Canadas War 1939 -1945

Canada and the World 1932 - 1939

Canada and The United States

King turned increasingly to the United States and was pleased with the American Good Neighbor Policy. Trade with the Americans was expanded. In 1938 President Roosevelt promised American support in the event Canada was threatened. The royal visit of 1939 was, however, a strong reminder of ties to Great Britain.

The Royal Visit 1939

Canada and the World 1932 - 1939

Canadas Prime Minister,Mackenzie King, realized by 1937 that war was very possible. He also knew that he would be under strong pressure to back Great Britain in any future conflict. Some rearmament was undertaken after 1937 but Mackenzie King focused on avoiding war.

The Approach of War

By early 1939 war seemed unavoidable but Canada remained unprepared and hopeful that if war came it would not be a Canadian war. The events of 1939-1945 were to prove otherwise.
This is not our war.

War - September 10, 1939

War - September 10, 1939

On 1 September 1939 Hitlers armies attacked Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Canadas entry into this war was not automatic. The Canadian Parliament approved a declaration of war which was signed September 10, 1939.

The Mood in Canada

There was little enthusiasm for war in Canada. Mackenzie King tried to ensure that Canadian participation was as limited as possible. He particularly wished to avoid splitting the nation over issues such as conscription.

Regulating the Economy

There was fear that war might bring a return to the economic problems experienced between 1914 and 1918. These included inflation and war profiteering. The War Measures Act gave the government special powers. The Wartime Prices and Trade Board was set up to control prices and profits.

 A Fireproof House?
It became increasingly clear to both the Canadian and American governments that if Britain fell to the Germans Canada could be threatened by the conflagration of European war. In 1940 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister King signed the Ogdensburg Agreement which ensured American support in the defense of the continent.

Political Problems
Mackenzie Kings cautious approach to participation in the war was openly criticized by the Conservative Opposition led by Robert Manion. When Manion demanded a National Government prepared to wage real war King called an election for March 26, 1940.

The Election of 1940

Mackenzie Kings government won the largest majority in Canadian history making it clear that most Canadians were solidly behind him.

Pearl Harbor and the Fall of Hong Kong 1940

Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941

A day that will live in infamy
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The Japanese surprise attack on the American naval base in Hawaii brought the United States into the war with both Germany and Japan. Canadians and Americans on the west coast of North America now felt threatened by a possible Japanese attack.

Hong Kong
The British garrison in the colony of Hong Kong was threatened by Japanese expansion in China. There was considerable debate about the ability of Britain to defend Hong Kong if the Japanese attacked. In spite of these concerns Canada responded to Britains request for troops with two inadequately trained battalions.

Hong Kong II
The Japanese launched an assault on Hong Kong following the attack on Pearl Harbor. After only seventeen days of fighting the colony fell into Japanese hands on Christmas day 1941. The Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada fought bravely but were no match for the experienced Japanese troops.

Hong Kong

Japanese Attack From China British Line

Winnipeg Grenadiers

Royal Rifles Of Canada

Hong Kong IV
The total British and Canadian force at Hong Kong numbered just over ten thousand. Those not killed in action went into Japanese prisoner of war camps where they remained for the duration of the war. Of the two thousand Canadians, one in four, had died by the end of the war. This unnecessary sacrifice of lives was seriously questioned by the Canadian public.

Canadian prisoners of war in 1945

Japanese Canadians

Japanese Canadians
It is estimated that nearly 23,000 people of Japanese descent lived in British Columbia and most on the coast. There was a history of racial intolerance in British Columbia which was often directed against Asians. Public fear of sabotage and other forms of treasonous activity put pressure on the government to take action.

The Internment Policy

Using the powers available under The War Measures Act and the Defence of Canada Regulations the government expropriated Japanese Canadian property and sent everyone of Japanese descent to internment camps. These camps were located in the interior of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and as far east as Ontario.

The Internment Policy II

Property confiscated by the government was auctioned off with little compensation given to the rightful owners. There was never a single instance of any improper action by Japanese Canadians during the course of the war. Japanese family in internment camp

Origin of Japanese Canadians by Birth Country

16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0

BIRTH COUNTRY

CANADA

JAPAN

USA

The Internment Policy III

At the end of the war the government introduced a law to deport Japanese Canadians to Japan. By 1949 discriminatory policies were relaxed and Japanese Canadians gained the right to vote in Canadian elections. In 1988 The Conservative government of Brian Mulroney apologized to the Japanese community and offered survivors $20,000 compensation.

The War and the Economy Total War

Total War
Mackenzie King soon realized that Canadas contribution to the war had to involve all sectors of the economy as well as the Canadian workforce. Both resource and manufacturing industries were quickly directed to the war effort. Britain desperately needed Canadas productive capacity if she was to survive the German onslaught.

Canadian Exports 1931 to 1945

$3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 1931 1939 1942 1945 EXPORTS $ MILLIONS

Total War - Manpower

The National Resources Mobilization Act gave the government the power to conscript manpower but only for the defense of Canada. The National Selective Service directed Canadian workers to the requirements of industry. Experienced businessmen volunteered their services to the government for a dollar-a-year.

Clarence Decatur Howe

Howe was Kings Minister of Munitions and Supply. It was his responsibility to ensure that Canadas manufacturing sector produced the tools of war. Canadian factories underwent enormous expansion and produced a wide range of products from aircraft to weapons of all types.

Total War

J. L. Isley
Isley was the Canadian Minister of Finance and responsible for financing the war effort. He revived the sale of Victory Bonds and expanded the taxation powers of the central government. The debt level of the Canadian government rose rapidly but inflation was largely controlled because prices were frozen by the Wartime

Prices and Trade Board.

The Hyde Park Declaration

After Pearl Harbour the American military underwent rapid expansion. Canada assisted in this process and was able to earn valuable American dollars by expanding her trade with United States. This trade was made possible by the Hyde Park Declaration which allowed Canadian goods of all kinds to move freely into the United Sates.

Total War and Canadian Women

Men enlisting in the Canadian forces left important jobs in many industries. These jobs were filled by women from all across Canada. Women worked in every sector of the economy including shipbuilding, construction and agriculture. Women in large numbers also joined all of the services filling a variety of roles.

Conscription

Conscription
This issue had badly divided Canada in 1917 and King did not wish to repeat the problem if it could be avoided. In 1939 he clearly stated that

The present government believe that the conscription of men for overseas service will not be a necessary or effective step. No such measure will be introduced by the present administration.

Conscription II
The National Resources Mobilization Act allowed the government to call men for the defense of Canada but not overseas service. These men were derisively referred to as Zombies but no amount of persuasion influenced many to go to war. King felt trapped by his promise of 1939.

Conscription III
The public mood in English Canada slowly shifted in favor of conscription. Kings solution was to hold a national referendum or plebiscite and ask Canadians if they would release his government from its promise. The measure was widely supported in English Canada but aroused outrage in Quebec.

64%

76%

Not necessarily conscription but conscription if necessary

King now hesitated for fear of the reaction in Quebec. By 1944 casualties in Italy and France were so numerous that volunteer replacement was inadequate. It was finally agreed that a small number of men could be sent overseas.

16,000

6,467

Dieppe: August 1942

The Canadian Army

At the start of the war the regular force of the Canadian Army numbered just 4000. The Non-Permanent Active Militia had just over 60,000 men. By the end of September 1939 the army had increased its active strength to 55,000 poorly equipped soldiers. By 1945 450,000 Canadians were serving in the land forces and over 730,000 had joined.

Dieppe: August 1942

Canadian soldiers sent to England at the beginning of the war had trained in the south of England for three years without seeing action against the enemy. The Russians who had been carrying the brunt of the land war against Germany demanded that a second front be opened in the west.

Dieppe: August 1942 II

It was decided that a raid in force against the coast of France would be an important prelude to a cross-channel invasion. German defenses could be tested and the Russians appeased by the evidence of action. 5000 Canadians were selected to join 1000 British and American troops in an attack on the French port of Dieppe.

Dieppe: August 1942 III

The raid was launched in the early hours of August 19, 1942 but the element of surprise was lost by an encounter with German naval forces while crossing the channel. German troops were fully alert by the time allied troops struck the beaches where they came under withering fire. Very few of the assaulting force escaped from the beach into the town.

Dieppe: August 1942 IV

900 Canadians died in the first hours of the battle with an additional 500 wounded. 1,946 Canadians were captured and became prisoners of war.

Dieppe: August 1942 V

The public were informed that valuable lessons had been learned. By all reports Canadian troops fought bravely but the raid was badly planned and a complete tactical failure. Dieppe remains for Canadians a bitter memory.

Royal Canadian Air Force

The Royal Canadian Air Force

Canadas contribution to the air war had begun with the British Commonwealth Air

Training Plan.

This plan was designed to train pilots and navigators from all over the Commonwealth. The aircraft and other facilities were almost entirely Canadian. Over 130,000 aircrew graduated from the plan of which 90,000 were Canadian.

The Royal Canadian Air Force II

Many Canadians served with Britains Royal Air Force. The RCAF expanded from one squadron of fighters during the Battle of Britain to fortyeight squadrons and and a bomber group serving overseas. Nearly 250,000 Canadians saw service in the RCAF and 17,000 aircrew lost their lives.

The Royal Canadian Air Force III

One of the largest operations of the war was the bomber offensive against Germany. The offensive was designed to destroy German military production as well as to undermine civilian morale. Casualties among bomber crews were very high.

Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy

It was the task of the RCN to help keep open the vital Atlantic supply line to Britain. The prewar naval establishment consisted of 13 ships and 20,000 men. By the end of the war Canadas navy was the third largest in the world with over 100,000 men and women and 400 ships.

The Battle of the Atlantic

Germany had come very close to winning World War I in the Atlantic. There was fear that German submarines could again cut the vital supply line and starve Britain into submission. Canada was unprepared for this important battle. She began the conflict with a contribution of aging destroyers from the United States.

The Corvette
The requirement for a cheap, small but deadly opponent to the U-boat was met by the corvette. Canada was to build and sail over 100 of these 190 ft. vessels. Most Canadians sailors joined the corvettes untrained and learned their new trade on the job.

The Corvette II
Life in a corvette was often dangerous and always unpleasant. Canada has preserved HMCS Sackville The Last Corvette as Naval Memorial.

The Convoy System

It was the job of the corvettes and the few destroyers sailed by Canada to escort the merchant ships safely across the Atlantic.

Royal Canadian Navy

Canadas warships were poorly outfitted with the result that in the early part of the war convoy losses were high. It was not until 1943 that better training and more effective equipment finally turned the tide against the German UBoat.

Italy to Normandy 1943 - 1944

The Italian Campaign

Canadian troops joined the assault on Sicily in July of 1943. Canadians continued to serve in Italy following the completion of the Sicilian campaign and the Italian surrender. The battle for Ortona is particularly associated with the Canadian Corps. Canadians also joined the forces which captured Rome in 1944.

D-Day: June 6, 1944

The much delayed assault on the beaches of Normandy opened the second front in western Europe. American, British and Canadian troops struck the beaches with over 300,000 troops and overwhelmed the German defenses. Juno beach was the successful target of the 3rd Canadian Division.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander

The War in North Western Europe: 1944-1945

Canadians were given the task of liberating the city of Antwerp and the Scheldt Estuary. The destruction of the Dutch dikes which flooded the polders made progress slow and resulted in heavy casualties. It was this loss of Canadian infantry which finally forced King to conscript National

Resources Mobilization Act

men.

The War in North Western Europe II

Canadians are remembered for their part in the liberation of Holland. In January of 1945 Canadian forces were deployed to clear the allied flank southwest of the Rhine River. General Crerar commanded the First Canadian Army in this sector. The war in Europe ended for Canada on May 5, 1945.

War in the Pacific

Canadas War in the Pacific

Canada did not participate extensively in the Pacific war against Japan. HMCS Uganda was serving with the British Pacific Fleet in 1945 but was forced to return to Canada because the crew would not volunteer to continue to fight after the defeat of Germany. The Canadian Navys only winner of a Victory Cross was Robert Hampton Gray a Corsair pilot in HMS Formidable.

The Atomic Bomb

The Manhattan Project undertaken by the Americans developed the atomic bomb. The uranium for this project was supplied by Canada from a mine near Great Bear Lake. Canadian scientists were involved in the development of this terrible weapon.

The Atomic Bomb II

On August 6, 1945 the American air force dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This was followed three days later by a second bomb on Nagasaki. Japan agreed to surrender following this second bomb.

Conclusion

Canadian Casualties of War

100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 Army Air Force Navy Dead and Wounded

Conclusion
Canadas war effort left the country much changed. There had been a major contribution of manpower and a miracle in the expansion of our productive capacity. Our economy was strengthened by the war and our international status considerably enhanced. Canada emerged from the war as a middle power.

Image Credits
Every effort has been made to credit images and sound used in this presentation. All images and sound clips not otherwise credited have been obtained from clip art collections or are believed to be in the public domain. The authors would be pleased to correct any omissions.
Slide Slide Slide Slide Slide # # # # # 1 National Archives of Canada PA-114494 4 Private collection, R.W. White 6 National Archives of Canada C-013225 19 National Archives of Canada PA-137745 23 National Archives of Canada C-029452

War Memorial - Victoria B.C.

Image Credits
Slide # 29 National Archives of Canada C-033446 Slide # 30 National Archives of Canada C-020113 Slide # 31 Canadian War Museum Slide # 41 Private collection, R.W. White Slide # 43 Private collection, R.W. White Slide # 44 Private collection, R.W. White Slide # 45 National Archives of Canada C-014160 Slide # 46 Private collection, R.W. White

Monument at Oak Bay near Victoria, B.C.

Image Credits
Slide # 50 145613 Slide # 55 001678 Slide # 56 112993 Slide # 59 114482 Slide # 60 137013 Slide # 62 Slide # 63 170725 Slide # 65 133296 Slide # 71 White Slide # 73 National Archives of Canada PANational Archives of Canada CNational Archives of Canada PANational Archives of Canada PANational Archives of Canada PAPrivate collection, R.W. White National Archives of Canada PANational Archives of Canada PA& 72 Private collection, R.W. Private collection, R.W. White

Memorial to Canadian Scottish Regiment Victoria, B.C.