Download Canadian Battles During WWII

Canadian Battles During WWII
1. The Battle of the North Atlantic
The war in the Atlantic was fought over control of merchant shipping lanes.
In a response to German U-Boats, Canada used the convoy system to protect
its merchant ships. The Canadian-made ‘Corvette’ traveled in the convoy of
50-60 ships. This battle went on over the duration of the war. It was vital
to the success of the allies.
2. August 19, 1942 The Dieppe Raid
At Dieppe the allies hoped to distract the Nazis from fighting in Russia;
gather info. on their coastal defense system in France and return home
safely to Britain. The raid was a failure because the allies did not arrive
under the cover of darkness as planned. As a result the Germans were ready
for the attack and easily mowed down soldiers as they landed on the
beaches. More Canadians died at Dieppe than on any other day of the war.
Of 5000 troops 1400 were killed/wounded, while approx. 2000 were taken
prisoner.
3. December, 1943 The Battle of Ortona
Canadian troops began their fight in Italy by easily driving up the peninsula
from the Southern tip of Sicily in an attempt to drive German soldiers back
to Germany. German forces made a stand at Ortona to try to protect Rome
from falling. Canadian troops distinguished themselves at Ortona by
defeating elite German soldiers and capturing the city on December 27.
This was one of Canada’s greatest achievements in the war.
4. June 6, 1944 D-Day Invasion
Operation ‘Overlord’ was the name given to the largest allied surprise attack
in WWII. The purpose was to launch a massive invasion to regain control of
German controlled Europe in France. Canadian forces joined the British and
Americans and were assigned an Eastern section of Normandy’s beaches
called ‘Juno’ beach. Canadian troops successfully took Juno Beach from
German control. By the end of D-Day more than 155,000 soldiers and 6000
vehicles had landed in France. The allies successfully destroyed the
defending Germans and began to move inland. This forced Germany to fight
a war on two fronts.
5. 1944-1945 The Liberation of Northern Europe
Once the Nazis were forced out of France the occupied countries of Europe
needed to be liberated. The Canadians were assigned the Netherlands and
Belgium. The Germans resisted this liberation and were ordered to fiercely
defend their ground by Hitler. Despite this Canada freed these countries.
On May 7, 1945 Germany surrendered to the invading allied forces, known as
VE-Day (victory in Europe).