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Canada’s Involvement During
World War Two
A Brief Introduction
Canada’s Initial Role
• Canadian Prime
Minister MacKenzie
King was
“Isolationist”.
• He didn’t want
Canada to get
involved in the wars
of Europe during the
late 1930s
Franco and Mussolini
• Mussolini invaded
Abyssinia (Ethopia) in
1935.
• The League of Nations
wanted to impose
sanctions but King said
“no!”
• The Spanish Civil War
erupted in 1936-39.
Canada’s policy was
not to stand up to either
one of these Fascist
dictators (Franco,
Mussolini)
Bunito Mussolini
Franciso Franco
Norman Bethune
• Dr. Norman Bethune
did get involved in
the Spanish Civil War
to “stop the fascists
of Franco”.
• He aided the
Communists in this
war and would later
become famous for
inventing blood
transfusions.
Famous Canadian Doctor, Dr. Norman
Bethune did get involved
The Invasion of Poland
• On Sept 1st, 1939, the
German Army invades
Poland.
• On Sept 3rd, France
and Britain declare
war on Germany
• Canada declares war
one week later on
Sept. 10th, 1939.
Why?
The Blitz over Poland in 1939
German Troops march into
Warsaw, Poland
The Axis and the Allies
The Allies
• Great Britain
(Australia, New
Zealand, and South
Africa too)
• France
• Canada
• Russia
• The United States
(After 1941
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill,
American President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
And Russian President Joseph Stalin
The Axis and the Allies
The Axis Powers:
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
Italian Leader Mussolini with
German leader Adolf Hitler
The Battle of Hong Kong
• After the Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbour, they attacked
Hong Kong (A British Colony)
• Many knew that Hong Kong
was impossible to defend.
• More than 1,900 Canadians
volunteered to defend Hong
Kong. They were considered to
be “Lambs to the Slaughter”
• More than 550 Canadians were
killed. The rest were taken
prisoner by the Japanese.
The Canadians defend
Hong Kong in 1941
Dieppe
• Of the 5,000
Canadians who
stormed the beaches
at Dieppe, France:
• 900 Killed, 3,300
casualties
• 1,900 soldiers were
taken prisoner.
• In a word, Dieppe
was a disaster
Churchill Tank never made
It off the beach
Dieppe
The steep cliffs and Beach at Dieppe, France
Dieppe
The Planned invasion of Dieppe
Dieppe
• Why was Dieppe a
Disaster?
• Was there anything
gained from this
military disaster?
• Did Dieppe make DDay a success?
The Italian Campaign
Canadian Forces Landed with American
And British Forces at Sicily and moved
Northward towards Ortona, Italy
The Battle of Ortona
• In 1943, American, Canadian
and British forces landed on
the Italian Island of Sicily.
• Canadian Troops moved
North eventually making it to
Italian city of Ortona where
they met heavy German
resistance.
• The Canadians fought well
at Ortona. However, it was at
a great cost:
• 502 dead and 1,873
wounded.
• In Italy, 6,000 Canadians
died
The Battle of Ortona
Street Warfare: Typical
“Guerilla” type battle
Conditions during the
Battle of Ortona
D-Day
• D-Day was launched on
June 6th, 1944
• 5,000 ships crossed the
English Channel
• 107,000 troops stormed the
beaches at Normandy,
France.
• 14,000 Canadian troops
landed at Normandy at Juno
Beach.
• 110 Canadian warships took
part
Troops Landing at Normandy, France
D-Day
D-Day
• Canadian Troops were the
left flank of the coordinated
Allied attack at Normandy.
• After securing the
beachhead, Canadian troops
advanced eastward and
were eventually successful in
liberating Holland in the
Spring of 1945.
• Canadian war veterans are
still honored in Holland for
the essential role they played
in the liberation of their
country
Landing at D-Day
Canada’s Commitment: The Facts
• Over 1 Million
Canadians served in
World War Two
• 45,000 Canadians
were killed
• 55,000 were
seriously wounded