Horton High School's Canadian
History 12 Web Page and Student
Resource
Canada and the Second
World War ~ A Summary
after W.W. One. Canada joined the League
of Nations, forerunner of NATO, to assure peace and establish a healthy
postwar system. This, of course, failed, as Hitler was allowed to rise
to power, with the League of Nations sitting by, allowing the events to
unfold. The League was a proponent of Appeasement, which led to the rise
of the Totalitarian states in Europe.
Canada's P.M., MacKenzie King, felt confident
that Hitler was a man to be trusted.
in the events leading up to the start of
the Second World War, Canada played a relatively minor role. During the
Ethiopian Crisis of 1935, Canada suggested an oil embargo on Italy, however
the Catholics in Quebec were angered, thus King took this proposal "off
the table".
on September 10th, 1939, Canada declared
war on Germany and the Axis Powers, a week after the British, in order
to show Canadian autonomy.
Canadians generally supported the war,
save for the C.C.F. and the Union Nationale, as well as certain Western
religious groups.
Economically, the war brought Canada out
of the Depression. Canada once again played a huge role in supplying the
Allied war effort, especially with the Convoy System and soon after Operation
Sea Lion, the German assault on Britain.
Much of the Canadian war economy was driven
by King's Minister of Munitions, C.D. Howe.
Armed Forces: at the beginning of
the war, the Canadian armed forces were small, with 4,000 Regulars, 60,000
Militia, 1,800 RCN and 4,500 RCAF. When war was declared, volunteers flooded
the offices, as was the case in WWI, such that over 60,000 volunteered
in August 1939 alone.
with "Sea Lion", many Canadian flyers and
bombers, using Lancasters, worked admirably against the Germans. The Navy
grew to over 30,000 by 1942, with the Convoy System being of prime importance.
By the end of 1941, there were over 100,000 men in the RCAF.
Canadians fought all over the globe: in
North Africa; Italy/Sicily; France and the Continent; Burma and Hong Kong.
1941 - Garrison at Hong Kong was guarded
by Canadian soldiers from Winnipeg. Lost 500-2000 men, and most were imprisoned
throughout the War in Japanese P.O.W. camps.
1942 - Dieppe Raid - Canadian soldiers
sent as "test troops" as a dry run for D-Day. Of the 6,000 who invaded,
about 900 were killed, 500 wounded and 2,000 were taken prisoner. Plan
was poorly devised and the Germans were well entrenched.
1943 - Canadians fought hard in Africa
and part of the Allied invasion of Sicily. Ortona earned the Vandoos international
acclaim. Took Casino in 1944, and swept up Italy with the Americans well
into 1945.
D-Day - June 6, 1944. Canadians apart of
the largest land invasion in the history of the globe - 4,000 landing craft,
11,000 aircraft and 800 warships. Canadians fought around Caen and were
praised by the British Commander in Chief, Montgomery. Canadians took part
in the liberation of Holland and the Low Countries, and are praised and
admired by the Dutch to this day.
At the end of the war, the Canadians signed
the peace treaty and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO].
