Canada in the War:
Pre - War:
After the Statute of Westminster in 1931, Canada gained diplomatic autonomy from Britain. Canada was then responsible for its own foreign affairs. The horrors of the First World War was still fresh in the memories of many Canadians, who did not wish to be involved in another costly world war. Therefore, Canada attempted to stay away from European political conflicts during much of the 1930's. Although Canada gained international recognition as a tough fighting force in the First World War, Canadian influence on international affairs were still to small to make a significant impact. Canada was hit hard by the Great Depression, but it showed some recovery in the late 1930's. |
On September 1st, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany two days later on September 3rd. Unlike the First World War, this time Canada was no longer obligated to be at war once Britain is. In fact, Canada was theoretically equal to Britain in terms of sovereignty. Nevertheless, Canada still felt strong ties to Britain and thus declared war on Germany on September 10th, a week after Britain. This was Canada's first independent declaration of war. Canada's motives for this declaration of war were simple: to help the mother country, and to stop the spread of fascism. Prime Minister Mackenzie King promised that conscription would never be enforced, thus gaining popular support from Quebec. However, he would later break this promise.
Canadian Involvement:
Unlike the First World War, in the late 1930's Canada was aware about a potential war in Europe involving Britain. Therefore the Canadian government had already made some plans for another war. The Canadian government supported a small scale involvement. This was because many Canadians did not wish to be committed to another large war in Europe, furthermore the Conscription Crisis in 1917 caused divides between the English and French Canadian population. Thus when war broke out in 1939, Canadian involvement was extremely limited. Only one division was sent to Europe and another one remained in Canada for home defence. Britain and Canada discussed plans for war and agreed that Canada's main responsibility was to train pilots and supply food. |
At the beginning of the war, Canadian Prime Minister King promised no more conscription, but as the war dragged on Canada found itself short of soldiers. In 1942 King asked the provinces to release him from his promise; all provinces but Quebec agreed. It did not feel obligated to help Britain or France. It also felt betrayed by King's proposal of conscription. Again, the nation was divided over the problem of conscription. Conscription was permitted in 1942, but conscripted men were not sent to Europe until 1944.
European Front:
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division arrived in France on January 1st, 1940. The British feared that Canadian troops would be poorly equipped (as they had been in the First World War with the infamous Ross Rifle), so Britain offered to equip Canadian forces instead. However, as the situation worsened for the Allies in May 1940, during the Battle of France. Britain could no longer equip Canadians and thus the Canadians had to send outdated weaponry to their troops in France, including the notorious Ross Rifle, which were in fact discarded in the First World War for poor performance. The Dunkirk evacuation occurred in May / June 1940, sealing the fate of the already weakened French forces.
The Battle of France ended in June 1941. The defeat of France meant that Britain was the only major nation standing against Germany and Italy. In fact, during the period of time after the fall of France and before the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Canada was the second strongest nation at war with Germany (with Britain being the biggest). During this time Canada and Britain were both desperately short of war materials. In addition, most of the British army's heavy equipment were left behind at Dunkirk, but most urgently, the threat of a German invasion was looming. Some Canadian forces were ready to resist a German invasion of Britain while others were serving at home, defending against a potential invasion of North America. Fortunately, the Battle of Britain ended in British victory and the Germans were not able to establish the air superiority required for an invasion. An invasion of North America did not occur either. Thus the British and Canadian forces acquired time to bolster their strength. On March 11th, the American President Roosevelt signed the Lend Lease Act, which allowed Allied nations to buy military equipment and pay after the war.
In June 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union, this meant that the Germans were not likely to launch any more serious attacks on Britain. Although the Canadians were loathe to admit it, the politically extreme Soviet Union was now an ally. Furthermore, America joined the war on December 8th. The entry of the Soviet Union and America basically altered the strategical aspects of the war.
On August 19th, 1942, the Dieppe Raid was launched. It was a disastrous failure. The objective was to cross the English Channel and attack the German - occupied town of Dieppe, laying waste to the German defenses and then evacuate before German reinforcements could arrive. However, the Germans were prepared and they crushed the landing. Most of the Canadians who participated in the battle were killed, wounded, or captured. However, the Dieppe Raid taught the Allies a valuable lesson. The raid's failure was due to insufficient air and naval support and the lack of secrecy. The experiences gained at Dieppe would facilitate the future invasion of Normandy. It could be said that the failure of Dieppe indirectly saved lives at the beaches of Normandy.
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division arrived in France on January 1st, 1940. The British feared that Canadian troops would be poorly equipped (as they had been in the First World War with the infamous Ross Rifle), so Britain offered to equip Canadian forces instead. However, as the situation worsened for the Allies in May 1940, during the Battle of France. Britain could no longer equip Canadians and thus the Canadians had to send outdated weaponry to their troops in France, including the notorious Ross Rifle, which were in fact discarded in the First World War for poor performance. The Dunkirk evacuation occurred in May / June 1940, sealing the fate of the already weakened French forces.
The Battle of France ended in June 1941. The defeat of France meant that Britain was the only major nation standing against Germany and Italy. In fact, during the period of time after the fall of France and before the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Canada was the second strongest nation at war with Germany (with Britain being the biggest). During this time Canada and Britain were both desperately short of war materials. In addition, most of the British army's heavy equipment were left behind at Dunkirk, but most urgently, the threat of a German invasion was looming. Some Canadian forces were ready to resist a German invasion of Britain while others were serving at home, defending against a potential invasion of North America. Fortunately, the Battle of Britain ended in British victory and the Germans were not able to establish the air superiority required for an invasion. An invasion of North America did not occur either. Thus the British and Canadian forces acquired time to bolster their strength. On March 11th, the American President Roosevelt signed the Lend Lease Act, which allowed Allied nations to buy military equipment and pay after the war.
In June 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union, this meant that the Germans were not likely to launch any more serious attacks on Britain. Although the Canadians were loathe to admit it, the politically extreme Soviet Union was now an ally. Furthermore, America joined the war on December 8th. The entry of the Soviet Union and America basically altered the strategical aspects of the war.
On August 19th, 1942, the Dieppe Raid was launched. It was a disastrous failure. The objective was to cross the English Channel and attack the German - occupied town of Dieppe, laying waste to the German defenses and then evacuate before German reinforcements could arrive. However, the Germans were prepared and they crushed the landing. Most of the Canadians who participated in the battle were killed, wounded, or captured. However, the Dieppe Raid taught the Allies a valuable lesson. The raid's failure was due to insufficient air and naval support and the lack of secrecy. The experiences gained at Dieppe would facilitate the future invasion of Normandy. It could be said that the failure of Dieppe indirectly saved lives at the beaches of Normandy.
In May 1943 the Axis were driven out of Africa. Italy became the next target for the Allies. In July Canadian and other Allied forces landed on the Italian island of Sicily; the island was captured in about a month. Later in September the Allies invaded the Italian mainland. Canadian forces participated in the invasion. Their advance was stalled in winter. The Germans set up extensive defensive lines just south of Rome. The Canadians fought bitterly throughout the winter of 1943/1944. A notable battle was the Battle of Ortona in December 1943, where the Canadians captured the deep water port of Ortona. In May 1944 the Canadians broke through the German defensive line and the Germans withdrew. Rome was liberated in June of the same year. Many Canadian forces were withdrawn from Italy to Britain in preparation for the Normandy invasion. Throughout the Italian campaign, Canada suffered more than 20,000 casualties. The Italian Campaign effectively knocked Italy out of the war and tied down many German divisions, thus relieving pressure from the Eastern Front and facilitated the later invasion of northwestern France. In the meantime, the Soviets were pressuring the Western Allies to open up a new front in France.
On June 6th, 1944 (D - Day), the Canadians landed on Juno Beach in Normandy. Out of the 5 beaches assaulted at D - Day, Juno was the second most well defended. In spite of this, the Canadians overcame fierce resistance and made further progress than any of the other 4 beach landings. This was the largest Canadian military operation of the war. Canadians soon linked up with nearby American and British units in Normandy. Within a month the Allies have secured a strong foothold in northwestern France and a new front was opened. The Canadians helped the Allies close the Falaise Pocket in August. As a result, a significant portion of the German Seventh Army was trapped in there. It was subsequently destroyed by the First Canadian Army, the British Second Army, and the American First and Third Armies. After the Normandy Campaign in summer 1944 the Canadians headed north towards Belgium and the Netherlands. The Germans were driven out of Belgium by the Allies in autumn 1944, and in early 1945 the Canadians liberated the Netherlands. Canadian units did not see much major combat after that. Germany surrendered on May 8th, 1945. This is known as VE (Victory in Europe) day. |
Pacific Front:
The December 7th attack on Pearl Harbour prompted America to join the war. The United States responded by declaring war on Japan on December 8th. Canada and Britain declared war on Japan on the same day. Almost immediately Japan starts attacking the British colony of Hong Kong. The colony was defended by British and Canadian forces. However, the defenders were overwhelmed and Hong Kong surrendered on December 25th, 1941.
The Americans were largely responsible for the Pacific Front. The Canadians did participate in this front, but it acted as a supplementary force to the Americans. The Canadians did not conduct any major operations on their own.
It should be noted that thousands of Japanese - Canadians living in British Columbia were interned to camps around the Okanagen Valley. This was to prevent Japanese espionage. However, there was no concrete evidence of any Japanese - Canadians ever spying for Japan. After the war, many of those interned were deported to Japan or were forced to move out of British Columbia.
Battle of the Atlantic:
Throughout the war the Allies (including Canada) had been trying to keep the Atlantic trade routes open. The Atlantic trade route is critical to sustaining Britain in the war. However, the Germans were trying to cut off the Atlantic routes by using submarines (U-boats) to attack Allied trading ships. This is somewhat similar to the German submarine blockade of Britain during the First World War. But this time, German submarines operated from ports in occupied territory. Their usual targets were still trading ships. This is known as the Battle of the Atlantic. It was the longest campaign of the war.
Although the Canadian navy at the beginning of the war was very small (it only had 13 ships and about 3000 sailors), as time went on it grew in strength and became a major force in the Battle of the Atlantic. By the end of the war the Canadian navy had 370 warships and about 100,000 personnel. In fact, it was the world's third strongest naval power, after the American and British navies.
Before 1941 some German admirals advocated the use of surface ships (battleships, destroyers, cruisers, etc.) to challenge convoys, but submarines proved far more effective at sinking shipping than the surface ships. Thus many German surface ships remained in their ports until they were destroyed or until the war ended.
Initially the German submarines were extremely effective in sinking Allied ships. However, as the war went on the Allies developed a convoy system. The convoy system called for small warships to escort the merchant shipping and protect them in case of a submarine attack. Later the convoy system was perfected and Allied convoys were equipped with sonar and depth charges. Sonar helped detect enemy submarines and depth charges dropped from warships could destroy submarines that are not deeply submerged. Consequently the German submarine blockade was much less effective.
Noteworthy is that German submarines operated in Canadian waters off the coast of Newfoundland (although it was not nominally a part of Canada during the war) and in the St. Lawrence River. German operations in Canadian waters largely stopped by 1942.
The December 7th attack on Pearl Harbour prompted America to join the war. The United States responded by declaring war on Japan on December 8th. Canada and Britain declared war on Japan on the same day. Almost immediately Japan starts attacking the British colony of Hong Kong. The colony was defended by British and Canadian forces. However, the defenders were overwhelmed and Hong Kong surrendered on December 25th, 1941.
The Americans were largely responsible for the Pacific Front. The Canadians did participate in this front, but it acted as a supplementary force to the Americans. The Canadians did not conduct any major operations on their own.
It should be noted that thousands of Japanese - Canadians living in British Columbia were interned to camps around the Okanagen Valley. This was to prevent Japanese espionage. However, there was no concrete evidence of any Japanese - Canadians ever spying for Japan. After the war, many of those interned were deported to Japan or were forced to move out of British Columbia.
Battle of the Atlantic:
Throughout the war the Allies (including Canada) had been trying to keep the Atlantic trade routes open. The Atlantic trade route is critical to sustaining Britain in the war. However, the Germans were trying to cut off the Atlantic routes by using submarines (U-boats) to attack Allied trading ships. This is somewhat similar to the German submarine blockade of Britain during the First World War. But this time, German submarines operated from ports in occupied territory. Their usual targets were still trading ships. This is known as the Battle of the Atlantic. It was the longest campaign of the war.
Although the Canadian navy at the beginning of the war was very small (it only had 13 ships and about 3000 sailors), as time went on it grew in strength and became a major force in the Battle of the Atlantic. By the end of the war the Canadian navy had 370 warships and about 100,000 personnel. In fact, it was the world's third strongest naval power, after the American and British navies.
Before 1941 some German admirals advocated the use of surface ships (battleships, destroyers, cruisers, etc.) to challenge convoys, but submarines proved far more effective at sinking shipping than the surface ships. Thus many German surface ships remained in their ports until they were destroyed or until the war ended.
Initially the German submarines were extremely effective in sinking Allied ships. However, as the war went on the Allies developed a convoy system. The convoy system called for small warships to escort the merchant shipping and protect them in case of a submarine attack. Later the convoy system was perfected and Allied convoys were equipped with sonar and depth charges. Sonar helped detect enemy submarines and depth charges dropped from warships could destroy submarines that are not deeply submerged. Consequently the German submarine blockade was much less effective.
Noteworthy is that German submarines operated in Canadian waters off the coast of Newfoundland (although it was not nominally a part of Canada during the war) and in the St. Lawrence River. German operations in Canadian waters largely stopped by 1942.
End of the War:
Germany formally surrendered on May 8th, 1945. Japan surrendered on September 2nd of the same year. Canadian colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave signed the Japanese surrender on behalf of Canada.
Germany formally surrendered on May 8th, 1945. Japan surrendered on September 2nd of the same year. Canadian colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave signed the Japanese surrender on behalf of Canada.