Episode 197: Canadians in Normandy
Guest: David O'Keefe
Sunday, May 12, 2024
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This Week on History Happy Hour: In July 1944, 300 men from Canada’s storied Black Watch regiment found themselves embroiled in mortal combat against elite German units in Normandy in a bloody battle for Verrières Ridge. Only a handful of Highlanders walked away unscathed.
In this encore episode, Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer explore this ferocious battle with historian David O’Keefe, author of Seven Days in Hell: Canada's Battle for Normandy and the Rise of the Black Watch Snipers.
David O'Keefe is an award-winning historian, documentarian and professor at Marianopolis College in Westmount, Quebec. He served with the Black Watch and has spent decades researching their history. He has created and collaborated on more than fifteen documentaries for the History channel and National Geographic and has appeared on CBC, CTV, Global Television and other networks. He is the bestselling author of One Day in August: The Untold Story behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe. He is also the co-creator and host of the Canadian television program War Junk. He lives in Rigaud, Quebec, with his wife and children.