Our Fathers' Footsteps: Stories of World War 2 Veterans' "What If" Moments

Our Fathers' Footsteps is about four average men among the millions of people who volunteered to serve their countries during World War II. These men had one thing in common. They all landed on Normandy's beaches on June 6, 1944. Using family history books, letters, telegrams, journals, and Regimental War Diaries, Don Levers tells the stories of these four ordinary men who were caught in the extraordinary circumstances of a World at War and survived their "What If" moments.



From the foreword by Honorary Lt. Col. Gord Steinke:



Our Fathers' Footsteps is an amazing collection of family war stories compiled from letters, photos, military documents and medal citations, many of which were tucked away for years in drawers and old trunks in attics. Author Don Levers' exhaustive research involved interviewing families of veterans involved in one of the bloodiest and most pivotal battles our nation has ever seen.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched the largest seaborne invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France. It was known as Operation Overlord. Over 14,000 Canadians were amongst the 150,000 who took part in the D-Day invasion against the fortified defenses of Hitler's Atlantic Wall.

Through Don's intense attention to detail, battle logistics, dates, times and places, the reader is taken on a spine-tingling journey through the horror, chaos, and confusion of D-Day. One can almost smell the gunpowder and hear the cries of the wounded and dying.

These profoundly personal recollections paint a picture of the young and not-so-young. Canadian and British soldiers going off to war and ending up in one of the most horrific and critical battles in history.





These profoundly personal recollections paint a picture of the young and not-so-young. Canadian and British soldiers going off to war and ending up in one of the most horrific and critical battles in history. Don tells the gripping story of his father, Gerry, who was wounded during the invasion. He then goes on to recount the horrific story of the men in his father's company being executed by the 12th Waffen SS at Le Chateau d'Audrieu.