluable to the Royal Canadian Engineers in the Second World War as it performed a wide variety of tasks. From prolific writer John Sliz, this book is the only in-depth look at the mechanical equipment used by the Royal Canadian Engineers in the Second World War. A perfect resource for modellers, reenactors, wargamers, collectors and history buffs! READ MORE

The 2nd Canadian Division was one of the unluckiest Divisions in Canadian history. Written by Canadian veteran Michael Dorosh, this book tells the story of the hard battles fought by the Division from Dieppe to Germany itself. READ MORE.

The 12th Regiment, York Rangers was a Canadian militia unit with a history that stretched back well before Confederation, to the earliest struggles for domination of the continent between the English and French. In 1914, as war fever gripped Canada, it played an instrumental role in raising four battalions for the Canadian Expeditionary Force and supporting many others. The story of those four battalions is about much more than their individual exploits. READ MORE

The third edition of the history of the Queen’s York Rangers, a unit of the Canadian Army Reserve whose roots stretch back before the foundation of Canada itself. READ MORE

Commissioned by the 20th Battalion Association after the First World War, this is an exhaustive history of the battalion’s actions throughout the war, from their initial recruitment and training in Toronto, through France, Belgium and Germany, and then back to Toronto for demobilization. READ MORE