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Battle of the Atlantic 1939 - 1945
The Battle of the Atlantic spanned the entire length of the war in Europe - commencing in Sept 1939 and ending in May 1945. This battle was all about protecting and destroying convoys that were supplying Britain. Canada's war ships and merchant navy played a very important role. The significance of this battle was that it kept supply roots open to Britain. -
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World War II timeline
World War II commenced with the invasion of Poland by the Germans on Sept 1, 1939 and ended with the surrender of Japan on Audust 15, 1945 (the Germans surrendered on May 8, 1945). -
Battle of Dunkirk
The start of the war British, French, and Canadian troups were trapped by the germans in the area around Dunkirk France. They were expected to loose alot of men because they were cut off and had no where to escape. The germans halted their advance which allowed to British navy to evacuate over 300,000 troups. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain took place from July 10 - Oct 31, 1940. It was the first battle in world history to be fought wholly in the air.The Germans used their fighter aircrafts to attack british ports and cities including London. This was significant because if the germans had won the battle, they would have been able to invade Biritain. -
Battle of Hong Kong
The Battle of Hong Kong started on Dec 8, 1941 and ended with the surrender to the Japanese on Christmas Day - Dec 25, 1941. The Japanese attacked Hong Kong because it was a major British colony in Asia. The Canada War Museum website states that Canada sent two battalions at the request of the British to help defend the colony from attack. Three weeks after they arrived the Japanese attacked. The Canadian and Allied troops were outnumbered and suffered many losses. -
Dieppe Raid
5000 Canadian troops along with 1000 British troops tried to land on the beach in Dieppe, a French port on the English Channel. The Germans were well prepared and after 9 hours of fighting, the attacking force withdrew with over 1000 dead and 2000 taken prisoners by the Germans. This battle which was a practice run for D-Day was a failure for Canada and the Allies. -
The Italian Campaign
The Italian Campaign commenced in July 1943 and continued through to the end of the war in 1945. The Italians were on the side of the Germans and the Allies invaded Italy in order to force them out of the war. Canadian soldiers were involved in terrible fighting around Ortona, Italy. Canadians played an important role in breaking of the Gothic line north of Florence in August 1944. -
D-Day
D-Day and the opening of the `second front`on the beaches of Nromandy was a major turning point in the war. Canada played a significant role in the D-Day landings being responsible for taking one of five beaches (Juno Beach). This was a fiece battle with many casualties but the Allies were successful in pushing the Germans back and advancing inland. -
Liberation of the Netherlands
From late 1944 and through the winter and spring of 1945 Canadian troops fought to liberate the Dutch people from German occupation. On May 5, 1945 the German commander surrendered to Canadian Lt-Gen Charles Foulkes. This was significant for Canada because the allied troups responsible for freeing the dutch people.
