“Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867” with David Borys

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Mike Cunha

History

4.8 • 812 Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2024

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Author David Borys comes on the podcast to discuss his book “Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867,” which takes readers on a riveting exploration spanning one hundred and fifty years of Canadian forces.

“Punching Above Our Weight" is a photograph-rich history of 150 years of the Canadian military traces the evolution of the country’s armed forces from a small, underfunded, poorly trained militia to the modern, effective military it is today. From the Red River Resistance and the Boer War through the world wars to modern peacekeeping and the long war in Afghanistan, David A. Borys details the conflicts and operations that Canadian soldiers have served in. He highlights the key battles, among them Amiens, the Scheldt Estuary, and Operation Medusa; the significant people, including Louis Riel, Arthur Currie, and Guy Simonds; and the decisive moments, such as the passing of conscription in August 1917, Canada’s declaration of war in 1939, and the peacekeeping crises of the 1990s, that came to define the scope of Canada’s participation in international conflicts and cement its global reputation.

Borys also explores the challenges that the Canadian nation and its military have faced over those years, including major cultural and demographic shifts, a continual struggle for resources from generally disinterested governments, battlefield failures, and notorious and shocking scandals, along with ever-changing global threats. Punching Above Our Weight brings to light a new perspective on the Canadian military and its place in the world.

Where to buy “Punching Above Our Weight:”

https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459754126-punching-above-our-weight

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at [email protected]. Rate, review, and subscribe to the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The
0:07.0	The The
0:23.6	The Hey folks, welcome to the battles of the First World War podcast.
0:58.7	Joining us on the podcast this evening is David Boris, author of Punching Above Our Weight,
1:04.8	the Canadian military at war since 1867.
1:09.0	From the publishing Dundurn Press website, punching above our weight takes readers
1:13.7	on a riveting exploration spanning 150 years of Canadian forces. This photograph rich history of
1:21.3	150 years of the Canadian military forces traces the evolution of the country's armed forces
1:27.3	from a small,
1:29.0	underfunded, poorly trained militia to the modern effective military it is today.
1:34.4	From the Red River Resistance to the Boer War through the World Wars to modern peacekeeping
1:39.4	and the long war in Afghanistan, David A. Boris details the conflicts and operations that Canadian soldiers
1:45.9	have served in. He highlights the key battles, among them Emion, the Scheldt Estuary, and Operation
1:52.1	Medusa, the significant people, including Louis Reel, Arthur Curry, and Guy Simmons, and the decisive
2:00.2	moments, such as the passing of conscription
2:02.8	in August 1917, Canada's Declaration of War in 1939, and the peacekeeping crises of the 1990s
2:11.1	that came to define the scope of Canada's participation in international conflicts and cement its global reputation.
2:20.3	Boris also explores the challenges that the Canadian nation and its military have faced over those years,
2:27.3	including major cultural and demographic shifts, a continual struggle for resources from generally disinterested governments, battlefield failures,
2:36.8	and notorious and shocking scandals, along with ever-changing global threats.
2:41.5	Punching above our weight brings to light a new perspective on the Canadian military and its place in the world.
2:48.4	And now a little about our guest as well. David Boris is a Canadian military historian
	...

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