Mike Bechthold

Whatever else Mike Bechthold is working to accomplish in this book, he is providing the reader with a military life of a man who is interesting in his own right, as Raymond Collishaw started his service life as a cabin boy in a precursor to the Canadian Coast Guard prior to the Great War, and finished his service with the Royal Air Force with two stars on his shoulder.

The real meat of this book though is that Bechthold is demonstrating that the process of implementing sound operational use show more of air power in the Western Desert during WWII didn't just begin with Arthur Coningham, as the tale is usually told, it begins with Collishaw. This is as Collishaw did his best to maximize his available assets in the first British offensive in North Africa in 1940; having built a strong partnership with Richard O'Connor of the British Army.

Less good is the continuing story of how that partnership fell apart, and a sorry tale of inter-service rivalry commenced in the wake of Erwin Rommel hitting the British like a bomb. This being exacerbated by British strategic disarray in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Eventually, the RAF won the battle for the mind of Winston Churchill in terms of how operational air war should be conducted, more resources were found, and sound principles were codified; though without much recognition of Collishaw's contributions.

As for why Collishaw became remembered mostly for his WWI prowess in aerial combat, and not for his efficiency as a tactical commander, Bechthold leaves one with the impression that the man was something of an outsider in the Royal Air Force by early WWII. Not helped by up-and-coming RAF flag-rank officer Arthur Tedder basically wanting to replace Collishaw with his own man, and keeping the Canadian handy as a snack to throw to the wolves if his own career was on the line (at least that's how it looks to me). To be fair to Tedder, Collishaw was overdue for a staff assignment in 1941, and probably should have been given a different posting with the conclusion of Operation Compass.

Anyway, I found this book well-worth reading, as Bechthold never loses sight of logistics or strategy while telling his tale. show less

This is an outstanding view of the Canadian Corps capture of Vimy Ridge. The chapters are well synchronized, and range from workable to excellent. Highly recommended for a Canadian Corps buff.

Reviewed here.