Transcript Document
The Battle of Britain 10 July – 30 September 1940 Luftwaffe versus the R.A.F. Prelude to Germany for Operation “Sealion” British faced a huge disadvantage British planes were outnumbered 3:1 But, the British were able to shoot down 1882 German planes compared to 1017 by the Germans The Blitz-Another Nazi Blunder Change of German tactics Move from strategic bombing of airfields to bombing of London “blitz” Break the will of the British people ??? “The gratitude of every home in our Island, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day” “It is a war if peoples and of causes. There are vast numbers … whose names will never be known. This is a war of the Unknown Warrior … and the dark curse of Hitler will be lifted from our age.” WHY WAS THIS POSSIBLE ??? The Spitfire and the Hurricane Radar Enigma How do wars and times of crisis impact a society? What is needed to succeed through these terrible times? DieppeAnother Canadian Tragedy Stalin put pressure on the West to open a second front to relieve the German assault on the USSR Allieds not ready but believed that a smaller invasion could serve as a rehearsal and would reassure the USSR Able to test new techniques and equipment DIEPPE DIEPPE August 1942 First Action for Canada in Europe CDN 2nd Division, about 5000 soldiers Pre-dawn attack and objective was to take the beach and the town back from German possession Disaster!! Convoy carrying CDN soldiers were engaged in a sea battle with German ships-alerted Germans on land Ships delayed-pre-dawn attack turned into early daylight attack and men were gunned down by machine guns Reinforcements arrived too early and were also gunned down as well as Allied tanks were immobile on the beach The Failure of Dieppe ? Casualties were high 907 Canadians killed in nine hours 584 wounded 1874 POW Was it a failure like the Somme, or was it useful for Allied planning ????? The Eastern Front 1939-1941 This front was longer and bloodier than any in Western Europe – 2000 miles Invasion of USSR, 22 June 1941 Operation Barbarossa end of Nazi Soviet Pact Need for German lebensraum and access to Soviet resources 3 million German troops invaded using blitzkrieg- Soviets practiced scorched earth Barbarossa By Christmas of 1941 German troops were 50 km outside of Moscow North Africa September 1940 Mussolini attacked Egypt Battle between Gen. Rommel “The Desert Fox” and Gen. Montgomery and his “Desert Rats” Rommel Monty Battle of El Alamein, October 1942 One of the turning point battles of WWII A battle for control of the Suez and access to oil fields First defeat of Axis power Proved the best of the Axis could be defeated Battle of the Atlantic Largest campaign of WWII Nazis tried to cut off Britain from supplies Allied merchant ships were being sunk by German U-boats who hunted in “wolf packs” And by 1941 proved to be very effective Allied Convoys Protection for merchant ships Royal Canadian Navy provided “Corvettes” as protection Small, maneuverable warships Convoys plus sonar made crossing the Atlantic safer for Allied ships by late 1942 early 1943 R.C.N. Provided half of Allied escorts for the Atlantic convoys As battle continued the R.C.N. was better trained and gained valuable experience as the war progressed Initally the R.C.N. had 13 ships and 3000 soldiers 400 vessels and 100 000 soldiers by end of WWII 2000 members of the R.C.N. died during the Battle of the Atlantic What did the Battle of Atlantic Mean to Canada? Arguably Canada’s most decisive contribution to the Allied war effort After war’s end Canada had the 3rd largest navy in the world A R.C.N. Corvette