Legion Magazine

11/11/2025

Leonard Cohen recites “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae | Legion Magazine

Rest in Peace Leonard Cohen. In fall 2015, Legion Magazine and Leonard Cohen released a video to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poem “In Flanders Fields” by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. In a poignant tribute to McCrae, Canadian songwriter, painter and poet Leonard Cohen has recited that stirring poem for this exclusive video. His voice is accompanied by stirring imagery from the First World War.

Rest in Peace Leonard Cohen. In fall 2015, Legion Magazine and Leonard Cohen released a video to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poem “In Flanders F...

11/10/2025

RCAF 100 - Celebrating the centennial of the Royal Canadian Air Force

On the wings of a burgeoning aviation culture of hinterland stick jockeys, airmail pilots and high-flying adventurers, the Royal Canadian Air Force emerges from 100 years of war and peace as a respected, if not feared, hunter, protector and humanitarian presence in troubled skies the world over. The fascinating story of the RCAF is one of passion, perseverance and promise.

On the wings of a burgeoning aviation culture of hinterland stick jockeys, airmail pilots and high-flying adventurers, the Royal Canadian Air Force emerges f...

11/09/2025

Canada and the Scheldt Campaign | Narrated by Cobie Smulders

It’s 1944 and, as Allied armies fight their way through France, supply lines are stretched thin. The tools of war must travel from Normandy to a front that’s moving further from the D-Day beaches by the moment. The Belgian port at Antwerp offers the solution the Allies need—extensive docks and facilities ideally situated to support the invasion of the Reich.

The port is taken. But to get supplies into Antwerp, Allied ships have to navigate the Scheldt, and the 80-kilometre estuary into it is controlled by the enemy. The Canadians are given the job of driving the Germans out.

Discover the bravery and sacrifice of Canadian troops as they battled through flooded terrain, enemy fortifications, and harsh weather conditions. This video highlights their strategic role in clearing the Scheldt, and how their efforts helped change the course of the war.

It’s 1944 and, as Allied armies fight their way through France, supply lines are stretched thin. The tools of war must travel from Normandy to a front that’s...

11/08/2025

Liberation of the Netherlands | Narrated by Roméo Dallaire

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands in the Second World War, and Legion Magazine has released a new web video to mark the event.

Lieutenant-General The Honourable Roméo Dallaire narrates this instalment of the award-winning web video series Military Moments.

The Liberation of the Netherlands web video takes viewers back to the German invasion and occupation of Holland, depicting the terrible hunger and hardship inflicted on the Dutch by N**i Germany and detailing how Allied forces—led by Canada—liberated the country. From September 1944 to April 1945, Canada played a key role in ending the Second World War, as Allied forces closed in on Germany from all sides.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands in the Second World War, and Legion Magazine has released a new web vide...

11/07/2025

The Fall of Hong Kong | Narrated by Stephen J. Thorne

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the American base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, invaded Malaya the next day, and marched on Hong Kong. Canada had dispatched the Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles from Quebec City to join 14,000 Allied defence troops in the Hong Kong garrison. Undertrained, poorly armed and without their transport and heavy equipment, every one of the 1,975 Canadians became a casualty of war: 290 were killed in battle, 493 were wounded, and everyone who survived the battle was taken prisoner. In the following months, 260 Canadian PoWs died of starvation, disease, overwork and brutal treatment in the 44 months they were interned.

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the American base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, invaded Malaya the next day, and marched on Hong Kong. Canada had dispatched t...

11/06/2025

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11/06/2025

Operation Husky | Narrated by Les Stroud

For almost four years, the forces of N**i Germany have occupied Europe while the Allies fought in Africa and the Pacific. Now, on July 10, 1943, Canadian, British and American forces invade Sicily, a hot, mountainous, enemy-occupied island off Italy’s south coast. The Allied liberation of the continent has begun.

For almost four years, the forces of N**i Germany have occupied Europe while the Allies fought in Africa and the Pacific. Now, on July 10, 1943, Canadian, Br...

11/06/2025

Historian Fred Gaffen recounts Canada’s WW II story in a new single-volume book

Military historian and author Fred Gaffen is the first to admit that there are “so many books written about the Second World War, many of them by Canadians.” Nevertheless, he argues, a proportion might appear to be a “bit too formidable,” perhaps especially for those who want the facts without academic rabbit holes.

Gaffen cites his grandchildren and new Canadians interested in history as two motivators for writing his recent book, Path to Victory: Canada and the Second World War 1939 – 1945, released in August 2025 by Burnstown Publishing House.

Military historian and author Fred Gaffen is the first to admit that there are “so many books written about the Second World War, many of them by Canadians.” Nevertheless, he argues, a proportion might appear to be a “bit too formidable,” perhaps especially for those who want the facts witho...

11/05/2025

Excerpt from O Canada: War & Hockey

Hockey is the game we hold dearest in Canada, the one we define ourselves by, still. It’s a haven for our identity, and it’s where we cultivate our national pride— and store our strategic reserve of contradictions, too. We like to think of it as a natural resource, of course, hewn from the wintry north, and forged by us into the game—and the passion—it has become, even as it, too, has forged us.

The story isn’t quite that straightforward, we should acknowledge. While hockey does indeed have roots in Indigenous games of stick-and- ball, it owes much as well to migrant imports: Scottish shinty, Irish hurling and various golf-like Dutch diversions. But isn’t that a Canadian story in itself?

Hockey is the game we hold dearest in Canada, the one we define ourselves by, still. It’s a haven for our identity, and it’s where we cultivate our national pride— and store our strategic reserve of contradictions, too. We like to think of it as a natural resource, of course, hewn from the win...

11/05/2025

Rest in peace, Alex Trebek. Narrated by the legendary Jeopardy! host, this Military Moment revisits the tragic Dieppe Raid of Aug. 19, 1942—Canada’s costliest day of WWII, 83 years ago. 907 killed, 1,874 captured.

Rest in Peace Alex Trebek. Ahead of the 76th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, Legion Magazine and Canada’s Ultimate Story present Military Moments | The Diepp...

11/04/2025

Battle of the St. Lawrence | Narrated by Peter Mansbridge

In the spring of 1942, the placid waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River turned tumultuous as German U-boats struck just off the shores of Quebec and Newfoundland. The Second World War had arrived at Canada’s doorstep, and area residents could see and hear the battles. They recovered the debris, the survivors and the dead. Now, Legion Magazine is proud to present narrator Peter Mansbridge and the story of the Battle of the St. Lawrence.

In the spring of 1942, the placid waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River turned tumultuous as German U-boats struck just off the shore...

11/03/2025

Battle of the Atlantic | Narrated by Alan Doyle

The Battle of the Atlantic was Canada’s longest campaign of the Second World War from September 3, 1939 to May 8, 1945. Legion Magazine and Canada’s Ultimate Story present Military Moments | Battle of the Atlantic. Narrated by Canadian musician and artist Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea, the video takes us back hours after Britain declared war on Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, when the German submarine U-30 sank the ocean liner SS Athenia.

The Battle of the Atlantic raged for 68 months. Germany’s objective was to starve Britain into submission by cutting shipping supply lines. The Allies responded with escorted oceanic convoys and the Royal Canadian Navy played a critical role, protecting convoys from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom. By 1944, Canada had proven itself as one of the world’s best U-boat hunters.

The Battle of the Atlantic was Canada’s longest campaign of the Second World War from September 3, 1939 to May 8, 1945. Legion Magazine and Canada’s Ultimate...