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Canada In WWII
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Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was one of the longest of the war, ending with the end of the war. German U-Boats fought to sink ships carrying supplies and soldiers to the battlefront. The RCN tried to find the German ships and sink them before they sank other ships. Some consider this the most important battle of the war, making it significant, as without this battle no supplies or soldiers would have reached where they needed to go. -
Canada Declares War
Canada declared war on Germany 7 days after they invaded Poland. Canada did this to prove their loyalty to Britain. This is significant because Canada gets involved in the war, and because of the war, are finally out of the depression. -
Battle of Britain
Germans were targeting industries, air babes, and the RAF, in London. They eventually lost this battle because the Biritsh carried on living and doing day to day activities. Canada contributed 80 pilots that fought in battle, making over 100 kills, which is significant because it shows that Canada is prepared to fight and die for Britain, but also that they are independant and can handle their own weight. -
Women Allowed to the Formation of CWAC
In 1941, the Armed Forces really needed more soldiers, and women in Canada were finally allowed to sign up. Although technically they were not allowed in battle, they often found themselves in the middle of it anyways. This is significant because it is a big step for women, and the first time they are allowed to join the Armed Forces. -
Government Imposed Rationiong
All Canadians recieved a ration book, filled with coupons. Every time they bought something that was being rationed, such as sugar, butter, or gasoline, they had to hand over coupons. If they did not have coupons, they could not buy the item. This is significant because it shows how commited Canada is to giving everything that they can to the war effort. -
Dieppe Attack
Intending to take over the town, and test the German defences, 5000 Canadian soldiers attacked Dieppe. They lost, because the element of surprise was lost, as some Germans had spotted their ships in the night, and of course because they attacked a fortified beach in the middle of the day. This is significant because Dieppe helped to plan better for D-Day. -
Conscription Plebiscite
Conscription means to force men to go to war. Prime Minister King held a vote, so the people could decide if he should enforce conscription. English Canadians voted very positively, but French Cnandians voted very negatively. This is significant because towards the end of the war, P.M. King had to enforce conscription, but because the people voted, it didnt tear the country apart, like it did in WW1. -
D-Day
Out of nearly 150,000 Allied troops assigned to D-Day, 14,000 were Canadian. The obvious place to fight this battle would be Pas de Calais, so instead they decided to attack Normandy beach instead, to trick the Germans. Canada had its own beach to take over, called Juno. This is significant because it was the beginning of the end of the war, and all of the Alllies (Britain, Canada, and the USA) were working together.
