In 1917, Canadian troops were asked to take Passchendaele Ridge. They had to break through the German lines near Ypres, Belgium. This Battle became known as the Third Battle of Ypres. The battle of Passchendaele just became a part of this larger battle. It was very important to capture the German occupied Belgium channel ports because most of Germany’s deadly submarines were operated from them. Through the three months of fighting the Canadians proved themselves as an elite fighting Corp and received honors reflecting that. In the end, 9 soldiers received the Victoria Cross in recognition of their outstanding effort at Passchendaele. This battle is remembered for its atrocious conditions, heavy causalities, and Canadian…
During world war 1, the world saw a spark in the industrial revolution has weapons and artillery began to mass produce. With technology advancing rapidly, every country is trying to be the top which caused conflict. Germany and the triple alliance decided to invade neighbouring countries in Europe such as France, Belgium and etc. Canada played a key role in the success of the war as it produced artillery and food products for the western front. Most products were shipped off from Halifax. But unfortunately, on December 6, 1917, an explosion destroyed Halifax. The Mont Blanc Vessel was carrying 2.9 kilotons of explosives when it collided with a Belgian Relief ship in Halifax harbour (See image 1). The crew tried to extinguish the fire when the two ships collided but the flames reached the explosives before the crew did result that the explosion covered 325 acres of land and had an official death toll of 1963 people.…
On the night of August 18 1942, the allies set out 5,000 ships, 50,000 vehicles and 11,000 planes all in preparation for the coming battle the next day. With the help of the Canadians, British commandos and American rangers, they decide to bind together their military forces and take their plans into action when they surprised attack Germany at Dieppe, France. The goal was to attack a strongly defended port in Dieppe, guarded by top-notch and highly trained German soldiers. The Raid being Canada’s first involvement in World War II, not only did they intend to test Germany’s capabilities, but they saw it as an opportunity to put their allies to the test against Europe. Despite their hard efforts, many believe there were many different contributing…
Canada had an undisputed contribution to the Great War having committed over 600,000 of its population of 8 million. Canada engaged in some of the most famous battles of the war such as the Second Battle of Ypres, the Battle of the Somme, The Battle of Arras, The Third Battle of Ypres, and the British Expeditionary Force’s Last Hundred Days. At the end of the war, Canada proudly celebrated her soldiers, their sacrifices, and their triumphs.…
The article Parliament will decide: An interplay of politics and principle by Norman Hillmer and Philippe Lagassé outlines the Canadian governments role in deciding whether or not to get involved in foreign combat following the first World War and the 1931 Statute of Westminster. Prior to the introduction of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, Canada along with other British colonies were required to declare war and deploy armed forces wartime. However, even with the establishment of the Statute of Westminster, which enabled parliament to be the decision-making body, Canada often continued to follow in the footsteps of Britain when it came to getting involved in combat. For example, Canada’s declaration of war against Germany came seven days…
It was the turning point were the allies were able to start recapturing France and eventually defeat Germany. But before D-Day could happen the allies needed to test equipment and German defenses. This was the Dieppe raid. The raid was a total failure however because the Germans were alerted early to the Canadian presence and 3,623 of the 6,086 men who landed were either killed captured or wounded. The allies took what they learned from the Canadian landing and then planned D-day. Canada was one of the three main allied nations to land on the beaches. Thousands of Canadians landed at Juno Beach on D-Day, and under heavy machine gun fire we were still able to secure the beach and reach our goals. Juno Beach was one of five beaches invaded on D-Day. Without Canada’s help it uncertain whether another force could have successfully taken Juno…
From the start of WWll, The Germans pursued to destroy and hold supplies and lifelines to Great Britain. The Atlantic, passage from North America to Great Britain is accessible and in need of protection. Canada contends necessary and essential part in the Battle of the Atlantic. For about 6 years the RCN, the Canadian Merchant Navy and the RCAF were part of the Battle of the Atlantic. Canada’s Navy limited, owning Six destroyers, 5 little minesweepers, 2 coaching vessels and One squad of sailing ships.…
Despite all the lives lost and all the effort Germany was unable to crush Great Britain’s morale. In 1941, the United States started giving support to the British army in the form of weapons and ammunition through the Lend-Lease Act. After the horror of Pearl Harbor, America was directly involved in aiding Great Britain any way they could. In early 1942 Churchill and Roosevelt established a “Combined Chiefs of Staff” and agreed that the defeat of Germany was the first priority. (Winning the war against Germany was more important than the war in the pacific against Japan.)…
• It wasn’t necessary. Canada wasn't in any threat of danger, they had already sent many soldiers, and they needed men for their own country in preparations if they ever got attacked.…
Introduction. In the final months of the Second World War, Canadian forces were given the important and deadly task of liberating the Netherlands from Nazi’s. From September 1944 until April 1945, the First Canadian Army fought German forces on the Scheldt estuary and then cleared northern and western Netherlands of Germans. The Battles in and around the Netherlands.…
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of three great Canadian victories during WW1 because of the strategic tactics behind the win. All four of the Canadian divisions worked together for the first time to win the battle. The battle is often known as the most important battle in Canadian history because it was the battle that proved that Canada could participate on the global stage and did well on its own which sent the message, not to be trifled with. Canada was also given a seat at the Paris…
Canada had proven itself an effective fighting force through all the World War One. Meaning that Canada was met with extreme success during World War One, with their stunning victories against immense odds. But would this reputation carry over to World War Two? In World War Two Canada would have success and failures with its first real battle being the defence of Hong Kong. Canada would fight with British and Indian forces, Canadian forces arrived just in time to repel the invading Japanese forces. This invasion lasted from December 8-25 1941. But with Canada’s success in the war there would also inevitably be failures, that failure came in the form of the Dieppe Raid on August 19 1942 … The Dieppe Raid was an attack…
Juno Beach, the code name of one of the five main landings on D-Day, substantially shaped the Canadian identity as a country that strives to fight in war, because of the previous disasters at Dieppe, the courageous acts of Canadian soldiers, and the deceitful strategy to success. Firstly, the devastating failure of the Dieppe Raid in 1942 established Canada as a serious fighting force in war situations. Canadians learned that tanks were vulnerable to the Germans, as they easily hindered them by setting various traps on the beach. Air and naval bombings became more essential to defeating enemy defenses. Additionally, the allied officers did not have enough knowledge and combat…
Canada had many consequences after the battle to capture Vimy Ridge. The battle itself changed people's perspectives about Canada. Canadians earned a good reputation among the world for their significant victory against the Germans.They were known as “ tough, effective, and courageous fighters” (Eaton and Newman 169) The Canadian troops were exceptionally brave and were prepared for all kinds of assault. This battle was also the start for Canada to become a separate nation. After Arthur Carrie was promoted to become the commander of the Canadian military, the British was no longer required to command the Canadian soldiers (Eaton and Newman 170) This shows how the British believed that the Canadians can handle things by themselves without their help. Therefore Canada had countless outcomes from the battle for Vimy Ridge.…
There is a common saying:” Nations are made in war.” According to many, Vimy Ridge was the first time when Canadians really felt a sense of national identity. Just like the famous comment made by Brigadier General Alex Cross "It was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade. I thought …that in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation." The Ridge was a key position of the German defence system in northern France. Here the four divisions of the Canadian advanced side by side for the first time. Here the young volunteers from across the nation trained and fought as “Canadians”, not just a part of the Empire. Here the commanders invented the “rolling barrage”. Here a full-scale replica of the battlefield was built and the soldiers trained day and night. At Vimy Ridge, the Canadians captured more ground and prisoners than any previous British attack. However, the battle at Vimy came at a high cost: the 16,000 casualties brought devastation to home while victory was celebrated and the conscription debate shook the fragile unity in the country. Anyway, Vimy Ridge showed that although Canada has never had a huge army or talked about patriotism all the time, her people can fight, and fight well when they need to.…