Canada and
WW2
Scott Masters
Crestwood College
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The Canadian Parliament
declared war on Sept. 10,
1939, and by the end of the
first month 70 000 Cdns.
had signed up. (One million
would serve by the end of
the war)
in 1940 the Blitzkrieg struck
Denmark and Norway and
by May both had fallen to
the Nazis. The Germans
then conquered the
Netherlands and Belgium
and pushed into France.
Retreating British soldiers
were trapped in the French
coastal town of Dunkirk.
Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe
(German air force) to bomb
the Br. forces, while
ordering the Wermacht
(Ger. army) to pull back;
this would prove to be one
of Hitler's costly errors.
Miracle of Dunkirk
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Fortunately a dense fog pinned
the Luftwaffe to the ground
giving the British troops a
chance to escape Dunkirk.
A call went out to all British
vessels to cross the English
Channel and rescue the men.
900 boats - ferries, fishing
boats, pleasure boats- joined
the British destroyers.
It was believed that only
10 000 men could be rescued,
but by the end 340 000
soldiers were rescued from
certain destruction.
Many historians believe that
"the Miracle of Dunkirk"
prevented Hitler from winning
in 1940.
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Meanwhile, the French
army had fallen. On
June 14, 1940 the
Nazis marched into an
undefended Paris and 3
days later France
surrendered.
Hitler had conquered
most of w. Europe. Only
the Soviet Union
remained to the East
and the British Isles to
the West.
The German plan to invade Britain was code named
Operation Sea Lion
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they were going to land
25 divisions along the
south coast of England
and make a quick
thrust forward to take
London.
tank divisions and
infantry troops could
only reach Br by ship
Germany would have to
control the ocean; they
could do that only by
controlling the air. (Br.
defences were limited,
apart from the Royal
Navy)
The Battle of Britain
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July 1940: Hitler unleashed a
savage air attack on British
ships in the English Channel.
By mid Aug., 2000 German
aircraft were in the skies over
Britain.
The British RAF was small in
comparison to the German
Luftwaffe (LW). At first the LW
was very successful, knocking
out air fields and supply
factories.
Then the LW tried to break the
will of Britain by targeting
cities/civilians (“Blitz”)
(The Germans feared that
winter might delay the
planned invasion.)
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In response, PM Churchill
ordered bombing raids on
Berlin. Hitler was
outraged with what he
called "terror bombings”
German air attacks
peaked on Sept 15, 1940
when 1000 LW bombers
and 700 fighters flew
over London in a daylight
raid.
RAF Spitfires and
Hurricanes climbed high
to meet them, and
spectacular air battles
took place.
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The LW losses were great
and Germany realized
that their tactics were
not working. Operation
Sea Lion was abandoned
(another of Hitler's
errors). By 1941, Hitler
had redeployed the LW to
the Balkans and later the
Russian front. For Br. the
worst was over.
The Reasons for the Br.
victory:
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radar
insular geography
ability to hold out
RAF ("Never have so many
owed so much to so few.")
Germany's Invasion of the Soviet Union
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On June 22,1941
Hitler attacked the
Soviet Union. This
was Operation
Barbarossa. The
Soviet Union found
itself in the allied
camp.
What would have
motivated
Hitler/Ger. to attack
the USSR?
At first, the Soviets
were unable to stop
the German
blitzkrieg and
suffered over 1
million casualties.
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But the Soviet army just kept
retreating into the massive land
area
By late fall, the Ger. soldiers
were headed for Moscow. They
did not get there before winter,
and suffered great hardships –
temps. as low as -50 c, no warm
clothing, no anti-freeze, no oils
suitable for winter operation of
their tanks....
Siberian troops were brought in
to defend Moscow. Hitler's
gamble failed and a quick,
decisive victory did not occur. It
would be a long, hard fought
war.
The War in the Pacific
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Relations b/n Japan and
Western nations had
reached a breaking point.
Japan was hard hit by US
tariffs and had begun to
build its empire in the
Pacific (the Greater East
Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere), having invaded
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Korea and China
The U.S. had stationed a
naval fleet in Hawaii in
case of war in the Pacific
Britain wanted to help.
but could not spare the
troops. Canada helped by
sending soldiers to Hong
Kong.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
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U.S. and Japan were trying to
sign a peace treaty. Secretly,
Japan was planning an attack
because they wanted the
West's colonies
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
planned a surprise attack
using fighter planes launched
from Japanese aircraft
carriers.
Dec. 7, 1941 – the attack
began… Japan had not
declared war (it was late)
and the U.S. was caught off
guard.
After 2 hrs. the U.S. fleet was
destroyed and 1000s were
killed…
The U.S. immediately
declared war. (Dec. 8,
1941- "A day that will live
in infamy")
 The US was the richest
nation in the world and
could invest enormous
amounts of $ and pop. to
the war effort. (The US
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became the "Arsenal of
Democracy") – Japan had
awoken the “sleeping
giant”
The Canadians at Hong Kong
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A few hrs. after Pearl Harbor,
Japan invaded Hong Kong
Every Canadian soldier there
was killed or taken prisoner.
The battle was considered a
"death trap”:
1. More than 50 000 Japanese
soldiers were stationed 50 km from
Hong Kong
2. The Japanese were wellequipped and experienced
3. Plans for the Japanese attack
had been drafted 1 yr. earlier-code
name was Hana-Saku —"flowers in
bloom”
4. Canadian troops were
insufficiently trained - 30% of
them had not even fired a gun
5. Can & Br. troops did not total
more than 14 000, including nurses
and civilian volunteers.
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On Dec. 8, 1941, Japan
launched its attack on
Hong Kong. Their air
force destroyed docks,
military barracks,
airplanes etc.
Dec. 19, 1941- Japanese
soldiers attacked.
Canadians were
outnumbered 10 to 1.
By Christmas 1941, Hong
Kong surrendered after
only 17 days. 286
Canadians died and
another 266 would die in
Prisoner of War (P.O.W.)
camps.
Prisoners in Japan
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Canadian prisoners were
brutalized and starved. They
stayed in crowded barracks
and were used as slave
labour, building landing
strips and shipyards, etc.
Served a single serving of
plain rice 3 times a day.
Many fell ill from
exhaustion, malnutrition,
pneumonia, or cholera.
Red Cross medicine was
sent to the camps but was
stolen and sold on the black
market.
Death rates in Japanese
P.O.W. camps were 6 times
higher than in German
camps.
The Battle of Dieppe
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Aug. 1942, 5000
Canadian soldiers
were picked up from
England for a raid on
the French port of
Dieppe. They had
trained for 3 years.
The Canadians, with
1000 Br. and some
Americans, were to
attack Dieppe.
The raid was intended
to pull German forces
away from the
Russian front and to
test Ger. defences.
German forces were
planted on the cliffs
above the Dieppe
beaches; they started
shooting as the
Canadians charged
down the landing
ramps.
 The few who made it
to the beach were
killed there; only a few
made it to the town.
 Out of 5000, almost
1000 died, more than
500 were wounded,
2000 were captured
and became POWs
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Allied Successes and the Shifting
Tides of War
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American armies were
successful against the Axis
powers in North Africa,
where Italy and Germany
had invaded Egypt.
The Soviets were holding off
the Germans - after 6
months at Stalingrad, the
Soviets were able to encircle
German forces and cut off
their supply lines, reducing
them to starvation.
In North Africa the British
were winning battles. The
Allies landed in Algeria
and Morocco and began
moving east across North
Africa.
The Canadians in Sicily and Italy
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In the summer of 1943, after 3
yrs. of training, Canadians were
sent to Sicily
They were to join Br. troops
under General Montgomery. The
plan was to trap the Italian and
Ger. soldiers before they could
escape to the mainland. The
next step would be to attack
Italy, the weakest of the Axis
powers.
The Canadians (along with Br.
and U.S. forces) landed on the
Italian mainland in late 1943.
Italy surrendered by the end of
Sept. (Mussolini was deposed),
but the Germans had taken over
the country.
The Allies moved towards Rome,
but it would be a difficult
campaign
The Canadians at Ortona
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The route to Rome was
blocked by the Germans at
Ortona and Cdn forces
were ordered to capture
the town.
The Germans had blown up
all the bridges in the area
and the steep countryside
gave them an advantage.
On Dec. 27th the
Canadians captured Ortona
Can. casualties were high –
many had to be evacuated
because of sickness and
battle fatigue.
By June 1944. the Allies
captured Rome.
Canadians continued
fighting until 1945 in Italy,
and then were re-united in
northwestern Europe as
the 1st Canadian army.
D-Day/The Normandy Invasion
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The “lessons of Dieppe” (?)
were taken into account in 1944
- better planning &
communications and a unified
command were in place
Supreme Allied
Commander =
The invasion was preceded by:
effective training – attention to
detail
- Meteorology/Geology
– Espionage/Disinformation (La
Resistance)
– Massive naval/aerial prelim.
bombardment
– Tech. improvements
("Funnies")...
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all were taken into acc't in
this ambitious plan that
sought to open a 2nd front
against Ger. in W. Europe
and therefore bring WW II
to an end.
The plan was to invade
Normandy w/ an invasion
force of 150 000 men, inc.
30 000 Cdns.
The Americans attacked on
the w. (Utah and Omaha
beaches), w/ the Br. and
Cdns. taking the e. (Gold,
Sword, and Juno beaches.
7000 ships played a role
here too, and all the allied
air forces participated in
this largest invasion in
world history.
After all the planning,
the invasion (Op.
Overlord) - surprise
intact - took place on
June 6, 1944.
 There were still sig.
probs. - American
forces at Omaha beach
were hard hit, and Cdn.
forces were delayed
b/c of high seas and
reefs.
 But beach heads were
established that first
week
 by August, Paris would
be liberated.
 Ger. was on the run on
3 fronts now - in
France, Italy, and E.
Europe...
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At this point, the Allies
began to plan for the
end of the war,
scheduling the Yalta
Conference for Feb.
1945
 FDR, Churchill, and
Stalin planned for
postwar Europe,
deciding that Ger.
would be demilitarized
and de-nazified,
as well as divided
into 4 occupation
zones.
 The groundwork
for the United
Nations was
also set out here.
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The final events of the war:
Winter 1944-1945 - The Battle of
the Bulge – it was Hitler's last
counteroffensive, intended to stop
the W. Allies from crossing the
Rhine River into Ger.
it delayed them until March, but
the result was inevitable by this
time...
Soviet forces were in Berlin by
April, and on April 30, Hitler
committed suicide in his bunker.
Command of the 3rd Reich passed
to Adm. Doenitz, who surrendered
on May 8,1945
(V-E Day)
Cdn. troops during this period
were charged w/ the job of
liberating the Netherlands, under
the command of Gen. Harry Crerar.
(Battle of the Scheldt, Antwerp)
The Atomic Bomb and Victory in the Pacific
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kamikaze
Manhattan Project
 August 6,1945
 Enola Gay
 "Little Boy”
 VJ Day
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Chapter 16: War on the Home Front
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in May 1939 King George
and Queen Elizabeth
landed at Quebec for a tour
of Canada and to gain
support for the war effort.
about 1/2 of Cdns. were of
Br. ancestry, so support for
the war was nearly
unanimous
but opposition did exist:
Quebec,
pacifists/conscientious
objectors (Mennonites,
Hutterites, Doukhobors),
while many other Cdns.
wanted "friendly
neutrality"
The BCATP and the East Coast
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King hoped that Canada's
major contribution to the war
would be the British
Commonwealth Air Training
Plan (BCATP)
Air crews were brought over
to Canada from all over the
Commonwealth for training as
pilots, navigators, air
gunners, bombardiers,
wireless operators.
Canada provided air fields, air
craft, basic services and
Britain provided the
instructors. 130 000
graduates: 50 000 were
pilots, & 73 000 grads were
Canadian.
Halifax
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Became the center became a
port for ships escaping war
from Europe-refugees,
evacuated British children.
for Canadian naval
operations. Convoys of ships
formed in Halifax harbour
loaded with troops, guns,
tanks, shells, foodstuffs and
headed across the Atlantic.
Convoys: Groups of
merchant ships that are
protected from enemy attack
by naval escort ships or air
force planes.
Germans did everything to
stop supply lines. Convoy
ships were mined or
torpedoed within hearing
distance of Halifax
Battle of the Atlantic
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Submarine teams of Uboats called "wolf packs"
attacked merchant ships
broke through convoys
and attacked merchant
ships.
By the end of the war175 allied ships, 500
merchant ships, and
50 000 men had gone to
the bottom of the
Atlantic.
new tech. was
developed: corvettes,
depth charges, sonar
In Halifax, "Plotters"
tracked ship movements
and U-boats. Many of
them were the women
of the Women's Royal
Canadian Naval Service
(WRCNS)
The Battle of the St. Lawrence
U-boats began attacking
ships in the St. Lawrence
river. On Aug. 27, 1942
the American ship
Chatham was sunk
 Oct. 13,1942 the
passenger ferry, the SS
Caribou going from Nfld.
to Nova Scotia was sunk
by a single torpedo =173
dead civilians
 From the summer to the
fall of 1942, German Uboats sank 21 ships in
the St. Lawrence.
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Newfoundland's Role in the War
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Was still independent in 1939
Cooperation was needed between Nfld and
Canada
Did not have the $ or the people to keep the
Germans out
Canadian troops were stationed there and
the RCAF flew out of Gander and Labrador
Nfld troops joined Canadian forces
People here began to believe that joining
Canada would be good-they were bankrupt
and needed financial aid.
Canada's Wartime Economy
Total War: a war fought w/ no limits put on
the resources used to achieve victory
 With the attacks on the East Coast, and once
Germany had occupied most of Europe and
the Japanese were taking over the Far East;
"total war" was decided upon in Canada.
 By 1941 industries were working overtime to
produce war materials; unemployment
vanished.
 The Government created the National
Selective Service (NSS) to place workers in
industries where they were needed. If
workers took jobs without NSS approval they
could be fined $ 500 and jailed for a year.
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Bumper crops were experienced
in the Prairies. Britain needed
food desperately, so Canada
started to produce new products
- pork, beef, dairy products, oil
seeds, lumber from B.C., mineral
ores from mines in the Canadian
Shield, fish from the
Maritimes…all shipped overseas
Manufacturing changed as well Toronto had munitions plants
and ship building; Montreal had
aircraft factories.
Canadians started to produce
diesel engines, synthetic rubber,
roller bearings, electronic
equipment, high octane
gasoline.
By the end of the war, Canada
had given Britain $ 3.5 billion in
aid.
Managing the Wartime Economy: The
Problem of Inflation
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Canada's gov't adopted a more active role in the
economy and day-to-day functioning of society. The
changes in the role of gov't became a permanent
feature of post-war society.
A real worry with all the prosperity was rising inflation,
similar to that during WWI
 Consumer goods were scarce (due to rationing) and
prices would go up.
 King wanted to avoid this. He placed James llsley in
charge of Canada's financial affairs.
 James llsley used 3 methods to keep prices down:
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1. tax increases-people had less $ to spend
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2. sale of Victory Bonds—took money out of the economy
3. forced savings-increased savings interest rates to lure people
to save rather than spend.
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Canada in 1938
collected $42
million in taxes, by
1945 they took in
$ 815 million
 Propaganda was
intensified.
 Posters were
made up with
celebrities (like the
Dionne
Quintuplets)
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Wage and Price Controls and Rationing
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Despite llsley's
programs, prices
continued to rise
Nov. 1941: the
Wartime Prices and
Trade Board (WPTB)
froze all prices and
wages to prevent
inflation. People had
to get permission from
the WPTB to buy
electric stoves,
typewriters, or rubber
tires
food rationing was
introduced in 1942
Government Controls on the
Economy
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Mackenzie King put together a group of cabinet
ministers in charge of the wartime economy.
C.D. Howe (minister of munitions and supplies)
was in charge of the war production effort.
He turned to business people to help him and
asked them to take a "holiday" from work to
become civil servants. They became known as
"dollar-a-year men" for their token salary.
C.D. Howe and the Department of Munitions and
Supplies had been given powers over private
enterprise. They could tell companies what to
produce, where to sell products, and when to
deliver them.
If companies did not agree, the dept. could take
over the plant.
New crown corporations were created by
Howe when existing companies could not
supply a particular demand.
 These measures limited the scandal and
profiteering experienced during WW1
 Canada had to earn American dollars in
order to keep helping Britain in the war
effort.
 The U.S. agreed to purchase Canadian
goods under the Hyde-Park Declaration-$
1billion worth was sold to the U.S.
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