|
________________
CM . . . .
Volume VI Number 9 . . . . January 7, 2000
In the closing days of the Second World War, a volunteer air crew of six
young Canadians flew
off in a converted DC-3 transport to airdrop food to hungry Burmese living
in isolated jungle
villages. It was the monsoon season in Southeast Asia, and, even though the
crew had flown many
missions, flying was extremely dangerous at that time of year. The powerful
winds generated by
the torrential storms could tear the wings off a plane, throw it into an
uncontrollable spiral, and
cause certain death for the crew.
The men of flight KN 546 never returned to base, and soon the Canadian
Department of Defense
notified the men's families that the plane was "missing in action."
Forty-five years later, however,
the plane's wreckage was discovered, and the Canadian government was able
to send a recovery
team into the trackless jungle to find and bring out the remains of the
young flyers so that they
could be buried in a military cemetery.
Viewers learn the characters of these ordinary Canadian men through the
shared memories of the
brothers and sisters who knew them for only a few short years, the
sweethearts who they were
never able to marry, the wives they never grew old with, and the comrades
with whom they
shared the dangers of war. The sorrowful pain of loss felt by these people
may have been dulled
by the passage of a lifetime of years, but it is never lost or forgotten.
We can only imagine the pain that lives in hundreds of thousands of
Canadians who remember and
mourn the 42,042 young soldiers, sailors, and airmen who died during the
Second World War.
Unfortunately, the monumental effort and sacrifice made by millions of
Canadians during WW II
is often ignored or neglected by writers, textbook publishers and film
makers whose aim is often
to simply exploit the flaws in past government policy to promote current
attitudes and agendas.
Lost Over Burma is a powerful antidote to this diminution of the just
cause our nation fought
for and the life-long effect it had on our citizens.
Highly Recommended.
Ian, a regular contributor to CM, also reviews Canadian history for the
Winnipeg Free Press.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
Published by
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - January 7, 2000.
AUTHORS |
TITLES |
MEDIA REVIEWS |
PROFILES |
BACK ISSUES |
SEARCH |
CMARCHIVE |
HOME
|
