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THE INVASION OF POLAND
Hitler decided to invade Poland because he wanted to expand the German state, after all they had already dominated Austria and Czechoslovakia without any interference. This had caused World War II to begin just two days later when Britain and France had declared war on Germany. Canada reacted fairly calm and did not institanously become involved, but rather gathered their troops and let out their declaration a week following the start of World War II. -
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World War II
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EVACUATION OF DUNKIRK
This involved the evacuation of countless Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France. This operation became nessecary when a large number of French, British, and Belgian troops were cut off and surrounded by the German army. In spite of being a defeat, this event represented a moral victory for all of the Allies and was very significant as a few weeks later France had surrendered to Germany, Canada's role in the evacuation was merely defence of the British Isles. -
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
This battle is very significant as it is the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces. For starters Britain used radar and the cipher machine to gain power in the air, this caused Hitler to change tactics in response to Churchill's bombings of Berlin; this is believed to have in turn costed him the war. This battle had left future Allies with a base to attack Hitler from in Europe. Over 100 Canadians had participated in this battle, even 23 had lost their lives fighting. -
PEARL HARBOUR
The japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base. This attack was very significant as it brought the United States of America into the war, in turn giving Europe a much needed ally. This had led Canada to then declare war on Japan and Canadian troops were sent to fight in Hong Kong. -
THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
The American and Canadian troops had intercepted a Japanese fleet which was preparing to conquer several islands. This had marked a turning point in the Pacific Theater, as the American fleet sank the best units of Japanese aircraft carriers and soundly defeated Japan; after this battle the Japanese were on the defensive side. -
BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN
The Germans and Italians sought control of Egypt, but thankfully they didn't get what they desired. The British won in a miraculous victory, making this battle extremely significant as it marked the first battle where the Allies defeated the forces of the opposing country. In turn this victory had also prevented the Germans from seizing the Suez Canal, Canada was a tremendous help in the battle and helped Britian ensure the victory was possible. -
THE NORMANDY LANDING
This war involved the Allied invasion of German-held Europe, this event was very significant as it allowed Europe to begin pushing back the German army. Canadian forces were assigned the target known as Juno; over 5,000 Canadians were killed. This war had allowed Europe to gain very much-needed advance in Germany -
THE LIBERATION OF HOLLAND
Canadian forces forced the NAZIS to vanish from Holland and surrender. This event is very significant as it had allowed Allied troops to continue forward towards Germany. This in turn has caused Canadians to be very much respected in Holland ever since. This event is believed to have led to the end of World War II on May 8th, of 1945.
