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Battle of the Atlantic
It was the longest continuous battle of the Second World War. It was the struggle between the Allied and German forces for control of the Atlantic Ocean. The Allies needed to keep the vital flow of men and supplies going between North America and Europe, where they could be used in the fighting, while the Germans wanted to cut these supply lines. Canada’s Merchant Navy, along with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force, played a key role in the Allied efforts
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Battle of Britain
It's the first battle of the Second World War fought mainly in the air. Pilots and support crews on both sides took to the skies and battled for control of airspace over Great Britain, Germany and the English Channel. At last, Britain won the war.
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Canada and the Battle of Hong Kong
Hong Kong was the first place Canadians fought a land battle in the Second World War. The Canadians at Hong Kong fought against overwhelming odds and displayed the courage of seasoned veterans, though most had limited military training. They had virtually no chance of victory but refused to surrender until they were overrun by the enemy. On Christmas Day, 290 Canadians had been killed in the fighting.
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Dieppe Raid
Allies launched a major raid on the French coastal port of Dieppe. Canadians made up the great majority of the attackers in the raid. Nearly 5,000 of the 6,100 troops were Canadians. The remaining troops consisted of approximately 1,000 British Commandos and 50 American Rangers. But The raid was a disaster: More than 900 Canadian soldiers were killed, and thousands more were wounded and taken prisoner.
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Air War
There are great numbers of Canadians who served in units of Britain's Royal Air Force, and the growth of a national Canadian air organization overseas was delayed. Nevertheless, by the German surrender, 48 RCAF squadrons were overseas, virtually completely manned by Canadian officers and men. During the war, 232,632 men and 17,030 women served in the RCAF, and 17,101 lost their lives.
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Canada and the Italian Campaign
Canada’s longest Second World War army campaign was in Italy.
By 1943, Joseph Stalin, asked for help from the other Allied leaders to ease the pressure of this attack. The Allies agreed to help and decided to use Italy as a platform to attack enemy territory in Europe and help divert German resources from the Eastern Front. The Italian Campaign was an important military effort for Canada during the war. More than 93,000 Canadians, along with their allies played a vital role.
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Liberation of the Netherlands
The First Canadian Army played a major role in the liberation of the Netherlands and its people who had suffered terrible hunger and hardship under the increasingly desperate German occupiers. More than 7,600 Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen died fighting in the Netherlands. Today, Canada is fondly remembered by the Dutch for ending their oppression under the Nazis.
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D-Day: Juno Beach
The long-awaited invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe, began with Allied armies from the U.S., Britain and Canada landing on the coast of Normandy. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France on D-Day. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 warships and 10,000 sailors and the RCAF contributed 15 fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons to the assault. There were 1,074 Canadian casualties, including 359 killed.
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Victory over Japan Day
It marked the end of the war in the Pacific and the end of the Second World War. The surrender of Japan was observed across Canada with joy, and in some cases street riots. The surrender gave Canadians and the people of other Allied nations an overwhelming sense of relief. As they had on Victory in Europe Day, Canadians took to the streets to celebrate the defeat of Japan, and what would be the start of the return of soldiers, sailors and airmen deployed across the globe.
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