Download Canada and World War II

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This video deals with Canada's experience of the
Second World War. It covers the road to war,
Canada's role in all major theatres of conflict, the
home front including the conscription debate, and the
situation at the war's end.
Timing Information
Please set your VCR to 0 mins. at the program start.
Minute
Teacher's Notes
CANADA AND
WORLD WAR TWO
Duration: 34 minutes
Grades 9-11
Topic
0'00"
The Road to War
2'40"
Canada Declares War
5'30"
The Early War
9'30"
The Army
19'00"
The Navy
22'00"
The Air Force
26'00"
The Home Front
32'00"
Victory
Synopsis
This program provides an overview of Canada's role in
World War Two and shows how the war affected all
aspects of Canadian life. Descriptive narrative, period
visuals and first hand accounts are all used to give
Canada's war effort.
The armed forces grew rapidly; new technology
changed. The nature of fighting, and involved the air
force and navy to a greater extent than they had been
involved in previous wars. Canada's role as a major
supplier of war equipment revitalized industries and
farms that had been hard hit by depression and
drought.
This program is divided into sections and may be
viewed in segments or used as a whole, either for
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introduction to or review of the topic.
Sections in Detail
The Road to War
In the late thirties, Canada was still struggling with the
affects of the Depression, and the Canadians were
unenthusiastic about the problems of Europe.
In Asia, the Japanese had invaded China and were
looking for further military expansion. Mussolini's
Fascist regime had invaded Abyssinia despite
international condemnation, and in Germany Adolf
Hitler and his Nazi Party were intent on enlarging
German control in Europe. The Western democracies
responded ineffectually.
In September 1939 the Germans invaded Poland.
France and Britain were both allies of Poland, and
they declared war on Germany.
Canada Declares War
In order to assert Canadian sovereignty, Prime
Minister Mackenzie King declared war on Germany
one week after Britain. Unlike the beginning of WW1,
there were no jubilant crowds celebrating war.
Mackenzie King was determined to limit Canadian
casualties and to avoid the bitter debate on
Conscription that had occurred in the First World War.
Despite the small size of the armed forces at the
outbreak of war, Canadians joined up in large
numbers: more that 58,000 in the first month.
"If you didn't [join up], unless you had a good reason
for it you were looked down upon."
"I was going because it was the thing to do, and that's
what I'm afraid most people got to war for, it's the
thing to do."
Britain asked Canada to run an air training school for
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aircrew from all over the Commonwealth. Mackenzie
King accepted eagerly.
The Early War
In the years leading up to the war, the German army
had developed a new form of attack called the
Blitzkrieg. It employed tanks, infantry and aircraft in a
highly co-ordinated fashion.
In May 1940 the German armies attacked in the
West. Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg were quickly
overrun: the French and allied armies crumbled before
the invasion. At Dunkirk, Canada became Britain's
most powerful ally until the USA entered the war.
Canada responded by putting the whole economy on
a war footing and introducing conscription for service
at home.
CD Howe became minister for munitions and supply.
He oversaw the modernization and expansion of
Canadian industries: Canada began making warships,
military aircraft, tanks, guns and hundreds of
thousands of trucks.
Despite its small beginnings, Canada ended the war
with the world's third largest navy and fourth largest
Allied air force.
The Army
The first Canadian army units to see action were not
in Europe but in Hong Kong. At the end of 1941, the
British asked Canada to send a force to help protect
the colony from the Japanese, despite admitting that
it could not be defended. After a brave resistance the
colony surrendered on Christmas Day 1941: a quarter
of the 2,000 Canadians who sailed to Hong Kong did
not survive the war.
In Europe, the Canadian army was impatiently waiting
in Britain. In order to draw German troops away from
the Russian front, and to test invasion techniques, the
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Allied high command decided to launch a major raid
on the French coast. They choose the small town of
Dieppe.
5,000 Canadians attacked on August 19, 1942. The
Germans were alerted and the raid was a bloody
failure: 2,000 Canadians were taken prisoner and 907
died on the beach.
".... Boat after boat came back with casualties ..
Dieppe should never have happened ... It was very
obvious that the Germans knew everything about the
Dieppe raid and were waiting for them."
Despite losses, the Canadian high Command insisted
that Canadians take part in the invasions of Sicily and
Italy. The Canadians proved to be capable and
professional soldiers as they fought up the difficult
terrain of Italy. More than 90,000 Canadians served in
Italy: a quarter of them were wounded or killed.
The bulk of the Canadian Army remained in Britain,
where they formed part in the invasion of Normandy on
D-Day, June 6, 1944. 14,000 Canadian participated. It
was the largest invasion in History.
"We had been so well trained that we knew exactly
where we were .. we just headed straight inland .. we
had a few little dicey situations on the way .."
"We were advancing across open ground and I was
again shot, a couple of times, and that was it. I didn't
hate the Germans .. and I haven't hated them since ...
they were doing their job, I was doing ours."
The Navy
A constant flow of supplies to Britain was critical.
Canadians began making warships and transports,
and many Canadians joined the Navy, However, both
training and vessels were of poor quality and they
suffered a great deal at the hands of the German
submarines.
In 1943 the convoy system was reorganized and the
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British navy helped train the Canadian sailors.
Eventually the Allied navies prevailed. Canadian
warships served in all theatres of war.
The Air Force
The Commonwealth Air Training Plan was established
in Canada and trained aircrew from all over the world.
Large numbers of Canadian aircrew served directly in
the Royal Air Force of Britain.
The creation of No. 6 (RCAF) Bomber Group was an
important milestone for Canada's Air Force. It grew to
14 squadrons of heavy bombers, flying deep into the
heart of Germany on night bombing raids.
The bombing campaign was of limited effect on
German industries, but it reduced cities to ruins and
killed almost two million German civilians. The bomber
crews suffered great casualties as well. Of 17,000
Canadians who died in the Air Force, 10,000 were
from Bomber Command.
"Every night some of them didn't come back ..
hundreds, sometimes thousands of people were being
killed as a result of our actions .. they thought about
London and Coventry and Amsterdam .. this was
retaliation. In wartime with all the propaganda that
there is you're conditioned to do these things .."
The RCAF flew in all theatres of war, both in Europe
and the Pacific, and flew all manner of aircraft.
The Home Front
As losses mounted, the Government asked to be
released from its pledge not to introduce conscription.
The result granted them permission, though there
were deep divisions between French and English
Canadians.
15,000 conscripts were sent overseas late in the war
and few were killed or wounded.
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Canadians who were of German or Italian descent
were harassed, but Japanese Canadians suffered
most. Despite having no crimes and posing little
threat to security, over 26,000 Japanese Canadians
had their possessions confiscated and were sent to
harsh camps deep in the interior of the BC.
society had been transformed, with new roles for
women, a powerful industrial base and a new sense of
national self-confidence. Canada now ranked high in
the middle powers.
1. Describe "Blitzkrieg".
The war changed forever the lives of those who took
part:
b) for Canada?
There were great social changes brought by the war
as well. Women filled the places men had left in
industry: half a million women worked directly in war
production and 50,000 joined the armed forces.
"To me the most dramatic experience was seeing
some of my very good friends killed alongside of me.
That was probably the most dramatic thing ... and
once that happened, I said gee, there's got to be a
better way than this."
War brought shortages and a black market as well.
Unemployment insurance was introduced, anticipating
another depression after the war. New political parties
sprang up and trade unions gained in power.
Victory
In 1945 the Canadian Army was pushing north into
Holland, fighting across frozen canals and flooded
fields. On April 25, 1945 American and Soviet troops
met at the Elbe river deep in Germany: a few days
later, Hitler committed suicide. The war in Europe was
over.
In the Pacific, the Japanese fought on. Canadian
troops began to transfer to that theatre of war, in
preparation for the invasion of Japan. It was expected
to be one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war. The
two atomic bombs convinced the Japanese to
surrender, before an invasion became necessary.
Canadian servicemen returned home, coming back to
a changed society. More that a million Canadians
served in the war, 10% of the population. 730,000
served in the Army, of whom 23,000 dies. In the Air
Force, of 250,000 people 17,000 died. 113,000
Canadians served in the Navy and 1,200 lost their
lives. In total, Canada suffered more than 42,000 dead
(compared to over 60,000 in the first World War).
Conscription debates had again split the nation: but
Student Activities
In place of taking notes or as a focus for discussion
the following questions could be dealt with during the
program. Teachers could stop the tape at the most
appropriate points.
Beginnings
1. Why were most Canadians not concerned with
happenings thousands of miles away in Europe or
Asia?
2. What was the major cause of World War Two?
3. What foreign policy did Britain and France follow in
response to German aggression during the 1930's?
4. What was Canada's response to refugees from
Nazi Germany?
5. What event started World War Two?
6. Why did the Canadian government wait for a week
before declaring war on Germany?
7. How and why was the mood in Canada very
different from World War One?
8. How was Canada unprepared for World War Two?
(. In the program veterans indicate that "joining up
was the thing to do". What do you think they meant
by this statement.
The Early War
2. What was the significance of Dunkirk and the fall of
France: a) for the allies?
3. What became Canada's most important role early
in the war?
4. How did the Canadian government raise funds to
help pay for the war effort?
Army
1. Where did Canadian troops first see action in World
War Two? Why was this controversial?
2. How were Canadian aircrews and the Canadian
Navy involved in the early stages of the war?
3. Why was 1942 described as "the darkest days for
the Allies"?
4. What was the Soviet Union pressuring the Western
Allies into do? Why?
5. Describe the Dieppe Raid and the controversy
which surrounds it. (be sure to use some of the
information provided by the veteran)
6. What very difficult and bitter campaign were
Canadian Troops engaged in from 1943 to 1945?
7. Describe D Day and Canadian involvement in it.
(Again, use information provided by the Canadian
veteran)
8. Describe the attitude expressed by one Canadian
veteran towards the German soldiers he was
fighting.
Navy
1. Describe the role played by the Canadian Navy in
the allied war effort.
2. Why was the Battle of the Atlantic so important?
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How did one describe it?
Air Force
1. What was the Commonwealth Air Training Plan?
2. What became a milestone for the Canadian Air
Force? What was its job?
3. Describe the impact of and subsequent debate over
the bombing of German cities.
4. List from other activities carried out by RCAF.
Home Front
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Hong Kong.
c) Evaluate the decision to attack Dieppe in Aug.
1942.
d) Evaluate the decision to intern Japanese Canadians
in 1942.
e) Discuss the controversy over conscription during
World War Two. (Or compare it to the crisis in
World War One).
f) Debate the question: was the bombing of German
cities and the killing of so many German civilians
necessary or justified?
1. Who made the major decisions about the overall
direction of the war effort?
g) Debate the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb on
Japan.
2. Describe the Conscription crisis which developed in
Canada during World War Two.
2. Interview someone about their memories of the war.
This person could be a relative a neighbour or
someone in a senior citizens home. Ask the
person what it was like to live through the war. How
is life today different from life then? What are the
persons most vivid memories? How did he or she
feel about incidents such as the Holocaust, the
internment of Japanese Canadians or the bombing
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
3. Describe what happened to Japanese Canadians
during World War Two.
4. Provide several specific examples of how the war
brought enormous social and economic change to
Canada.
Victory
1. Where were Canadian soldiers involved in the final
stages of the war in Europe?
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Program written & produced by:
Ian Vaile.
Teachers Notes:
By Lorne Zeimer.
Copyright
CLASSROOM VIDEO (1992)
and Orders:
107 1500 Hartley Avenue
Coquitlam, BC V3K 7A1
2. How did the war in Europe end?
Phone: (604) 523 6677 Fax: (604) 523 6688
3. What ended the war against in Japan?
4. List the major results of the war from Canada.
Other Student Activities
1. The following are topics that may be researched for
either written or oral reports or in some cases for
discussion debate in class.
a) Describe and evaluate the causes of World War
Two.
b) Evaluate the decision to send Canadian troops to
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