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Canada Enters the War and the Battle of the Atlantic Starts
On September 10th, 1939, a week after Britain, Canada declared war on Germany. The same day Canada's navy, merchant marine, and air force were sent to join the battle with the primary role of being an escort to the hundreds of convoys that gathered in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia waiting to journey across the Atlantic -
Production of War Material
Canada’s navy was small, only having six destroyers and about 3,500 personnel. To make up for its smaller size, Canada started producing a mass amount of war material, mainly smaller warships known as corvettes. They were quick and inexpensive to build, about half the size of a destroyer and armed with only a single gun. The convoys also received aerial protection from the Royal Air Force Coastal Command which includes the Royal Canadian Air Force -
Canadian Troops are Stationed at Hong Kong
Despite struggling against the Germans, Britain decided to send reinforcements to Hong Kong in an attempt to deter any attacks from the Japanese. The Prime Minister agreed, and sent two battalions to Hong Kong. Despite the two battalions being filled with inexperienced soldiers, they believed they would only be doing garrison duty and that even if anything did happen their white troops would be superior over the Japanese Soldiers -
Hong Kong is Attacked by the Japanese Army
Three weeks after the Canadian troops arrived in Hong Kong, Japan attacked the United States' naval fleet at Pearl Harbor. Just a mere six hours after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, Japanese 38th Division attacked Hong Kong -
Hong Kong Falls to the Japanese Attacks
After 17 days, the remaining Canadian troops are forced to surrender to the Japanese. Of they 1,975 Canadian troops dispatched, 290 were killed with the survivors being taken prisoner, with another 260 of them dying as prisoners of war. -
The First Canadian Army was Formed