Transcript History_files/A Closer Look at Canada WWII

A Closer Look at Canada
WWII: Overseas and the Homefront
What is Canada doing in Europe?
• As usual, Canada (and
the other former
colonies) was at many
battles alongside the
British and French.
• However, Canadians felt
like they hadn’t had their
moment of glory since
coming to England.
They wanted their
chance to shine, like in
WWI.
Dieppe Raid
• The antsy Canadians
were given their chance
in 1942. At this time,
the Soviet Union was
pushing for an Allied
invasion in the west to
take the heat off the
eastern front.
• The Allies did not feel
ready for a full scale
invasion, so they
decided to send in the
Canadians for a “trial
run”
• The 2nd Canadian Division was sent to raid the port of Dieppe,
west of Dunkirk.
• Four pre-dawn attacks were to be followed by one main on
30min later.
• Support was to come from bombers and tanks, but the navy
refused to help and the air force was “stingy” with its
contribution.
• It was a disaster from the beginning….
• Dieppe Clip
What went wrong?
• 1. On the morning of the 19th one of the Cdn ships
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met a German convoy and the ensuing battle
alerted the Germans at Dieppe
2. The pre-dawn ships were delayed and arrived on
shore in the light
3. More soldiers arrived and all they could do was
stay on the beaches and be shot down from the
cliffs above.
4. The tanks got stuck in the pebbled beach
5. Planning was poor and shrouded in “secrecy”
6. It was a trial run, and Canadians were
“expendable” – the goal was to test Germans
defenses and recon the area.
Results? 1000 Cdns dead, 586 wounded, 2000 captured.
Long term results? Some say it paved the way for the success of
D Day, others say the Germans learned more from this than the
Allies…..
How are Canadians doing elsewhere?
• Canadians at Sea: The Battle of
the Atlantic.
– The main goal of the Germans
in the Atlantic was to stop food
and munitions getting to the UK
from Canada.
– This was done using “wolf
packs” groups of U boats
patrolling the seas.
– To counter the Uboats, Canada
created corvettes, small
warships designed to escort
large supply ships. These were
quick and maneuverable
defense boats, but unsteady.
– Even with corvettes the
Germans controlled the seas
(some Uboats even made it up
the St Lawrence into Canada!)
and would have continued to do
so if Britain had not cracked the
German naval codes.
Summary of Canadian Roles
1. Air Force: RCAF (250,000 Cdns) supported
the Allies in Britain, North Africa, Italy, NW
Europe and Asia. It even took part in the
bombing of Berlin
2. Navy: RCN major support in the Battle of the
Atlantic with use of corvettes
3. At Home: British Commonwealth Air
Training Plan, suppliers of munitions and
food, women entered the workforce again,
“total war” economy
4. Army: Dieppe Raid, Hong Kong, France
The War Shifts Momentum
• Britain held off Germany at the Battle of
Britain, but the Dieppe Raid had been a
disaster. How do the Allies start to change
the direction of the war?
• 1. USA joins in 1942
• 2. Advances are made in the Battle of the
Atlantic (break the code, faster ship
manufacturing, corvettes etc)
• 3. North Africa is cleared of Axis forces.
Canadians in Italy
• PM Churchill called Italy the “soft
underbelly” of Europe because he
saw it as a way to “sneak up” on
Germany from below.
• July 1943 Canadians were sent to
Silicy (success) and then on to the
mainland.
• The conditions were alarmingly
similar to WWI – mud, rain, and
hand to hand fighting.
• The Italians surrendered quickly
but then German troops were sent
in from the North, causing a 2 year
fight
Ortona
• One of the toughest
battles in Italy for the
Canadians was Ortona.
The battle was fought in
the streets and by
“leapfrogging” from
house to house to push
the Germans out of the
town.
• Eventually the
Canadians took Rome,
but fighting continued
until 1945 when
Germany finally
admitted global defeat
• Altogether, Canada lost
1372 soldiers at Ortona
alone.
The Turning Point: D Day
• Operation Overlord, the Allies plan to invade and liberate
Europe from the Germans took place on June 6, 1944 –
D Day.
• The knowledge gained from Dieppe helped cement the
detailed plans for this invasion that included Canadians,
Americans, Brits and others.
• They were to land at the beaches of Normandy: Sword,
Juno*, Gold, Omaha, Utah.
D Day saw the first use of “paratroopers” – men
dropped in from plans. The expected life span of
these men was less than 10 secs, Canadians fared
better than most others.
• D Day was a success (unlike Dieppe) because of
> 1. massive air and naval support
> 2. managing to keep the plan a secret from the
Germans and attempting it when the Germans least
suspected it (during very stormy weather)
> 3. landing more than 1 million Allied troops
Canadian forces on D Day were so successful they actually had to
backtrack and wait for the other Allied troops to catch up!
After weeks of fighting their way inland, the Allies began an 11
month reclaiming mission through France, Belgium and into
Germany.
Canada was given the special task of liberating the Netherlands,
where the people there had been cut off from food supplies and
were starving to death
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D Day Video: YouTube - Saving Private Ryan - Omaha Beach Part 1 - HD
End of the War in
Europe….
• With the Allies’ powerful
advance throughout Europe,
Soviet troops closing in from
the East, and German troops
running out of supplies, defeat
was certain.
• Germany surrendered on May
7, 1945 – V-E Day (Victory in
Europe)
• Hitler (and his wife Eva)
committed suicide in Berlin
rather than surrender…..or did
they?
VJ Day (Victory in Japan)
• With the war in Europe over,
fighting in Asia intensified.
• The Japanese had been a
formidable opponent, and the US
was stuggling to defeat them.
• The Manhattan Project (the
creation of nuclear bombs) was
in the works, with Uranium
provided by Canada.
• August 6, 1945 – the US dropped
the bomb on Hiroshima and then
Nagasaki.
• 110,000 residents were killed
and countless others wounded
or disfigured by radiation, for
years to come
• It was the first and only time
nuclear weapons have been
used.