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Operation Husky is the latest work from Mark Zuehlke to guide readers into an important and often ignored Canadian military battle. In July 1943, Allied forces under the command of General Eisenhower staged one of the largest amphibious operation of the Second World War, with the Canadian First Division landing alongside American and British forces on the southern coast of Sicily.

The operation has largely been forgotten but for references to the feuding American and British commanders, Generals Patton and Montgomery. Zuehlke, however, provides a careful and thoroughly researched version of events that highlights the nearly month-long campaign by the First Canadian Division.

While the initial landing was largely unopposed, the Canadians faced difficult fighting through the hills towards Mount Etna. Operation Husky recounts the brutality of the combat as Allied forces raced to capture German forces before they escaped to the Italian mainland.

Most lacking from Operation Husky are first-hand accounts of combat situations — ironically, one of the very things for which Zuehlke is best known. The interviews that brought readers the brutal experience of Ortona more than ten years ago have given way to a heavy emphasis on autobiographies, battalion war diaries, after-action reports, and medal citations.

Only a single new interview is listed for Operation Husky — a reminder of how quickly the veterans available to share their stories are passing away. Zuehlke makes note of this in his introduction, asking Canadians to take time to write down the stories from Canadian veterans before it’s too late.