A C A N A D I A N P E R S P E C T I V E

WORLD WAR II

IF WWII WERE A BAR FIGHT

CAUSES OF WWII: RISE OF FASCISM AND NAZISM

• Economic problems around the world, especially

Italy, Spain, and Germany, led people to vote for

strong leadership.

• Italy became Fascist with the rise of Benito Mussolini

in 1922.

• Civil war in Spain: Fascism v.s. Communism

Fascist Franco wins

• Joseph Stalin purges Russia / Ukraine

• Paris: Depression and riots

CAUSES OF WWII: RISE OF FASCISM AND NAZISM

• Failure of the League of Nations

• Germany turned to Hitler, who promised to restore

Germany to its former glory:

Undo the “Stab in the Back” Treaty of Versailles step-by-step

Jews as the scapegoat

INVASION OF POLAND

• September 1, 1939

• Started WWII

• Adolf Hitler wanted to reclaim the German

territories lost to Poland after WWI.

• To invade Poland, Hitler had to deal with Soviet

Russia, Poland’s eastern neighbour. Hitler made the

Non-Aggression Pact with leader Joseph Stalin in

August 1939.

• The agreement stated that neither of them would

attack the other

INVASION OF POLAND (CONT’D)

• The Luftwaffe largely destroyed the Polish air force

on the first day of the attack, and Germany

captured much of the Polish army.

• Warsaw, the Polish capital, was surrounded by

September 17 and surrendered ten days later after

heavy bombing raids.

• Meanwhile, the Soviet army advanced into eastern

Poland.

• Nearly a million Poles were captured by the

Germans and Russians and many died before they

could see freedom again.

THE ALLIES AT WAR

• On September 3, 1939, France and Britain declared

war on Germany.

• On September 10, Canada declared war against

Germany.

The Allies The Axis Powers

• Britain (& Commonwealth)

• France

• Poland

• Soviet Russia (June 1941)

• United States (Dec 1941)

• Germany

• Italy

• Japan

• Countries taken over by

Germany before 1939

• Soviet Russia (until June

1941)

CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE

Discussion Question:

Some historians say the two world wars are really just

one war with a twenty-one-year break in the middle.

Based on what you know about the causes of WWII,

would you agree that it was a result of unresolved

issues from WWI?

CANADIANS AND THE EARLY WAR YEARS

• The Allies had declared war but were not ready

• The first Canadian troops arrived in Britain by

December 1939, but were inexperienced and short

of equipment

BLITZKRIEG

• Hitler took advantage of this and advanced across

Europe.

• Using the Blitzkrieg or “lightning war” strategy, large

numbers of German tanks artillery, and airplanes

attacked, forcing a quick surrender.

• By June 1940, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands,

Belgium, Luxembourg, and France had fallen to

Germany.

France surrenders

June 22, 1940

SAME PLACE, DIFFERENT TIME

• http://9gag.com/gag/aEw00rM?ref=android%20via

%20@9GAG

THE ROAD TO WAR

• Documentary segment (6 mins)

CANADA AND WWII BATTLES WORKSHOP

Individually or in pairs / groups, research the major

battles identified on the mini-unit outline.

Demonstrate your understanding through written,

oral, or visual means. Use the textbook and various

books provided by the teacher.

• Battle of Britain (August–September 1940); Battle of the

Atlantic (1940–1941)

• Canada declares war on Japan (1941); Battle of Hong Kong

(1941)

• Canada and the War in Europe: Dieppe Raid, Allied invasion

of Italy,

• Normandy invasion and campaign in NW Europe

• (D-Day, June 6, 1944, Juno Beach)

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

• The Battle of the Atlantic was between the Allied and Axis powers for control of the sea routes between the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

• It lasted the entire war, from September 1939 to May 1945.

• It was the longest campaign of the Second World War

• It was also the battle on which the whole outcome of the war depended.

• Only with delivery of massive North American resources to Britain and Europe could the Allies defeat Nazi Germany

CANADIAN INFLUENCE

Too Close to Home

U-Boat incursions in the St

Lawrence River brought the war

very close to central Canada.

One U-Boat attack occurred only

300 kilometers from Quebec

City.

This Victory Bond advertisement

draws attention to the possibility

of a German attack in the St.

Lawrence

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

• July 10 to October 31, 1940

• The first battle in world history to be fought entirely in

the air

• Three weeks after the fall of France, Hitler issued

orders to prepare an invasion of Britain.

• The United States had not yet joined the war, and

Canada was Britain's sole major ally.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

• Before Hitler could launch his armies across the

English Channel, he first had to eliminate the Royal

Air Force (RAF).

• Both sides had roughly the same number of fighter

aircraft.

• Britain was fighting for and over its own territory, and

had the advantages of radar and newer fighters.

• The Germans attacked the airfields where the RAF

kept their fighters and then launched bomber raids

at London, Britain's capital city.

“THE BLITZ”

• The Germans were unable to break the British

fighter defence.

• At the end of October, the German air force began

to attack London at night (the "blitz"), and Hitler

postponed the invasion indefinitely.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ

Blitzkrieg or Blitz

• A German expression, borrowed by the English-

speaking Allied nations, whose translation is

"Lightning War."

• The term characterized rapid thrusts by tank and

truck-carried infantry forces closely supported by

bomber and fighter aircraft that gained Hitler his

early victories.

• Shortened to "blitz“, it came to mean the German

day and night bomber attacks against London in

1940 and after.

PEARL HARBOUR

• Dec 7, 1941

• The Japanese launched a surprise air attack on the

Pearl Harbour, the American naval base in Hawaii.

• On December 8, the United States, Britain, and

Canada declared war on Japan.

• In response, Germany and Italy declared war on

the United States.

• The United States had now joined the second world

war.

BATTLE OF HONG KONG

• December 1941

• The British colony of Hong Kong was guarded by

only four battalions at the start of the war

• Allies worried it couldn’t be held if the Japanese

were to attack.

BATTLE OF HONG KONG

• Nevertheless, Britain was convinced that the

Japanese might be scared off by a show of force.

• They asked Canada for help. Prime Minister

Mackenzie King agreed.

• The Canadians arrived in Hong Kong on November

16, 1941.

• While the Japanese had 50,000 experienced

soldiers, the Commonwealth had only 14,000 troops.

BATTLE OF HONG KONG

• Eight hours after bombing Pearl Harbour, the

Japanese forces began attacking Allied bases in

Southeast Asia, including the British colony of Hong

Kong.

• Within ten days the Japanese overtook the

defences on the mainland.

• On December 18, the Japanese landed on Hong

Kong island itself. The Canadians could not hold

them back.

BATTLE OF HONG KONG

• Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day 1941.

• Of the 1,975 Canadians, 290 were killed and 493

wounded.

• 260 more died from conditions of prison camps in

Hong Kong and Japan

“ENEMY ALIENS”: INTERNMENT AND IMMIGRATION RESTRICTIONS

• Since the 1930s, immigration in Canada had been

severely restricted (offset of the Depression)

• Asian and Jewish refugees during WWII faced

internment

• Canada’s view on Jews was “None Was Too Many”

and ultimately only accepted 5,000 Jewish

refugees, the lowest number of all Allied nations

“ENEMY ALIENS”

• Internment also of some Germans, Italians, and

others suspected of disloyalty

• 30,000 people of German, Japanese, and Italian

heritage had to register and report to the RCMP

monthly

• Many were interned in one of the 26 camps across

the country

• Canada also had numerous POW camps for

captured Axis soldiers

JAPANESE-CANADIAN INTERNMENT

• A direct result of Pearl Harbor

• Canada feared Japanese-Canadians would attack

in B.C.

• ¾ of Japanese-Canadians were born in Canada

and some had even fought for Canada in WWI

JAPANESE-CANADIAN INTERNMENT

• In February 1942 Canada interned over 21,000

Japanese-Canadians

• They were not free until 1949

• Schools and businesses were closed

• Personal possessions were confiscated

• Some families were split up

• Some were sent to work camps

JAPANESE-CANADIAN INTERNMENT

• After the war, few Japanese-Canadians were

allowed to return home

• Some returned to Japan

• No Japanese-Canadian ever betrayed Canada

• In 1988, the Canadian government formally

apologized and paid each survivor $21,000

JEWISH INTERNMENT

• “Enemy Aliens” The Internment of Jewish Refugees

in Canada 1940-1943

http://enemyaliens.ca/accueil-home-eng.html

CANADA AND THE WAR IN EUROPE

GERMANY’S TWO-FRONT WAR

• Hitler and Stalin had signed a non-aggression pact

on August 23, 1939.

• However, Germany attacked the Soviet Union on

June 22, 1941.

• Stalin formally joined the Allies that same month

• This was Hitler’s major tactical error: Germany was

now fighting on two fronts

DIEPPE RAID

• August 19, 1942

• A “shocking waste of lives”

• The Soviet Union convinced the Allies to attack

German-controlled territories from the West

• 5,000 Canadian troops, along with a thousand

British troops, attacked the French port of Dieppe

• The purpose was to make a successful raid on

German-occupied Europe over water, and then to

hold Dieppe briefly. The results were disastrous.

DIEPPE

• The German defences were on the alert.

• The main Canadian landing on the Dieppe beach

failed to reach any of their objectives.

• After six hours fighting, the Allies retreated. Over

1,000 were dead and the Germans took 2,000

prisoners.

• Many of the prisoners and those who got back to

England were wounded.

• Two Canadians received the Victoria Cross for their

bravery.

Canadian

soldiers taken

prisoner by

the Germans

at Dieppe.

DIEPPE

• Dieppe in photography and film: National Archives

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/dieppe/inde

x-e.html

DIEPPE

• The Allies lost 106 aircraft (including thirteen RCAF

machines and ten pilots), with the Germans lost only

48 aircraft.

• Dieppe failed because:

o a poor, overly complex plan

o insufficient fire support from aircraft and artillery

o inadequate training of troops for their first test of battle.

ALLIED INVASION OF ITALY

• By 1943, the Allies’ main objective was to take back

land Germany had conquered.

• The Allies attacked Italy to weaken Germany’s

defenses by diverting their troops south.

• In July 1943, 500,000 Canadian, American, and

British troops landed in Sicily, catching Germans and

Italians by surprise

• They withdrew to the Italian mainland, and Sicily fell

to the Allies

ALLIED INVASION OF ITALY

• Benito Mussolini was overthrown shortly after the fall

of Sicily.

• The new government wanted to surrender, but Hitler

sent German troops to occupy and protect Italy.

• Allied soldiers faced intense fighting as they tried to

reach Rome.

• On December 27, 1943, the Canadians took

Ortona.

• They later left to join the northern Europe campaign.

• The Italian campaign claimed 5,399 Canadian lives

and wounded thousands more.

CANADIAN HERO: TOMMY PRINCE

• Thomas George Prince was born October 25, 1915

at Scanterbury, Manitoba

• Member of the Brokenhead First Nation

• Descendant of Chief Peguis (in 1790s Peguis had

led 200 Anishinaabe people to the Red River area)

• Prince endured discrimination and was denied

acceptance in the army several times

• In June 1940 he was finally accepted

• Prince went on to become the most decorated First

Nations soldier in Canada

TOMMY PRINCE

• Prince was part of a group of elite Paratroopers in

Italy, taking on the most difficult and dangerous

tasks. German soldiers began calling them the

“Devil’s Brigade”

• When Prince returned home, however, he was

denied the rights non-Aboriginal veterans were

granted

• Prince became the chairman of the MB Indian

Association in 1946, where he tried to improve living

conditions of First Nations people

TOMMY PRINCE

• The government did little, so Prince reenlisted with

United Nations troops during the Korean war and

was awarded for his service.

• Prince died on November 25, 1977. There are

scholarships, army training programs, street names,

and other memorials in his honour today.

Cause and Consequence task: Many argue that

Prince’s work in Manitoba helped change

government policies. Explain how Prince might be

seen as a catalyst of change.

THE CHANGING FACE OF CANADA’S MILITARY

Shaping Canada Textbook p. 376

D-DAY: OPERATION OVERLORD

• “On this day in history” BBC News broadcast

• D-Day was the start of the liberation of western

Europe

• On June 6, 1944, the "Second Front" became reality.

Canadian, Britain, and American forces landed on

the beaches of Normandy

• In the weeks before that, the Allied air forces had

attacked the German transportation network to cut

off supplies

D-DAY

• On D-Day itself, the Allies stormed five beaches

• Canada was assigned to Juno Beach

• At the end of the first day, the Allies held a thin

beachhead, but had suffered fewer casualties than

they expected.

D-Day preparations: part of the

invasion fleet. Source: Library

and Archives Canada

An original D-

Day Invasion

map.

Castle Loma,

Toronto

Troops of the

9th Canadian

Infantry

Brigade

going ashore.

Juno Beach,

Normandy,

France, 6 June

1944.

Library and

Archives

Canada

Juno Beach

D-DAY

• Hard battles followed.

• 50,000 German soldiers were killed and 200,000

taken prisoner.

• The German army lost most of its armor and vehicles

in France.

• At first, the Canadians were under British command,

but with the arrival of 2nd Canadian Division and

4th Canadian Armored Division in July, they were

under Canadian command.

D-DAY

• Interactive Map of D-Day

• A Veteran speaks: “Winning our Battles”

D-DAY

D-Day landings: Then and Now (from the guardian)

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ng-

interactive/2014/jun/01/d-day-landings-scenes-in-

1944-and-now-interactive

CANADIAN HERO: ANDREW MYNARSKI

• Andrew Mynarski historica minute

• https://www.historica-

dominion.ca/content/heritage-minutes/andrew-

mynarski

CONSCRIPTION CRISIS IN CANADA

• 1944

CONSCRIPTION CRISIS

• Conscription divided the nation in the Second

World War

• In 1939 Prime Minister Mackenzie King, conscious of

the opposition of French-speaking Quebec to

conscription in the First World War, promised that

there would be no conscription for overseas service.

• By mid-1940, however, there was enormous pressure

from English Canada conscription.

CONSCRIPTION CRISIS

• King introduced the National Resources Mobilization

Act (NRMA), which called for a national registration

of eligible men and authorized conscription for

home defence.

• From April 1941 the young men called up were

required to serve for the rest of the war on home

defence duties.

CONSCRIPTION CRISIS

• Japan entered the war in December 1941, which

prompted further demands for overseas

conscription.

• In April 1942, King asked Canadians to release him

from his 1939 promise.

• Overall, the "Yes" side won, with 64%, but

Quebeckers voted 73% against and many other

non-English-Canadians were also opposed.

• The NRMA was amended to allow conscription for

overseas service, but for now King went no further

because there were enough volunteers available.

CONSCRIPTION CRISIS

• Fighting in Normandy after D-Day led to high

casualty rates among the infantry.

• On November 22, 1944, King was forced to reverse

his position and order conscripts overseas.

• 13,000 NRMA men eventually left Canada, but only

2,463 reached units in the field before the end of

the fighting. 69 of the men died in battle.

WARTIME PROPAGANDA

• Canadian propaganda

• If Day: The Nazi Invasion of

Winnipeg

Source: Library and Archives Canada

CANADIAN LIBERATION OF FRANCE

• Allied forces pushed inland and liberated several

French towns, including Dieppe.

• Allies were victorious in the Battle of the Scheldt,

gaining a supply route through Antwerp, Belgium.

• Canadians suffered heavy casualties, however,

including 2,831 while liberating France and 6,400 at

Scheldt

• The victories cleared the way for the final advance

into Germany

CANADIAN LIBERATION OF THE NETHERLANDS

• On February 8, 1945, almost 175,000 Canadians

joined the Rhine Offensive

• Canadians drove Germans out of the Netherlands

and back into northern Germany

• Canadian liberations found Dutch citizens on the

brink of starvation

• On April 22, a truce was reached with Germany so

the Allies could provide disaster relief to the

Netherlands

GERMANY SURRENDERS

• After Canadians marched into northern Germany,

other Allies moved on Berlin.

• On April 30, 1945, the Soviets entered the city

• Hitler died by suicide to avoid falling into

Communist hands

• On May 5, a ceasefire was declared

• On May 7, Germany surrendered unconditionally

V-E DAY:VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY

May 7, 1945: Germany surrenders unconditionally and

the Allies declare Victory in Europe Day

HIROSHIMA / NAGASAKI

• War continued in the Pacific

• Japan had occupied several countries, including

most of the China, and the Philippines.

• Since the war in Europe was over, the Allies focused

on the Pacific.

• By July 1945, nearly 80,000 Canadians volunteered

to fight; however, the atomic bomb would change

everything.

HIROSHIMA / NAGASAKI

• To end the war, U.S. president Harry Truman

decided to use a new weapon.

• The atomic (nuclear) bomb was dropped on

Hiroshima at 8:16 am on August 6, 1945.

• Over 90,000 people were killed instantly.

• Three days later, Japan was still ready to fight.

• The American response was to drop another atomic

bomb, this time in Nagasaki. 74,000 people were

killed.

• On August 14, 1945, Japan unconditionally

surrendered. World War Two was over.

HIROSHIMA / NAGASAKI

• Eye-witness accounts

http://www.inicom.com/hibakusha/

THE HOLOCAUST

• Separate unit of study

CANADA AND THE POST WAR WORLD

• Creation of the United Nations (1945)

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

• Newfoundland joins Canada (1949)

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization: NATO (1949)

• Cold War

• Suez Crisis (1956); Canada and U.N. peacekeeping

• Canada – U.S. Relations: NORAD

• Canada emerges as a middle power

SOURCES

• Canadian Encyclopedia

• Canadian War Museum

• Shaping Canada textbook

• Veterans Affairs Canada