Zombie Army
The Canadian Army and Conscription in the Second World War
Zombie Army is a thorough, fast-paced book on compulsory military service in Canada during the Second World War.
Description
Zombie Army tells the story of Canada’s Second World War military conscripts – reluctant soldiers pejoratively referred to as “zombies” for their perceived similarity to the mindless 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.
Reviews
Since it illustrates a topic that could not have been written in earlier decades, there is much for the Second World War historian to learn from Zombie Army.
- Robert Engen, Royal Military College of Canada
Zombie Army tells the whole arresting story with an even hand and smart commentary. The work is as compelling as the subject.
- Holly Doan
…by far the most complete account to date of conscription in Canada during the Second World War.
- Brian Bertosa, Independent Researcher
Byers provides us with an impeccably researched look at the daily grind of these soldiers, the way they were perceived by the local populations, their ethnic composition, or where and how they served.
- François Charbonneau, University of Ottawa
Zombie Army adds yet another important study to the large codex of Canadian Second World War literature, adding new life to a topic that has not been investigated in detail for many years.
- Major Andrew B. Godefroy, CD, PhD, jrcsp, Army Lessons Learned Centre
Somewhat ironically given the book’s title, Zombie Army is a very human story about the Canadian World War II experience. It deserves a prominent place in both libraries and university classrooms.
- Adam Montgomery, Independent Scholar