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Canada’s Role in Europe During
WWII
THE WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE
Canadians at Dieppe
In the early months of 1942, the war was not going
well for the Allies. In the Soviet Union, in Egypt, and in
North Africa, it seemed likely to be a long uphill battle.
Stalin was calling for allies to open-up in the Western
Europe and divert some pressure from the Soviet
Union.
WATERS, BEACHES, AND
CLIFF FORMATIONS OF
DIEPPE
THE WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE
Canadians at Dieppe
a)A smaller invasion was planned on the Western Front--in August 1942, close to 5,000 Canadian’s landed at
Dieppe on the coast of France. Their objective was to
take the beach and the town of Dieppe. Upon arrival,
the soldiers were mowed down on the beach by
German fire
b)By early afternoon, 900 Canadian soldiers were dead
or dying, 1000 were wounded, 1900 were taken
prisoner. More Canadian troops died in these few hours
than any other day in the War.
THE WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE
Canadians at Dieppe
c) The plan unraveled before it started:
Part of the flotilla encountered enemy convoy and a
noisy fight ensued---(surprise!?), and at the last
minute, the Brits decided to forgo a planned aerial
bombardment of the Dieppe fortifications.
THE WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE
Canadians at Dieppe
d) Why were Canadian troops involved?
• PM Mackenzie King was going through a
conscription crisis , and desperately needed a
diversion.
• Canadian troops were considered to be
expendable by other Allied powers
THE WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE
Canadians at Dieppe
e) Significance:
• it taught the Allies that heavy air and sea support is
needed for future invasions.
• Some historians suggest that the lessons learned at
Dieppe saved lives on the beaches of Normandy
later in the war.
THE DIEPPE DISASTER
Dieppe raid was made up of mostly Canadians—who
had not seen action yet
The raid was a disaster due to:
•Poor communication
•Bad timing
•Inadequate planning
•Poor weather
•Rough seas
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQhPjKet4II
THE UNANSWERED QUESTION: WAS
THE RAID JUSTIFIED?
• NOT JUSTIFIED
• Many people including veterans and historians recount
Dieppe as a senseless slaughter, a massacre.
• The raid is also criticized for giving Germans an insight
into the Allied tactics of an amphibious attack.
• Critics say that the unseasoned Canadians were used as
lab rats, test subjects for the eventual attack on
Normandy.
Was the Raid Justified Continued….
• JUSTIFIED
• Others stress that without a trial run of communications,
equipment, and the use of men and a three pronged
aerial, sea, and land attack, the Allies would have never
been able to fix the problems with their approach.
• Some say that Dieppe taught the Allies valuable lessons
on how to conduct an amphibious attack and lead to
the successful Normandy D-Day invasions in 1944.
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
War raged on at sea as well.
This, in fact, was were Canada played one of its most
important roles in the war.
• If Britain was to survive alone, they would need to
be supplied with food and materials from Canada.
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
Battle of the Atlantic was the longest campaign of
WWII. The war was fought for control of the shipping
lanes between NA and Britain.
•Germany’s goal: to cut-off all Allied supplies to
Britain, in the hopes of starving Britain into submission
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
Hitler found a way to threaten this supply line with one
of his deadliest weapons: the U-Boat
U-boats travelled in groups called “wolf packs,”
patrolling the Atlantic for merchant ships carrying
supplies to Britain.
Hitler’s plan was to starve the country into surrender
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
By 1941—German U-Boats were sinking Allied ships
faster than they could be built.
Allied ships began sailing in convoys (merchant ships
surrounded by destroyers)
The Royal Canadian Navy provided much of the
protection with their small warships called corvettes
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
British, Canadian and later Americans navy’s
became committed to putting an end to the
German submarine threat.
U-Boats were even active in Canadian waters (St.
Lawrence River—they sank 21 ships)
THE BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC
The Convoy system saw some success as more ships
were added to the escort fleets, and training
improved.
The Royal Canadian Air force was provided with longrange bombers that could cover the convoys until
they reached British airspace.
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
• The Germans started with the advantage in the
BofA—they sank hundreds of merchant and
military ships
• By 1943, German wolfpacks became less
effective and suffered heavy damage
• Advances in SONAR and air patrol defeated the
Germans
• 1942, Allies broke the German U-Boat codes and
by 44 they took back control of the waters.
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
Significance to Canada: Initially, the Royal Canadian
Navy only consisted of 13 ships and about 3,000
sailors, by the end of the war, it had expanded to
include 370 ships and almost 10,000 personnel.
•Over 2,000 members lost their lives in this battle.
•This battle was Canada’s most decisive contribution
to the war effort—their enormous effort was crucial to
Allied Victory.
THE TIDE TURNS
• The early years of WWII did not go well for Allies in
Europe
• Germany controlled almost the entire continent,
and the Allies didn’t have a foothold on the
continent in order to fight back.
THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN
The “Soft Underbelly of Europe”
•By 1942, the war was turning for the allies
•A full-scale invasion and liberation of France was
being planned, but the Allies realized they needed to
attack the continent elsewhere
•A two-pronged attack would divide the German
army and improve the Allies’ chances of success
THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN
• Allies concluded that the best place for attack was
through Italy
• The Italian Campaign began in Sicily and moved
northward up the peninsula (the “boot”).
• Sicily was taken easily in the summer of ‘43, but
when the Allies crossed Italy, German resistance
grew more determined.
THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN
• The Allies continued to move forward, driving the
Germans from one town after another
• Canadian troops played an important role in the
Italian campaign—they are best remembered for
the fierce battles they waged in Ortona, on Italy’s
east coast (December 1943)
THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN
• Ortona: Canadian troops eventually took the town,
but it was not easy, and many lives were lost.
• Ortona was one of the bloodiest battles of the
campaign
• The Italian Campaign ended in June 1944. Italy had
surrendered, but Germany refused to do so.