MILITARY ACTIONS
The Battle of The Atlantic (1939 - 1945)
The Battle of the Atlantic was the struggle between the Allied and Axis powers for control of the sea routes between the Americas and Europe and Africa. The war at sea was a critical aspect of the Second World War. With much of Europe occupied by the Germans, most of the equipment, fuel and food desperately needed for the Allied war effort had to come from North America. This meant it had to be shipped across the Atlantic Ocean.
Germany understood the importance of these supply lines and did its best to cut this flow of materials. The Allies looked for ways to protect their merchant ships while the Germans looked for better ways to sink them. This "Battle of the Atlantic" was the longest battle of the Second World War, lasting from the first day of the war in September 1939 until the last day of the war in Europe in May 1945. It was a dangerous battleground and one of the most dangerous areas was the Arctic supply route to the Soviet Union.
It was the longest campaign of the World War II, an extremely bloody one, bravely fought by the men and women of the Canadian Merchant Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. More than 4,600 Canadians lost their lives at sea.
The Battle of the Atlantic was the struggle between the Allied and Axis powers for control of the sea routes between the Americas and Europe and Africa. The war at sea was a critical aspect of the Second World War. With much of Europe occupied by the Germans, most of the equipment, fuel and food desperately needed for the Allied war effort had to come from North America. This meant it had to be shipped across the Atlantic Ocean.
Germany understood the importance of these supply lines and did its best to cut this flow of materials. The Allies looked for ways to protect their merchant ships while the Germans looked for better ways to sink them. This "Battle of the Atlantic" was the longest battle of the Second World War, lasting from the first day of the war in September 1939 until the last day of the war in Europe in May 1945. It was a dangerous battleground and one of the most dangerous areas was the Arctic supply route to the Soviet Union.
It was the longest campaign of the World War II, an extremely bloody one, bravely fought by the men and women of the Canadian Merchant Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. More than 4,600 Canadians lost their lives at sea.
The Battle of Britain (10 July – 31 October 1940)
The Battle of Britain began on July 10, 1940. This was a precursor to Operation Sea Lion, Hitler's plan to capture England. But in order for him to land troops on British soil, he first had to control the air. This was the task of the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe's attack force consisted, at the beginning, of around 2000 aircraft including a large proportion of Messerschmitt fighters, while the RAF only had about half that number of planes in Hurricanes and Spitfires. Outnumbering the British almost 2 to 1 the German Luftwaffe planned to attack RAF bases, then seaports and finally commence their ground assault. With nowhere else to turn, the British turned to Canada for support. Canada began to produce Hurricane fighters and train pilots to defend Britain.
The Canadian fighter group 242 began to take a powerful role in the battle of Britain. This group shot down huge numbers of Messerschmitts while the British fighters were regrouping. Their only major loss was when a group of Messerschmitt 109s flew out of the sun in an ambush and shot down nine of them. The battle of Britain took an important turn when a stray German bomber came under attack from flak guns, dropped her bombs to reduce weight but didn't realize that he was flying over London, a target made off limits by Hitler. In revenge, the Allies began to bomb German cities. With Hitler's subsequent order to bomb British cities, the pressure on British airbases and radar stations was relieved. This gave the RAF time to regroup and it began to achieve victories. German air losses eventually became so great that Hitler, with his attention now more focused on the forthcoming invasion of Russia, was forced to give up his campaign and Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely.
The Battle of Britain began on July 10, 1940. This was a precursor to Operation Sea Lion, Hitler's plan to capture England. But in order for him to land troops on British soil, he first had to control the air. This was the task of the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe's attack force consisted, at the beginning, of around 2000 aircraft including a large proportion of Messerschmitt fighters, while the RAF only had about half that number of planes in Hurricanes and Spitfires. Outnumbering the British almost 2 to 1 the German Luftwaffe planned to attack RAF bases, then seaports and finally commence their ground assault. With nowhere else to turn, the British turned to Canada for support. Canada began to produce Hurricane fighters and train pilots to defend Britain.
The Canadian fighter group 242 began to take a powerful role in the battle of Britain. This group shot down huge numbers of Messerschmitts while the British fighters were regrouping. Their only major loss was when a group of Messerschmitt 109s flew out of the sun in an ambush and shot down nine of them. The battle of Britain took an important turn when a stray German bomber came under attack from flak guns, dropped her bombs to reduce weight but didn't realize that he was flying over London, a target made off limits by Hitler. In revenge, the Allies began to bomb German cities. With Hitler's subsequent order to bomb British cities, the pressure on British airbases and radar stations was relieved. This gave the RAF time to regroup and it began to achieve victories. German air losses eventually became so great that Hitler, with his attention now more focused on the forthcoming invasion of Russia, was forced to give up his campaign and Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely.
The Raid on Dieppe (19 August 1942)
The Dieppe Raid was one of the most devastating and bloody chapters in Canadian military history. It was supposed to be a probing attack on the Atlantic wall that was planned to be a test of the German defenses as well as an effort to relieve stress on the Eastern front for their Soviet allies. The huge majority of the soldiers in the raid were Canadian. The attack was a complete disaster due to information leaks which resulted in the Germans being prepared for it.
The Dieppe Raid (Operation Jubilee) of 19 August 1942, landed nearly 5,000 soldiers of the inexperienced 2nd Canadian Division and 1,000 British commandos on the coast of occupied France. While a large number of aircraft flew in support, naval gunfire was purposely limited to avoid damage to the town and civilian casualties. As a result the Canadian forces assaulted a heavily defended coast line with no supportive bombardment. Of the 5,000 Canadians who took part, only about 2,000 returned to England: nearly 1,000 had been killed and 2,000 taken prisoner.
The Dieppe Raid was one of the most devastating and bloody chapters in Canadian military history. It was supposed to be a probing attack on the Atlantic wall that was planned to be a test of the German defenses as well as an effort to relieve stress on the Eastern front for their Soviet allies. The huge majority of the soldiers in the raid were Canadian. The attack was a complete disaster due to information leaks which resulted in the Germans being prepared for it.
The Dieppe Raid (Operation Jubilee) of 19 August 1942, landed nearly 5,000 soldiers of the inexperienced 2nd Canadian Division and 1,000 British commandos on the coast of occupied France. While a large number of aircraft flew in support, naval gunfire was purposely limited to avoid damage to the town and civilian casualties. As a result the Canadian forces assaulted a heavily defended coast line with no supportive bombardment. Of the 5,000 Canadians who took part, only about 2,000 returned to England: nearly 1,000 had been killed and 2,000 taken prisoner.
D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
The battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning that lasted more than a year
Even with all these preparations, the Normandy campaign would be very difficult. The shores of Northwest Europe were littered with German land mines, barbed wire, heavy artillery batteries and machine-gun nests. There were also anti-tank walls, shelters constructed of thick concrete, anti-aircraft guns and many other types of defensive positions. For these reasons, the coastline from Denmark to the south of France was known as “Fortress Europe.”
On June 6, 1944—D-Day—a massive Allied force crossed the English Channel to engage in Operation Overlord. Their destination: an 80-kilometre stretch of the heavily-defended coast of Normandy. There were five landing zones, given special code names: Juno Beach (Canada); Gold Beach (United Kingdom); Sword Beach (United Kingdom and France); and Utah Beach and Omaha Beach (United States).
Seven thousand vessels of all types, including 284 major combat vessels, took part in Operation Neptune, the assault phase of the D-Day offensive. Destroyers and supporting craft of the Royal Canadian Navy did their part and shelled German targets while many Royal Canadian Air Force planes were among the 4,000 Allied bombers (plus some 3,700 fighters and fighter bombers) which attacked the German beach defences and inland targets.
More than 450 Canadians parachuted inland before dawn on June 6 and engaged the enemy. A few hours later, some 14,000 Canadian troops began coming ashore at Juno Beach in the face of enemy fire. Their mission: to establish a beachhead along an eight-kilometre stretch fronting the villages of Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer, and Saint Aubin-sur-Mer. Once secure, the troops would push inland to capture the city of Caen, an important communications centre for the Germans.
Canadians played an important role in closing the “Falaise Gap” in mid-August as the Germans finally retreated in the face of the Allied offensive. On August 25, 1944, Paris was liberated by the Allies, bringing the Normandy campaign officially to a close.
Three hundred and forty Canadians were killed on Juno Beach on D-Day alone and the Canadians would suffer the most casualties of any division in the British Army Group during the Battle of Normandy.
Victory in Normandy would be only the beginning of many months of hard fighting on the ground in Western Europe. Canadians would play an important role in the offensives that would finally defeat the Germans and end the war in this part of the world.
The battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning that lasted more than a year
Even with all these preparations, the Normandy campaign would be very difficult. The shores of Northwest Europe were littered with German land mines, barbed wire, heavy artillery batteries and machine-gun nests. There were also anti-tank walls, shelters constructed of thick concrete, anti-aircraft guns and many other types of defensive positions. For these reasons, the coastline from Denmark to the south of France was known as “Fortress Europe.”
On June 6, 1944—D-Day—a massive Allied force crossed the English Channel to engage in Operation Overlord. Their destination: an 80-kilometre stretch of the heavily-defended coast of Normandy. There were five landing zones, given special code names: Juno Beach (Canada); Gold Beach (United Kingdom); Sword Beach (United Kingdom and France); and Utah Beach and Omaha Beach (United States).
Seven thousand vessels of all types, including 284 major combat vessels, took part in Operation Neptune, the assault phase of the D-Day offensive. Destroyers and supporting craft of the Royal Canadian Navy did their part and shelled German targets while many Royal Canadian Air Force planes were among the 4,000 Allied bombers (plus some 3,700 fighters and fighter bombers) which attacked the German beach defences and inland targets.
More than 450 Canadians parachuted inland before dawn on June 6 and engaged the enemy. A few hours later, some 14,000 Canadian troops began coming ashore at Juno Beach in the face of enemy fire. Their mission: to establish a beachhead along an eight-kilometre stretch fronting the villages of Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer, and Saint Aubin-sur-Mer. Once secure, the troops would push inland to capture the city of Caen, an important communications centre for the Germans.
Canadians played an important role in closing the “Falaise Gap” in mid-August as the Germans finally retreated in the face of the Allied offensive. On August 25, 1944, Paris was liberated by the Allies, bringing the Normandy campaign officially to a close.
Three hundred and forty Canadians were killed on Juno Beach on D-Day alone and the Canadians would suffer the most casualties of any division in the British Army Group during the Battle of Normandy.
Victory in Normandy would be only the beginning of many months of hard fighting on the ground in Western Europe. Canadians would play an important role in the offensives that would finally defeat the Germans and end the war in this part of the world.
The Italian Campaign
The Italian Campaign was an important military effort for Canada during the war. The Italian Campaign began with the Allied landings on the island of Sicily in the south of Italy. Canadian soldiers from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade had an active and important role in this effort, codenamed Operation Husky.It was a difficult task. Just getting men and equipment to the region was dangerous. Three ships carrying Canadian troops from Great Britain to Sicily for the attack were sunk by enemy submarines in early July 1943. Fifty-eight Canadians drowned and 500 vehicles and a number of guns were lost.
The operation began in the early morning of July 10, 1943 when Canadian and British troops came ashore along a 60-kilometre stretch of coastline near Pachino at the southern tip of Sicily. The Americans who also attacked that morning covered another 60 kilometres of the Sicilian coast. The fighting in Sicily would last more than four weeks for the Canadians who would battle through hundreds of kilometres of difficult mountainous country.
Fighting in the Italian Campaign continued as the Allies made their way north through many German defensive positions. Notable for Canada was the Battle in the Liri Valley, with the ensuing liberation of Rome by the American army on June 4, 1944. In the late summer and fall of 1944, the Allies broke through Germany’s “Gothic Line” in the north. Fighting continued into the spring of 1945 when the Germans finally surrendered. Canadian troops, however, did not participate in the final victory of the campaign. By February 1945, they had been transferred to Northwest Europe to be reunited with the First Canadian Army. There they joined the Allied advance into the Netherlands and Germany to help finally end the war in Europe.
The Italian Campaign was an important military effort for Canada during the war. The Italian Campaign began with the Allied landings on the island of Sicily in the south of Italy. Canadian soldiers from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade had an active and important role in this effort, codenamed Operation Husky.It was a difficult task. Just getting men and equipment to the region was dangerous. Three ships carrying Canadian troops from Great Britain to Sicily for the attack were sunk by enemy submarines in early July 1943. Fifty-eight Canadians drowned and 500 vehicles and a number of guns were lost.
The operation began in the early morning of July 10, 1943 when Canadian and British troops came ashore along a 60-kilometre stretch of coastline near Pachino at the southern tip of Sicily. The Americans who also attacked that morning covered another 60 kilometres of the Sicilian coast. The fighting in Sicily would last more than four weeks for the Canadians who would battle through hundreds of kilometres of difficult mountainous country.
Fighting in the Italian Campaign continued as the Allies made their way north through many German defensive positions. Notable for Canada was the Battle in the Liri Valley, with the ensuing liberation of Rome by the American army on June 4, 1944. In the late summer and fall of 1944, the Allies broke through Germany’s “Gothic Line” in the north. Fighting continued into the spring of 1945 when the Germans finally surrendered. Canadian troops, however, did not participate in the final victory of the campaign. By February 1945, they had been transferred to Northwest Europe to be reunited with the First Canadian Army. There they joined the Allied advance into the Netherlands and Germany to help finally end the war in Europe.
The Liberation of the Netherlands (1944-1945)
From the fall of 1944 to the spring of 1945, up to 175,000 Canadian soldiers of the First Canadian Army played a leading role in liberating the Dutch people, who suffered terrible hunger and hardship under German occupation. The Liberation of the Netherlands was a significant event that helped lead to victory in Europe and the end of the Second World War.
By the fall the Canadian troops had entered Belgium and they were given the assignment of clearing out the Scheldt estuary and take Antwerp. Access to Antwerp was not directly to the sea but needed to pass through the Scheldt estuary and until that was liberated, the supplies waited to come in. The Canadian forces fought through the flooded areas of the Scheldt and captured area opening up the port but suffered high casualties.
By the time winter arrived so did the Canadian First division which reinforced the Canadian army and the drive through the Netherlands was begun. The liberation of the Netherlands was an emotional and highly joyous occasion for most of the Dutch people.
In the months following D-Day, the Allies needed a reliable way to keep supplies flowing to their forces on the European continent. To do this, they required a good seaport. The Belgian port of Antwerp was captured almost intact but it lay almost 80 kilometres from the sea and was accessible only by a long estuary whose shores were controlled by German forces. Much of this coastal area was Dutch and, in the fall of 1944, the First Canadian Army led the way in fierce combat under harsh conditions to clear the German occupiers from the shores of the Scheldt River and open the waterway to vital shipping. More than 6,000 Canadian soldiers were killed, wounded or captured in this tough but winning campaign that became a key step in the liberation of northwest Europe and the end of the war.
Princess Juliana of the Netherlands had fled the country in 1940 when the Germans had invaded and found sanctuary in Canada. While in Canada during the war, she resided at Stornoway which is the home of the leader of the official opposition today. She became an endeared refugee in Ottawa where she chose to be treated as an ordinary resident and sent her children to Canadian public school, shopped in the local grocery stores, baby sat for other mothers and generally mixed with the public during her daily life.
When her third child Margret was born the Earl of Athlon, the Governor General made special arrangements for Princess Juliana's rooms in the Ottawa Civic Hospital to be recognized as Dutch Territory in order that the baby be recognized in the line of Dutch succession which required that she be born in Dutch territory.
These powerful connections helped form warm bonds of friendship and respect between the Dutch and the Canadians which continue to this day. Evidence of this enduring connection may be seen in the tulips—gifts from the Netherlands—which bloom in Ottawa each spring and in the care and attention bestowed by the Dutch people on the burial places of our war dead.
From the fall of 1944 to the spring of 1945, up to 175,000 Canadian soldiers of the First Canadian Army played a leading role in liberating the Dutch people, who suffered terrible hunger and hardship under German occupation. The Liberation of the Netherlands was a significant event that helped lead to victory in Europe and the end of the Second World War.
By the fall the Canadian troops had entered Belgium and they were given the assignment of clearing out the Scheldt estuary and take Antwerp. Access to Antwerp was not directly to the sea but needed to pass through the Scheldt estuary and until that was liberated, the supplies waited to come in. The Canadian forces fought through the flooded areas of the Scheldt and captured area opening up the port but suffered high casualties.
By the time winter arrived so did the Canadian First division which reinforced the Canadian army and the drive through the Netherlands was begun. The liberation of the Netherlands was an emotional and highly joyous occasion for most of the Dutch people.
In the months following D-Day, the Allies needed a reliable way to keep supplies flowing to their forces on the European continent. To do this, they required a good seaport. The Belgian port of Antwerp was captured almost intact but it lay almost 80 kilometres from the sea and was accessible only by a long estuary whose shores were controlled by German forces. Much of this coastal area was Dutch and, in the fall of 1944, the First Canadian Army led the way in fierce combat under harsh conditions to clear the German occupiers from the shores of the Scheldt River and open the waterway to vital shipping. More than 6,000 Canadian soldiers were killed, wounded or captured in this tough but winning campaign that became a key step in the liberation of northwest Europe and the end of the war.
Princess Juliana of the Netherlands had fled the country in 1940 when the Germans had invaded and found sanctuary in Canada. While in Canada during the war, she resided at Stornoway which is the home of the leader of the official opposition today. She became an endeared refugee in Ottawa where she chose to be treated as an ordinary resident and sent her children to Canadian public school, shopped in the local grocery stores, baby sat for other mothers and generally mixed with the public during her daily life.
When her third child Margret was born the Earl of Athlon, the Governor General made special arrangements for Princess Juliana's rooms in the Ottawa Civic Hospital to be recognized as Dutch Territory in order that the baby be recognized in the line of Dutch succession which required that she be born in Dutch territory.
These powerful connections helped form warm bonds of friendship and respect between the Dutch and the Canadians which continue to this day. Evidence of this enduring connection may be seen in the tulips—gifts from the Netherlands—which bloom in Ottawa each spring and in the care and attention bestowed by the Dutch people on the burial places of our war dead.
~ Denis K.