Canada Contribution to WWII

The Second World War was a time of great struggle for the Allied nations, but it was their collective efforts on land, in the air and sea, and on the home front that helped secure their victory over the Axis Powers. In particular, Canada’s significant efforts on land in the Battle of Normandy, the Burma Campaign, and the Conquest of Sicily played a key role in securing the final victory. Similarly, Canada’s aid to the Allies was crucial in the air and sea in the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic, and the defense of Ceylon. Finally, at home, Canada’s financial support, production of wartime goods, and training of Allied pilots were essential to allow Allied forces to continue and eventually secure the victory. Canada’s contribution to the Allied war effort was a significant one because of her major role on land, in the air and sea, an on the home front. Canada played a major role on land in securing the victory for the Allies by contributing many men and providing specialized expertise. In Europe, Canadians contributed greatly on D-Day by using their previous knowledge and experience from the Dieppe Raid. In Dieppe, “of the 5000 Canadians who took part, 913 lost their lives, while another 1950 were taken as prisoners of war.”1 The Allied nations took note of what went wrong in the Dieppe raid and made changes to their advantage in the attack of Normandy. They realized they had to “push back a full-scale invasion to regain control of Europe from 1943 to 1944 to give them more time to strengthen their forces”2 and “[change] their military strategy by deciding to launch a massive aerial strike ahead of the invasion to weaken German defenses.”3 These decisions proved important and led to Allied victory during the D-Day attacks. Along with the intelligence that Canada provided from Dieppe, “[they] provided 110 ships and 33 air squadrons in addition to 30 000 troops.”4 Canadian troops secured and captured Juno Beach and pushed farther inland more quickly than any of the other Allied forces. The Canadians were one of the most significant contributors to this attack because they were “the only allied force to achieve its goal on the first day.”5 In addition to her great contribution in Europe, Canada also contributed in other parts of the world during the war. In Asia, the Burma campaign was an important land battle in which Major Charles Hoey led an attack on the Japanese to clear out a strong point in Burma. “Despite serious wounds, he continued with the attack and single-handedly eliminated a Japanese machine-gun position which was preventing his troops from advancing.”6 This showed Canada’s commitment, bravery, and willingness to risk lives in support of the Allied war effort. Another important Canadian contribution to the Allied war effort in Burma was the experience of Canadian radar operators. “At the outbreak of the war, radar was still a new technology but it would play a vital role as the distant detection of aircraft and ships now became possible.”7 Canada had electronics training programs and provided qualified radar experts and their skill to help make the Burma Campaign a successful one. A final significant contribution by Canada on land was during the Conquest of Sicily. The Canadians were included in this battle because of “the need for battle experience and the growing public demand for action.”8 “On July 15, 1943, under British General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, the men of the 1st Infantry Brigade and tanks of the Three Rivers Regiment took over the village of Grammichele.”9 This was the first village in Sicily to be taken and in only 38 days the rest of the island was captured by the Allies. Although there were not many Canadians in this battle and they were part of a British unit, they still contributed greatly in capturing Sicily. Canada’s contributions on land were very significant and she also proved to be valuable in the air and sea. Canada contributed to the