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Canada & World War II Battles Canada & World War II Battles Battle of the Atlantic (1941 – 1945) The Battle of the Atlantic a phrase used 6 Mar 1941 by British PM Winston Churchill to describe efforts to defeat attacks by the German navy on Allied shipping between America and Europe during W W II. By that time German forces had sunk some 61.2 million tons, of which only a third could be replaced. In May 1941 British cryptographers solved the German naval Enigma code, giving Britain the advantage in the Atlantic. After June, Allied naval escorts provided continual convoy protection, and in Sept American forces were committed to the task. Terrible losses continued, but by Nov 1942 ship construction overtook sinkings. Tactical skill and air cover eventually drove U-boats into mid-Atlantic, beyond the range of shore-based aircraft. Further cryptographic breakthroughs in Dec 1942 and Mar 1943, roving support groups, and very long-range and carrier-borne aircraft closed the gap. In the first 3 weeks of May 1943 escorts sank 31 U-boats, forcing Germany to abandon the North Atlantic convoy routes; an attempted comeback in Sept failed. Canada provided about half the naval escorts, primarily corvettes to protect shipping convoys, in the Newfoundland (later Mid Ocean) and Western Local Escort Forces. The tiny corvettes carried a single 4-inch cannon and minimal gear for finding and destroying a submarine. They were cramped and "rolled in heavy dew" but they were all that could be supplied in such a short time. Most of the land-based air coverage came from Newfoundland and the Maritimes, and 7 RCAF squadrons used elsewhere by Britain's Coastal Command. Desperately short of equipment and training, Canadian forces eventually reached adequate operational standards, winning responsibility for the new Canadian Northwest Atlantic theatre. By war's end 25 421 convoyed merchant ships had crossed the Atlantic successfully, and the RCN and RCAF received credit for 47 of the 788 U-boats and 2 Italian submarines that had been destroyed. Battle of Britain (July – October, 1941) The Battle of Britain 10 July to 31 October 1940, the first battle in history to be fought exclusively in the air, resulted in the Royal Air Force's Fighter Command compelling the German Luftwaffe to abandon its attempt to establish air superiority over south and east England. Without that superiority, a German invasion of Britain was impracticable. Only one Canadian unit participated, although many more Canadians serving in the RAF were in the forefront. No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron (later No 401), flying Hawker Hurricanes and commanded by Squadron Leader E.A. McNab, first met the enemy on August 25. When withdrawn on October 9 the squadron had been credited with 30 enemy aircraft destroyed and 8 "probables." Three Canadians had been killed and 10 wounded or injured in crash landings. Battle of Hong Kong (December 1941) In 1940 the British regarded their crown colony of Hong Kong and its 20 000-man garrison as expendable in the event of war with Japan and decided against reinforcing it. But in September 1941 the Canadian government agreed to send the Royal Rifles of Canada (a Québec unit) and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, although they were not considered fit for action. They arrived on 16 November 1941 and 22 days later the Japanese attacked the colony's New Territories on the mainland. On December 18 the Japanese crossed to the island of Hong Kong and on Christmas Day the governor surrendered. Of 1975 Canadians, 557 were killed or died in prison camps. Raid on Dieppe (August 19th, 1942) The raid across the English Channel (Operation Jubilee, 19 Aug 1942) on Dieppe, a small port on the French coast between Le Havre and Boulogne, was planned as a "reconnaissance in force" to test the defenses of Hitler's continental fortress and the capability of the Western Allies to launch large-scale amphibious assaults against his Festung Europa (Fortress Europe). It was a major disaster. Troops of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, landing on the Dieppe esplanade, at Puys, 1.6 km east, and Pourville, 3 km west, failed to achieve any of their objectives. The raid lasted only 9 hours, but among nearly 5000 Canadian soldiers involved more than 900 were killed and 1874 taken prisoner - more prisoners than the army lost in the 11 months of the 1944-45 NW Europe campaign. In the air battle the Allies lost 106 aircraft and 81 airmen, the RCAF 13 machines and 10 pilots. German casualties were light, although they could ill afford the loss of 48 aircraft. For the Allies, the raid did provide valuable experience for subsequent amphibious assaults in North Africa, Italy and, most notably, Normandy on 6 June 1944. Although it has been suggested that the Germans had prior knowledge of the raid, there is much evidence to the contrary. The enemy was alert but not forewarned, and failure was primarily caused by poor and overly complex planning, inadequate training, insufficient fire support, and the employment of troops undergoing their baptism of fire. Battle of Ortona (December 20th – 27th, 1943) The Battle of Ortona occurred from 20-27 December 1943. As part of the general advance of Gen Montgomery's Eighth Army up the Italian Adriatic coast, Maj-Gen Christopher VOKES's 1st Canadian Division was ordered to take the medieval seaport of Ortona, perched on a high promontory and impregnable from 3 sides - flanked by sea cliffs on the north and east, and by a deep ravine on the west. Supported by their own armored brigade, Canadian troops attacked from the south on December 20. Infantry from the Loyal Edmonton Reg and the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada suffered numerous casualties from the stiff resistance. After a week of fierce fighting the town was finally taken, and the remaining German forces withdrew on the night of December 27. One war correspondent reported that the Germans had been "staging a miniature Stalingrad in hapless Ortona." Canadian losses in taking this "unimportant" town and its environs included 1372 dead - almost 25% of all Canadians killed in the Mediterranean theatre Normandy Invasion (Juno Beach June 6th, 1944) On 6 June 1944, after almost a year of special assault and combined operations training, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armored Brigade were part of the Allied forces which attacked the Normandy coast of France in Operation Overlord. Landing on "Juno" Beach, between Vaux and St Aubin-sur-Mer, the Canadians penetrated about 9 km inland by the end of D-Day. Beating back enemy counterattacks during the next several days, the Canadians continued to thrust inland against growing opposition, aided by highly effective tactical air support. Supported by British formations on either flank, a lodgment area was gained and additional formations reinforced the assault forces. In the Canadian sector the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and the 4th Canadian Armored Division arrived to form the Second Canadian Corps. With these and additional forces, the First Canadian Army took over command of the eastern part of the Allied front. During June and July the Canadians fought a number of battles to seize enemy positions. Carpiquet, Caën, Vaucelles, Bourguébus Ridge and Verrières Ridge were some of the major areas where heavy fighting took place. During late July and August while the Canadian and British forces held most of the German formations on the eastern sector, the American Army broke the German line at St-Lô. The possibility of a massive pincer movement to encircle the German armies in Normandy was presented to the Allied commanders. The Canadian Army was ordered to launch several massive armored and infantry attacks towards Falaise. After a series of fierce battles, Falaise was seized on August 16, and in the final attack on Trun and Chambois, Canadians and Poles met with American forces to complete the pincer movement. This ended the Normandy Campaign. The pursuit of the enemy into Belgium and the Netherlands began. Canadian forces suffered 18,444 casualties during the Normandy fighting. Liberation of Holland (March – May, 1945) The Liberation of Holland, WWII, begun by American troops, who entered Maastricht on 13 September 1944; British troops also played a major part in liberating southern Holland, along their axis of advance toward Berlin. The failure of an airborne assault on Arnhem (September 17) prevented the liberation of the rest of Holland in 1944. The 1st Canadian Army, on the north end of the Allied line, was to clear the Dutch approaches to the key Belgian port of Antwerp, along both banks of the Schelde estuary, a task completed in November. There were still more Allied than Canadian troops under Crerar, but in mid-March 1945 I Canadian Corps arrived from Italy to replace I British Corps. I Corps pushed north to the IJsselmeer (Apr 18), isolating German forces in west Netherlands, while II Corps drove northeast to Groningen (April 13) and Leeuwarden (April 15), and then east into Germany. When hostilities ceased 5 May 1945, it fell to the Canadians to liberate western Holland, including Rotterdam; the national centre of government, The Hague; and the national capital, Amsterdam. The Dutch there had suffered through an extremely harsh winter, short of food and fuel, but relief supplies were quickly funneled into the area. The Canadians were welcomed enthusiastically and the joyous "Canadian summer" that ensued forged deep and long-lasting bonds of friendship between the Dutch and Canadian peoples. .
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