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German troops under the command of Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, triggering the start of World War II across Europe. -
The battle of the Atlantic was the fight to control the Atlantic Ocean. German submarines tried to sink allied ships carrying supplies to Europe. Canada's involvement was key during the war by sending warships and aircrafts to protect the convoys.
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This was the first and only time Canada declared war on another country independently. Britain and France had declared war seven days earlier. -
Canada signed the British Commonwealth Air Training plan (BCATP)with Britain and other allies. Canada trained more than 131,000 airmen and this became a major contribution to the victory in WWII. Also, on this day, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division landed in Scotland to help fight the war. -
The creation of the Department of Munitions and Supply helped make Canada a major manufacturer of war supplies, not just for Canada but for allies. 16,000 aircrafts, 800,000 Military transport vehicles, 50,000 tanks, 40,000 field and tank guns and 1.7 milliom small arms are just some examples of the supplies built in Canada and sent to war. -
The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbour. Canada immediately declared war on Japan followed by USA declaring war on Japan and a few days later, Germany and Italy declaring war on the USA. Many Canadian soldiers were already fighting in Hong Kong (a British colony) . Many Canadians lost their lives in Hong Kong or taken prisoner. Pearl Harbour was an event that truly made the war, worldwide. -
About 5000 Canadian Troops, along with British and American Soldiers landed on the beaches of Dieppe France. It was a surprise attack on the Germans that occupied it. However, the Germans were ready for them and about half of the Canadian soldiers were killed, wounded or captured. This was a terrible loss for the Canadians but it prepared them for future battles. -
Canada was apart of the Italian Campaign. They fought with their allies to take control and managed to force Germany to divert troops to the area and weaken the Axis control in Europe. About 90,000 Canadians fought and about 6000 lost their lives.
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In May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands. In 1944 allied forced including Canada entered the Netherlands to push out the German troops. The allies helped arrange food drops to the starving Dutch residents. Germany finally surrendered. Even today the Dutch still honor the Canadians for their help.
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Candian soldiers fought in Belgium and the Netherlands to help clear the Scheldt River and open up the port to keep allied troops supplied. They fought through flooded fields, muddy terrain and strong German defences.It was a huge victory but 6000 Canadian soldiers died.
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Also known as D-Day, was the biggest invasion of WWII. Thousands of soldiers from Canada, Britain, USA, and other allied countries landed on the beaches of Normandy, France to break through the German Defences. It was a major success and freed France from German control. About 5000 soldiers died. The battle lasted about 2 and half months -
Canada and it's Allies fought hard in Europe eventually pushing into Germany from the west. Canada helped to liberate many countries from German control. The official end to World War 2 for Canada came when Japan Surrendered. -
https://natoassociation.ca/9-little-known-facts-about-canadas-contribution-in-ww2/
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/second-world-war-wwii
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/information-for/educators/quick-facts/second-world-war
https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/Result?q=Canadian%20War%20Industry%20During%20the%20Second%20World%20War