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Germany invades poland, and two days later, Britain and France declare war. -
Battles: The Battle of The Atlantic was the longest battle of World War II, lasting from 1939 to 1945. It was a fight for control of the Atlantic Ocean and Canada played a crucial role in protecting supply ships from German submarines. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-the-atlantic
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Allies: Canada decides to join the war a week later, showing its independence from Britain. -
Allies: The British Commonwealth Air Training Program was established, helping train over 131,000 aircrew during the war. -
Industry: Parliament passed the NRMA which enabled the conscription of all able-bodied men to serve for home defense. -
Battles: The Battle of Britain was a major air campaign where the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-britain -
Battles: The Defence of Hong Kong was a battle in 1941 when Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong, The battle ended in defeat with over 500 Canadian soldiers killed and many others captured. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-hong-kong -
Battles: The Dieppe Raid was a attack by the Allied forces on the French port of Dieppe. It was a huge loss and resulted in over 3,300 deaths and nearly 2000 captured, but it provided valuable lessons that would help improve future strategies. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dieppe-raid -
Battles: The Italian Campaign was a series of battles between 1943 and 1945 where Allied forces invaded Italy to fight German forces. It had over 26,000 Canadian casualties, but in the end it helped the Allies weaken Germany's control.
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Battles: D-Day, also known as the Battle of Normandy, began on June 6, 1944, it was the largest sea, land, and air invasion in history. Over 14,000 Canadian troops landed at Juno beach. Around 500 were wounded and at least 340 were killed. By the end, they successfully took control of the beach, helping the Allies push further into France.