i have just been reading cp staceys history of the canadian armed forces and it is clear like any failiure, in hindsight it shouldn't have been attempted.
The command structure was flawed, the person who planned it (Montgomery and Mountbatten) should have commanded the force.
However take a look at what was happening in the globe at that time - the Soviet Union looked like it was about to collapse (over 2 million men surrendered that summer) and they were screaming for a second front. Needless to say if they fell, only atomic bombs could end the war (and most of europe).
It seemed action HAD to be taken otherwise the entire war could of been lost - Stalingrad didn't really turn nasty for the germans for another 4 months.
The other thing made clear is that there was no option of not commiting the Canadians - remember Canada had been in the war for 3 years and its army had seen almost no action, they were some of the VERY best troops available to the Allies in that theatre and according to Mcnaughton, if not used would have caused MAJOR morale issues to the forces and canadians back home.
sorry for the heavy detail - but i firmly believe those men did not die in vain.
PS that commercial is superb, brought a tear to my eye.
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