Early Battles
In the early years of the war, there were several instances where Canadian troops were put to the test. They were sent on dangerous missions, where failure meant that a whole country might be taken over. Some were sent on futile missions that accomplished little but wasting lives unnecessarily.
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was mainly an aerial battle between the Allied Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe. The operation was launched on July 10, 1940, after the retreat of Allied forces at Dunkirk, and consisted of 2 500 bomber planes that were launched and poised to attack Britain’s aircraft runways, radar stations and bunkers. Mainly, its purpose was to inhibit the British air force to develop air superiority in preparation of the impending German invasion, which never occurred.
Canadians assisted in the defense of Britain by sending its own aircraft and experienced ground crews and pilots. More than 100 Canadian pilots served in the Battle of Britain in the several Canadian divisions, like the 401 Squadron or the “All-Canadian” 242 Squadron. They had a significant impact on the course of this battle.
Eventually, the Germans began using a strategy called the ‘Blitz’, which targeted civilians in London and other cities. However, it was used as a psychological detriment rather than to debilitate Britain’s military, and its only accomplishment was taking around 43 000 innocent lives. In the end, Germany could not take Britain, and halted its attacks. Britain was safe, all with the help of Canada’s pilots.
Canadians assisted in the defense of Britain by sending its own aircraft and experienced ground crews and pilots. More than 100 Canadian pilots served in the Battle of Britain in the several Canadian divisions, like the 401 Squadron or the “All-Canadian” 242 Squadron. They had a significant impact on the course of this battle.
Eventually, the Germans began using a strategy called the ‘Blitz’, which targeted civilians in London and other cities. However, it was used as a psychological detriment rather than to debilitate Britain’s military, and its only accomplishment was taking around 43 000 innocent lives. In the end, Germany could not take Britain, and halted its attacks. Britain was safe, all with the help of Canada’s pilots.
P51-A Mustang fighter jet used by Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain.
Battle of the AtlanticThe Battle of the Atlantic was a conflict that existed throughout the course of World War II. It was a naval battle; German U-boats were sinking multiple convoys intended for Britain, triggering Canada to enhance its navy to better prepare against such attacks. Initially, Canada’s navy consisted of seven warships: HMCS Fraser, Ottawa, Restigouche, Saguenay, St Laurent, Skeena and River. Although at first it seemed like a formidable force, the German U-boats were fierce and cunning, attacking supply ships in groups, often called ‘wolf-packs’, to maximize the damage dealt. Again, this prompted the Canadian government to build an even better navy. It improved its fleet by building warships, ‘Corvette’ anti-submarine escorts and ‘Bangor’ underwater mine detection ships. This improved the survival rate of the convoys intended for Britain.
By the end of the war, Canada had the fourth largest navy in the world, and demonstrated its massive contributions to the war effort. Getting supplies to Britain meant supporting troop movements with ammunitions, food and weaponry, all of which are necessary in winning a war. Canada helped immensely by protecting convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic. |
HMCS Regina (K 234), a Canadian 'Corvette' anti-submarine escort.
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Dieppe
Dieppe was
an unsuccessful mission in which the Allies tried to infiltrate France. Many
factors went into the operation, but certain problems that the troops
encountered meant that they would face heavier resistance going into the battle.
The raid happened on August 19, 1942, codename ‘Operation Jubilee’. Its purpose was to open up a second front in Europe, therefore prompting German forces to solidify their defenses and alleviate the pressure put on the Russian front. In addition, new techniques and weaponry could be tested with this raid, so the Allies saw this as a potentially worthwhile raid.
It turned out to be a huge failure. Two teams were set to land on either sides of the beach, and were supposed to destroy the battery guns at Pourville and Puys to support the main troops that would land later. In spite of that, the German forces had already been alerted of the raid as one of their convoys had encountered an Allied ship. Heavy fire from the coastal defenses procured substantial losses and also made the retreat difficult when the raid was aborted.
In total, close to 5 000 Canadians participated in the battle of Dieppe, and of these men, 1 500 were either killed or injured and 1 946 were taken as prisoners of war.
Dieppe is a controversial point in history. It is believed that the information gathered of these landings helped improve future ones, especially in regards to D-Day. But the price of this information was the cost of many Canadian lives.
The raid happened on August 19, 1942, codename ‘Operation Jubilee’. Its purpose was to open up a second front in Europe, therefore prompting German forces to solidify their defenses and alleviate the pressure put on the Russian front. In addition, new techniques and weaponry could be tested with this raid, so the Allies saw this as a potentially worthwhile raid.
It turned out to be a huge failure. Two teams were set to land on either sides of the beach, and were supposed to destroy the battery guns at Pourville and Puys to support the main troops that would land later. In spite of that, the German forces had already been alerted of the raid as one of their convoys had encountered an Allied ship. Heavy fire from the coastal defenses procured substantial losses and also made the retreat difficult when the raid was aborted.
In total, close to 5 000 Canadians participated in the battle of Dieppe, and of these men, 1 500 were either killed or injured and 1 946 were taken as prisoners of war.
Dieppe is a controversial point in history. It is believed that the information gathered of these landings helped improve future ones, especially in regards to D-Day. But the price of this information was the cost of many Canadian lives.