Canada s Military Contributions WW2

Canada s Military Contributions WW2

The Dieppe Raid The Allies had been unwilling to help the Soviet Union by launching an attack in France. But August 1942, 6000 Canadian, US and British soldiers attacked the beaches at Dieppe on the French coast.

They were supposed to land during the night when they would be hidden but ended up landing in daylight and were fired on immediately. The raid was later explained as a practice run for Operation Overlord (D-Day).

The few that survived were driven back. Of the 5000 Canadians, 1400 died and 2000 were taken prisoner. More Canadian troops died in the few hours of Dieppe than any other day of the war.

The Italian Campaign In July 1943 the Allies decided to attack Italy to weaken the Axis forces. Canadians & British troops landed in Sicily Next they advanced northward through the boot of Italy. Ortona was the first place they met German resistance. It was a long battle & lasted until December. that

They crushed the powerful Adolf Hitler Line, and broke through to Rome. In 1944, the Canadians defeated the last line of defense and took Italy

OPERATION OVERLORD

The largest amphibian invasion in world history started on June 6, 1944 Allies planned to use naval and aerial bombardment, to knock out the German's tanks, gun batteries and air bases. The landing was set for a 80km stretch of Normandy Beach in France. The American forces assaulted the west end of the beach. The Canadians and the British troops were assigned the east. Canada s target was code named Juno Beach

The plan was not completely successful. German gun positions were able to pour artillery fire on to the beaches where the Allied forces landed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dskerypwudm

Canadians suffered 1074 casualties including 359 dead on D-day. But the invasion was a success. The Allies had a foothold in Europe and began the long campaign to push back the German armies.

The Netherlands After D-day, Canadians fought a year-long battle against Hitler s most fearsome fighters. Canadians drove the Germans out of Caen, France where over 1000 troops were killed. During the 1944-5 winter, they moved north to remove German resistance from the ports of Dieppe and Calais.

By March 1945, the Canadians pushed German troops out of the Netherlands and across the Rhine river back into Germany. In May 1945, the Allies claimed victory. The Canadian command accepted the surrender of Nazis from the Netherlands.

Defense of Hong Kong 1975 soldiers were sent there in 1941 to assist British and Indian troops Without support, they held out against the Japanese for 2 weeks 290 were killed, 500 were wounded, 260 more died in prison camps

The War at Sea The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) grew from 13 ships and 3000 sailors to 370 ships and 100 000 personnel during WW2. RCN corvettes and destroyers escorted merchant supply ship convoys across the North Atlantic, keeping supply lines open.

War in the Air The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) went from 4000 to 250 000 personnel. Canadian pilots flew all over the world, mostly for Britain in the RAF and mostly in bombers.

Canada s greatest contribution to the air war was probably the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which trained 131 000+ Allied flyers in 231 Canadian sites.

Bomber Command & Ferry Command Many Canadian pilots flew RCAF & RAF bombers in Europe throughout the war Close to 10,000 new airplanes were ferried from Canada to Britain Gander & Goose Bay were key stopovers on the way across the Atlantic Most pilots were Canadian and many were women

Camp X During the war a special spy school was set up just outside Oshawa in Ontario. Here many Allies were trained in the art of espionage and spying. Spies would be parachuted behind enemy lines for sabotage and other missions Character James Bond was based on the school s founder, William Stephenson, the Man called Intrepid

Recap: Canada s WW2 Contributions Dieppe Raid Sicilian & Italian Campaigns D-Day Invasion & Liberation of Holland Defence of Hong Kong Battle of the Atlantic Battle of the Air Camp X RCAF Bomber command & Ferry Command British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

Women at War Canadian Women on the Home Front: As men went to war, women were needed to take their places. The National Selective Service (NSS) was set up to recruit women into wartime work

Daycare and tax breaks were provided Women worked sideby-side with men on farms By 1944, 1 million women were in the workforce

Women at War Canadian women had played a valuable role as nurses & teachers in the South African War & a much broader role in WWI. In WW2, their role expanded even further. At the beginning of the war many women volunteered for military service but authorities were slow to accept them.

Women in the Military: Canadian Women s Army Corps; CWAC Women s Royal Cdn Naval Services; WRENS Cdn Women Aux. Air Force; CWAAF

By 1941-42 women s branches of the army, air force & navy were created for the first time in Canadian history. Women served overseas in a variety of military roles, such as cooks, nurses, mechanics, welders & radio operators. Some were assigned to coastal defense & some flew planes across the Atlantic in Ferry Command. flew

Women at War But: Women were paid less than men for the same work And after the war The limited supports women had been given (daycare & tax breaks) were removed Women s branches of the military were disbanded Women weren t allowed to enlist in the forces again until the Korean war in 1951 Women were expected to give their jobs back to returning soldiers

Black and Aboriginal Canadians Black & Aboriginal soldiers served in all the major campaigns of the war. When the war broke out, there was some prejudice against black Canadians in recruiting practices.

As the war progressed, however, black Canadians were accepted into all branches of the armed forces. They served both in the ranks & as officers. The atmosphere was positive enough that black Americans volunteered to fight in the Canadian rather than in the American Armed Forces. Aboriginals were not considered citizens of Canada and many volunteers needed permission from the Department of Indian Affairs to enlist.

The War at Home War Effort Production Government spending on the war effort reached 40% of the GNP by 1944, compared to 15% in WWI. 28 Crown corporations made war materials The government used such measures as rationing, compulsory labour arbitration (to avoid strikes & lockouts), taxation and war bond sales to finance spending. Britain and the U.S. were Canada s main customers of war material.

Wartime Production In 1942, the automotive industry also converted to the war effort. The production of luxury cars & family sedans was replaced by the production of gun carriers & armored cars.

Wartime Production Canada was faced with the challenge of creating a strong industrial base to produce weapons for the war effort. Canada significantly helped the Allied victory in the war.

Wartime Production Canadian war factories were safe from bombing. Canada became an arsenal, and was Britain s chief overseas supplier of war material. Mutual Aid The US passed the Lend- Lease Act in 1941 giving Canada a $4 billion credit towards war materials. A further credit of a billion dollars was given to Britain.

Wartime Production $11 billion of munitions 1.7 million small arms 43,000 heavy guns 16,000 aircraft 2 million tonnes of explosives 815,000 military vehicles, 50,000 tanks and armoured gun carriers 9,000 boats and ships Uranium for the Manhattan Project which created the first atomic bomb

Victory Bonds Buying Victory Bonds (War Bonds) were essential to the war effort on the home front They were a popular way to pay for the war in all the countries involved

Rationing: Government controlled food & products distribution What do you think was rationed? Sugar Coffee Tea Other imported items

Items in short supply: Gasoline Rubber metals

Recycling People were encouraged not to throw away materials such as metal, rubber, clothes, and food waste They would be recycled and used in the war effort

Social & Political Issues Many people went overseas to fight, but those who stayed at home played an equally important part in this total war effort. Laws such as The War Measures Act gave the government enormous powers over the people of Canada. This power was used in questionable ways

Propaganda The National Film Board (NFB) turned out hundreds of documentaries and short films which were shown all over Canada Posters and radio messages were everywhere as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gnb7cw-xs

Conscription Crisis In 1939, Mackenzie King made an election promise that he would not introduce conscription for overseas service. The following year, King s government passed the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA), which included conscription for home defense only.

Conscription Crisis Young men were called up for 30 days of training. In April 1941, it was extended for the duration of the war.

Conscription Crisis In 1942, in the face of growing casualties overseas, the need for reinforcements grew. King held a plebiscite, (a vote), asking Canadians to release him from his promise of not conscripting for service overseas.

Many Quebeckers saw this request as a betrayal

Conscription Crisis The majority of Canadians (64%) generally supported the idea of compulsory overseas military service. However, 79% of English Canadians voted yes, while 85% of French Canadians voted no.

Conscription Crisis Yet again, the issue of conscription had seriously divided Canada along cultural and linguistic lines In the end, about 13,000 conscripts were sent overseas but only 2,400 reached the front lines before the war ended A very similar situation to that of WWI

The War Measures Act The King government revived the War Measures Act of 1914, which gave it enormous powers over the people & industries of Canada. There were 28 Crown corporations producing munitions, airplanes, uniforms, synthetic rubber & various other essential war products.

Powers of the War Measures Act The government had the power to assign workers to jobs in these industries as the need arose. Certain products were rationed Strikes & lockouts were replaced with compulsory arbitration Censorship and the control and suppression of publications, writings, maps, plans, photographs, communications and means of communication

Arrest, detention, exclusion and deportation Control of the harbours, ports and territorial waters of Canada & the movements of vessels Transportation by land, air, or water and the control of the transport of persons and things Trading, exportation, importation, production and manufacture Forfeiture and disposition of property and of the use thereof.

Japanese-Canadians After Japan attacked the US in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941, Canadians feared an attack on Canada s West Coast, either by naval shelling or an actual invasion. Anti-Japanese feeling grew quickly

Japanese-Canadians Some people feared that Japanese-Canadians would help the invaders, although there was no evidence to cast doubt upon the loyalty of Japanese-Canadians The fear of espionage (spying) within the country led to the arrest, with no legal basis, of 38 Japanese-Canadians

Japanese Internment In February 1942, the government announced that people of Japanese ancestry living near to the coast of British Columbia would be moved inland. Approximately 16,000 of the 21,000 evacuated Japanese-Canadians were Canadian

Japanese Internment Japanese-Canadian businesses & homes were seized with little or no restitution & people were sent to internment camps. Japanese-Canadians continued to be denied the right to vote until 1949

Other Minority Groups Until 1942 the government ignored employers restrictions on hiring Blacks. After protests from Black university students & a campaign by the press & the Canadian Jewish Congress, this practiced ended. Prejudice was also evident with regard to refugees.

Other Minority Groups Canada made it difficult for Jewish refugees to enter Canada before the war. As news of concentration & death camps began to reach Canada, there was no change in government policy or in the attitudes of the immigrant branch. Many of the immigrants who managed to immigrate to Canada were placed in internment camps

End of the War The war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945, which became known as V-E Day. The war in the Pacific ended on August 14, 1945, called V-J Day. It only ended when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtzi0giiwgk

Grim Statistics The losses Canada had in the war increased patriotism and set the stage for Canada s role in the world after the war. 55 million worldwide died in battles, concentration camps and at home. The Human Cost of War for Canada Enlistment 1,090,782 Fatalities 42,042

Canada After the War Europe was no longer the centre of the world 2 Superpowers had emerged: USA & USSR Tensions between them would soon cause the Cold War Canada found itself with the world s: 3 rd largest navy 4 th largest air force, large army and Considerable influence in world affairs Canada began to see itself as a middle power and would contribute significantly to the creation of the United Nations