The Soldier's General
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
134.4305
Summary
Bert Hoffmeister was a lumberjack from Vancouver who ended up becoming one of Canada s most prolific generals. He had no formal military training, no aristocratic name, and when the war began, he joined the Seaforth Highlanders as an ordinary officer. His talent was unmistakable. He led his men to battle, broke bread with them, and travelled down the same roads they dated.
Transcript
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Every Remembrance Day, we think of courage, but courage comes in many forms.
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Sometimes, it's not found in the command tent, but in the mud, beside your men.
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I'm talking about a lumberjack from Vancouver, who ended up becoming one of Canada's most prolific generals.
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He had no formal military training, no aristocratic name,
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and when the war began, he joined the Seaforth Highlanders as an ordinary officer. His talent
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was unmistakable. He led his men to battle, broke bread with them, and traveled down the
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same roads dated. By 1943, Hoffmeister was commanding a brigade in Sicily. In the battle
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for Liri Valley in Italy, his men were pinned down by relentless German fire. With non-existent
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supplies and a dwindling morale, Hofmeister refused to retreat to safety. He crawled through
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the shell fire to rally his troops himself. Under his calm, steady orders, the Canadians surged on,
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breaking through one of the most heavily fortified positions in Italy. Later commanding the 5th
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Canadian Armored Division, Hofmeister battled on through the Apennine Mountains and into the
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Netherlands. Upon liberating the Dutch towns, he and his men were said to not be conquerors,
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but neighbors, humble and proud. Field Marshal Alexander once called him the best commander
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in the British Empire. And yet, when he returned home, he went quietly back to his civilian life.
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No fanfare, no speeches. On this Remembrance Day, remember the leader Canadians follow,
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Not the one shouting from the hilltop, but the one standing in the valley beside them.
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Remember Major General Bert Hoffmeister, the soldier's general.