-
Period: to
World War 2
-
Battle of the Atlantic
German U-boats grouped together to create a “wall” blocking access to Europe and sinking merchant ships. The ships started sailing in convoys protected by destroyers and corvettes, armed with sonars and depth charges. German U-Boats attacked and sunk merchant ships with torpedoes. The Battle of the Atlantic was finally won using radar, Bletchley Park code-breaking, and radio interception. Link) -
HItler invades Poland
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated ina couple weeks of the invasion. German units, with more than 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes, broke through Polish defenses along the border. Link -
Battle of Britain
The German Luftwaffe launched many daytime raids against RAF bases and then London. Hitler wanted to win air superiority and coerce Britain to make peace. Britain had a radar-controlled air defence system, its RAF (Royal Air Force) and its Royal Navy. Even though the UK sustained losses, the public’s morale remained strong and Germany’s huge losses forced sporadic and less effective night bombing by mid-September. Link -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese pilots flew to Pearl Harbor (American naval base) in Hawaii, it was a major battle because 6 aircraft carriers that had 400 planes on them were attacked. As a result of the attack, the American battleship fleet was crippled, which permitted Japan to storm and invade all over south-east Asia without any intervention. The attack was what finally got the US into WWII. Link -
Battle of Hong Kong
On Dec 7, 1941, hours after attacking Pearl Harbor and 3 weeks after Canadians arrived to help the British defend Hong Kong, Japan began to attacked. The Allies fought for 14 days to resist but on Dec 25th, the British governor in Hing Kong surrendered to Japan. Over 290 Canadians were killed and 493 wounded in the battle and 1,700 Canadian soldiers became prisoners of war. Link -
Battle of Dieppe
The Allies launched a raid on the French coastal port of Dieppe. This battle is the first battle Canada fought in Europe. Over than 900 Canadian soldier died and thousands were wouned or taken prisoners.Link -
Battle of Ortona
This is the toughest battle Canadian fought in World War 2. In December 1943, part of the Allied passed through Italy. Canadian forces were try to capture the town of Ortona from Germany. More than 2300 Canadian were killed or wounded. Link -
D-Day(Normandy landing)
The Battle of Normandy was a pivotal event in WWII. Canada played a vital role in the invasion, which started the crusade to liberate Western Europe from the Nazis. Of 150,000 troops that landed on D-Day, 14,000 were Canadians. The Canadian Navy had 110 ships; the RCAF contributed 15 fighter-bomber squadrons. By Aug 21st, there were 209,000 Allied casualties (including 18,700 Canadians), & 5,000 Canadian deaths. Link -
Pacific War(VJ-Day)
Victory over Japan Day(VJ Day) is the day on which Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. Canada declared war with Japan until the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941. Japan surrendered after the United States dropped two nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Link
