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Canadian Infantry Combat Training During the Second World War

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Canadian Infantry Combat Training During the Second World War SHARPENING THE SABRE: CANADIAN INFANTRY COMBAT TRAINING DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR By R. DANIEL PELLERIN BBA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2007 BA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2008 MA, University of Waterloo, 2009 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in History University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario, Canada © Raymond Daniel Ryan Pellerin, Ottawa, Canada, 2016 ii ABSTRACT “Sharpening the Sabre: Canadian Infantry Combat Training during the Second World War” Author: R. Daniel Pellerin Supervisor: Serge Marc Durflinger 2016 During the Second World War, training was the Canadian Army’s longest sustained activity. Aside from isolated engagements at Hong Kong and Dieppe, the Canadians did not fight in a protracted campaign until the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The years that Canadian infantry units spent training in the United Kingdom were formative in the history of the Canadian Army. Despite what much of the historical literature has suggested, training succeeded in making the Canadian infantry capable of succeeding in battle against German forces. Canadian infantry training showed a definite progression towards professionalism and away from a pervasive prewar mentality that the infantry was a largely unskilled arm and that training infantrymen did not require special expertise. From 1939 to 1941, Canadian infantry training suffered from problems ranging from equipment shortages to poor senior leadership. In late 1941, the Canadians were introduced to a new method of training called “battle drill,” which broke tactical manoeuvres into simple movements, encouraged initiative among junior leaders, and greatly boosted the men’s morale. The Canadians participated in numerous military exercises of varying sizes that exposed problems with their senior leadership. The replacement of unsuitable officers greatly enhanced the fighting potential of Canadian units and formations. As time went on, infantry training became more rigorous and realistic, and tactical concepts became increasingly sophisticated. By the time of the iii invasion of Normandy in June 1944, infantry training was intense, suited to units’ assigned tasks, and highly technical, which belied the false prewar assumption that the infantry was an unskilled arm. By the time Canadian divisions entered battle, they were as prepared as they would ever be. The exception to this was the training of the overseas reinforcement units, which reached an acceptable standard only in the last months of the war. This study ultimately represents a substantial contribution to understanding the history of the Canadian Army and its role in the Second World War. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In writing this study about infantry training the Canadian Army during the Second World War, I benefitted from having a small “army” of my own. Of course, I alone am responsible for any errors or omissions in this work. First and foremost, I thank my supervisors. During my PhD programme, I was fortunate to work under not one but two excellent supervisors. Professor Jeffery A. Keshen took me on as a doctoral student in September 2009 and gave valuable assistance and encouragement in developing the research plan for this thesis. He also provided me with a number of contract positions to help finance my studies. In the summer of 2012, Professor Keshen accepted a position as the Dean of Arts at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Professor Serge Marc Durflinger graciously agreed to become my new supervisor despite his already burdensome workload. Ever since, Professor Durflinger has been a mentor of the highest order. He challenged me to continuously pursue excellence and to be unafraid of being bold with my arguments. I could not have asked for better guidance throughout the course of my doctoral studies. Thanks are due also to the members of the thesis committee: Professor Roger Sarty of Wilfrid Laurier University and the internal examiners, Professors Richard Connors, Eda Kranakis, and Galen Roger Perras. I greatly appreciate their insightful comments and helpful suggestions, with which I was able to enhance the final product. This thesis is the product of years spent delving into seemingly endless archival documents and rare published primary sources. I am grateful for the cheerful service I always received from the staffs of Library and Archives Canada, the Department of v National Defence’s Directorate of History and Heritage, and the Canadian War Museum’s Military History Research Centre. Mike Bechthold (Wilfrid Laurier University Press) kindly gave me permission to reproduce his fine maps. I am also thankful to the University of Ottawa and Local 2626 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees for providing financial assistance during my last two years of study. My colleagues in the Department of History have always been a source of support, both professionally and personally. Discussions with my friend Caroline D’Amours, whose own thesis covered a related topic, were always great for generating ideas and new ways of thinking about military training. She and others in the department including Sean J. Graham, Sean Nicklin, Mallory Schwartz, and Michael J. Thompson gave helpful suggestions for improving my research proposal, which served as the general plan for the project. Along with Patrick Fournier, Andrew Gaiero, and Katie Simanzik, we shared many fun times during our “PhD History Nights” at the pub. More than once over the years, I came to depend on my friends to get me through some tough times. I am forever indebted to Jillian Faye Beacon, Madeleine J. Kloske, Michelle Miller, James M. Morgan, Ken Thorson, and Daryold Corbiere Winkler for being there when I needed them the most. Last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank my family for all of their love, support, patience, and guidance. My parents, Ray and Lorraine, and my sister, Christine, have always been the best family that a man could ever hope to have. This thesis is dedicated to them. vi CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Contents ............................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Before the Storm: The Interwar Period ........................................................... 28 The Lean 1920s ..................................................................................................... 30 Rearmament .......................................................................................................... 42 Doctrinal Debates in Canada in the 1930s ............................................................ 57 Chapter 2: The Canadian Active Service Force ................................................................ 66 Mobilizing the CASF ............................................................................................ 67 1st Canadian Division’s First Winter Overseas .................................................... 83 Crisis in Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and France ......................................... 89 The Expansion of the CASF ................................................................................. 98 Summer Training, 1940 ...................................................................................... 106 Chapter 3: Growing Pains ............................................................................................... 118 The National Resources Mobilization Act and Training in Canada ................... 119 Division-Level Training in the United Kingdom................................................ 135 Exercise WATERLOO ........................................................................................... 145 Exercise BUMPER ................................................................................................ 149 Disaster at Hong Kong ........................................................................................ 157 Chapter 4: Turning Points ............................................................................................... 167 Battle Drill .......................................................................................................... 168 The Montgomery Touch ..................................................................................... 182 Spring Exercises, 1942........................................................................................ 192 Chapter 5: Combined Operations: Dieppe to Sicily ....................................................... 205 The Dieppe Raid ................................................................................................. 206 Offensive Training, June–October 1942 ............................................................. 223 Seasons of Transformation ................................................................................
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