World War II Improved Canada's Identity

Great Essays
One of the major historical events that strengthened Canada’s identity was World War II. About one out of ten Canadians served in the war and many sacrificed their lives for the freedom and the will to defeat the force of aggression (The Axis powers), in hopes of having a better world. Represented by the hard-fought battles of the determined citizens and heroic soldiers, Canada was able to make one of the most significant contributions towards the war. Utilizing each of the military branches effectively, Canadians were able to display their strength further than most of the countries. Especially in the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic and D-day, Canada showed their impressive and tactical demonstration of their ability. Not only …show more content…
Since Britain was one of the major Allied powers, if it was defeated, it would have brought devastating effects toward the Allies. In helping Britain withstand the German assaults, Canada played a pivotal role in the airborne counter-attack and supplying the man-powers including the equipments. In July 1940, Hitler started to prepare for Operation Sealion, which involves the seaborne invasion of Britain. However he sent the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) first because he felt that it was essential to weaken Britain’s Royal Air Force to achieve air superiority. Since Britain lost its principal ally, France, Britain had to depend on the Dominions and itself. Noticing Britain might fall under German force, Canada provided one of the largest contingents of pilots (112) to aid Britain. On top of that, Britain had only weak troops to endure the hardships of German assault, so the 1st Canadian Division provided a variety of equipments and later became part of the 7th British Army Corps. By creating a new formation of the army, Britain was able to intensely prepare for the counter-attack against the German force. Also, many Canadians pilots with the experiences became flight instructors in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which trained 167,000 air personnels, including more than 50,000 pilots in Canada, which became a major help throughout the …show more content…
Approximately, one in ten Allied soldiers on D-day was Canadian. Alongside with the major powers of U.S.A. and Britain, Canada made its identity much stronger and gained many respects from the other countries. Juno Beach was one of the five beachheads in Normandy which Canada had to invade. Landing at Normandy was the first step to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany. At 6 a.m. of that day, the surprise attack began, and amazingly, the troops cleared most of the coastal defences within two hours of landing. The beach was heavily reinforced with mines, pillboxes, razor wires, constant fortress of guns and other obstacles, both in the water and on the beach. If the Allies could defeat the Germans in Normandy, they could start pushing them down out of France and back into Germany. There was 3-phase assault in Juno Beach on the German forces. The first phase was the air assault. The aircraft in the early morning began bombing, targeting German defenses while the paratroopers were being dropped behind the enemy lines in France. The second phase was the naval assault. Over 7,000 ships cleared lanes through submerged minefields and bombarded German positions. Also, the ships were used to deliver the troops to the shore and all of the equipments and supplies needed for the battle

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Ww1 Unit 1 Research Paper

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Canada’s role in the air proved to be of similar significance as on land. The Battle of Britain was a fight in which Canada used its air force to protect Britain from the air. About 17,000 died, the great majority while serving with Bomber Command in air raids over Germany in an effort to destroy German industry and the morale of the German people. By the end of the day Germany has lost over 60 aircraft and failed to smash the Allied air defenses. Thanks to a determined defense by the Royal Air Force, including many Canadian pilots who had volunteered in 1939, the Germans failed to seize control of the skies.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Vimy Ridge Essay

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Canadians put General Arthur Currie in command of the soldiers. General Currie created a well-thought plan for each of the four divisions. First, they dug tunnels under ‘No Man’s Land’ and practiced on mock battlefields. Then, they were given maps of their objectives, it had the German artillery positions marked. Canadian soldiers spent two weeks prior of the attack identifying them.…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the very two first months that Canada joined the war they were already in Britain helping fight alongside the british troops. Canada was Britain 's essential defence of the British Isles. Then in 1944 Canada played one of the most imperative roles in the Normandy raid where they enabled the first allied convoy to finally arrive in Antwerp. Canada 's role in World War II was not only helpful but, essential to the…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Canada led offensives across Holland to end the German…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Canada is a country that its people should be proud of for its fast growth in power and strength. For example, ever since Canada fought its first war with Britain, it had shown that it could fight and take care of itself, and constantly prosper. Like in WW1, when Canada fought and kept back the German forces in the Battle of Ypres, they were the only ones capable of holding back and repair the “hole” made in the Allied trenches from Germany’s Chlorine Gas attack. When Germany launched their first gas attack, British and french troops fled the area, fearing that they might die in the attack. But without a large section of the trenches guarded, the German troops would easily have been able to outflank the allies and win the war.…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Canada was a bigger factor than any would suspect when it came to combat. One of the most famous victories in Canadian history was that of Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge was captured through unique strategies, and many sacrifices. This victory in particular sparked Canadian pride because of the respect gained from allies and enemies alike. " The achievements and sacrifices of our soldiers on Vimy Ridge helped forge Canada into the independent country that it is today.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The War of 1812). And even though the battle came to a standstill, Canadian still viewed themselves as the winners. Canada may not be the country it is today, or even a country at all, without the occurrence of the War of…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many Know that the Canadian army is small but the victories and impression we have left will be forever remembered. "We have long said that when Great Britain is at war, we are at war; to-day we realize that Great Britain is at war and that Canada is at war also" – Wilfred Laurier. Our involvement in WWI was based off Britain going to war against Germany. Vimy Ridge is what turned heads during WWI, showing our militaries prowess. Canada’s amount of raw materials Canada that we exported to Britain played a massive part in the allied success.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The battle at Vimy Ridge helped Canada become a nation, for when it entered the war, Canada was considered a British colony, but our troops spread out with intense determination, and that set us apart from…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the reasons this battle went so well is because they Learn from their mistakes and used what they learned from the battle of Dieppe to plan how they are going to invade France. the goal of this battle was to liberate German-occupied France. in order to effectively invade France the allies split up and it was Canada’s job to fight the battle on Juno beach. this was a very successful battle on all fronts for the allies. the D-Day invasion really showed the allies that Canada is strong and can fight their own…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Throughout history WW2 has killed more people than any other war, but it was actually a good thing that it happened, especially for Canada. At the time before the war the world was in a great depression, let alone millions suffering inside of Canada, but as the war was declared more and more people found jobs in the factories and soon everyone could have a job working in some way to afford necessary human needs such as food and to start up the suffering economy creating the cycle of redistribution. With those factories opening the technology and inventions for the war which would lead to them coming out to the public and not only broadening Canada’s technology and making it better, but also helping out significantly with the war. Not only did this war lift Canada out of the depression and inspire different inventions but it also raised Canada’s reputation with the brave battles that we have fought in the war and our large support with troops and supplies. A lot of people are convinced that WW2 was a terrible tragedy, but in reality WW2 was actually good for Canada’s growth and involvement in world affairs.…

    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mackenzie King's Analysis

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages

    At the time, it was the first time that the country had really taken a stand for itself and made their own declaration of war as a sovereign nation. Canada did not want to be associated and known as ‘a colony created by the U.K’ but, instead it wants to be known as a nation that is it’s own and that can defend itself. In 1939, Canada made an agreement with Britain called the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan also known as the BCATP, which was supposed to train Canadian aircrew. Mackenzie King decided that people that were apart of this organization should be known as members of ‘The Royal Canadian Airforce’. The agreement “…was a major Canadian contribution to Allied air superiority in World War II, and lasted until 31 March 1945…,” This statement proves that Canada is…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Battle Of D-Day Essay

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Axis countries were Germany, Japan, and Italy (Xl). In preparation, the Allied forces brought nearly 200,000 seamen and merchant marines, 59 convoys carrying 130,000 soldiers, 2,000 tanks, 12,000 vehicles, and over 3,000 planes to the beaches of Normandy in order to defeat the German Axis army who had gained control of France (53). The Axis were stationed “On many of the beaches, the sand between high and low tide was completely covered with girders that had teller mines which were there to blow the tracks off panzers if any tried to come ashore, and also the Belgian gates” (Eckhertz 98). The Axis was enormously prepared with bunkers and obstructions on the beaches to make it harder for the allied soldiers to capture the Atlantic wall. One German soldier stated, “[p]ersonally, I couldn’t see how an invader could come ashore and move off the beach in any kind of strength, and so I was not greatly worried by the thoughts of an allied landing” (113).…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of citizens for their country’s military service. This involves leaving any education, work and family behind in order to go to military training camps. World War Two was a time that saw unprecedented levels of damage and destruction. This put many countries in a state of economic and political desperation. During this period the Canadian government chose to introduce conscription in order to help the allied countries win the war.…

    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    On September 1, 1939 yet another chapter of humanity had begun. However, this chapter was filled with the most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind, otherwise known as the Second World War. The reasons why the Axis Powers were not able to win the Second World War was due to their many weaknesses that held them back from world dominance. The weaknesses that the Axis Powers faced were their inability to win major battles, Italy itself was a weakness for the Axis Powers, the Axis Powers were limited by the great distances between Germany, and Japan for the most part, both Germany, and Japan fought separate wars, the final reason why the Axis Powers lost was due to the United States’ entry in the Second World War shifted the momentum…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays