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Involvement of canada in the second world war
Involvement of canada in the second world war
Involvement of canada in the second world war
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Though the events of the past certainly have a direct influence on the world today. The ardent relationship that lies between Canada and the Netherlands can be referenced to the pretentious days nearing the end of the Second World War. Where Canada had played a significant role as liberators in Holland during this misfortunate time. Canada had provided the Dutch Royal Family with a safe haven. Canadians fought battles through France, Belgium, the Scheldt, and Germany before being sent back to the Netherlands.
Canadian forces played a vital role in the liberation of Holland. The Canadian soldiers who landed on D-Day fought many battles through France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and the Scheldt. The Canadians were given orders to advance the German troops occupying the northeast back to the sea and to constrain German troops in the west to recede back into Germany. “No part of Western Europe was liberated at a more vital moment than the Netherlands and the Dutch people cheered Canadian troops as one town after another was freed.” For a numerous amount of months, the citizens of Holland had been starving along side of having their country at stake of flooding depending on if the Germans decided to open the dikes. On April 28, 1945, the Canadians had negotiated a truce, which granted the admittance of relief supplies to enter the western Netherlands and end the Hunger Winter. The Hunger Winter of 1944-45 was a devastating time for the Dutch people. Many people were forced to rely on tulip bulbs, having no alternative, just to try and survive as food supplies were squandered and transportation was non-existent due to the fact that fuel was suppressed. “By 1945, the official daily ration per person in the Netherlands was ...
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...ton, Pierre. Marching as to War: Canada's Turbulent Years, 1899-1953. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2001. Print.
Government of Canada. "The Battle of The Scheldt.” Canada Netherlands Pays-Bas Nederland. Canada: Veterans Affairs, 2005. 6-7. Print.
Zuehlke, Mark. Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign, September 13-November 6, 1944. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2007. 15. Print.
"The Liberation of the Netherlands.” Veterans Affairs Canada. Government of Canada, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
"Canada - Netherlands.” Veterans Affairs Canada. Government of Canada, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
"WWII: Liberation of the Netherlands - Canada at War.” Canada at War RSS. WWII.ca, 13 Apr. 2007. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
"The Scheldt.” Veterans Affairs Canada. Government of Canada, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
The years since the Battle of Vimy Ridge may have passed quickly, but the legacy of the Canadians whose accomplishments were great in that pivotal First World War battle lives on. Many people claim to this day that Canada came of age as a country on those hard April days in 1917. At first, through the meticulous planning of the battle, the world saw a nation capable of working together and making decisions as a team. Afterwards, with the range of technical and tactical innovations involved in the attack, the world saw a strong nation unafraid to protect and defend. In the end, through great sacrifice the world bore witness to the birth of the Canadian legacy.
A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain. In the next years Canada would establish its own government, and lead its own affairs. Many important events led to Canada’s independence, one of the earliest signals that Canada wanted to establish autonomy was the Chanak affair of 1921. In addition the battle of Normandy, which occurred on June 6 1944, contributed to the autonomy of Canada. The Suez Canal Crisis, which took place in the year 1956, earned Canada a place in the media spotlight, displaying Canada as a peaceful country that deserves the right to be independent. One of the final steps that aided with Canada’s independence from Britain was the Canada Act of 1982. Independence from Britain steadily increased throughout the 20th century because of political decisions made in Canada.
currently occupied by the German Army and both failed. It was left to the Canadian
From a strategic point of view the Canadians were extremely innovative in their offensive tactics and without doubt led to their success in the battle. Should the Canadians followed similar tactics of the French or British of sending their soldiers wave after wave in tightly packed groups and not using their artillery to its best use the attack likely would have befell the same fate, accomplishing little and many dead. Instead the Canadians invented a tactic of using platoons that included specialists in different weapons (bombs, machine guns, etc.). These platoons attacked in a loose formation (unlike in waves tightly packed men) making it a lot more difficult for the Germans (or any other force for that matter)...
Canada’s eligibility to participate on the world stage and its move towards independence was proven after the accomplishments at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Foremost, Canada’s first opportunity to partake on the world stage came soon after the end of World War I, during the Paris Peace Conference. The accomplishments of the Canadian Army in the Battle of Vimy Ridge helped to earn Canada a spot in the Paris Peace Conference, after long arguments made on behalf of Canada by Prime Minister Robert Broden . The Prime Minister argued that Canada’s wartime record had earned Canada a seat separate from Britain. Canada was granted the seat despite the disapproval of the American President, Woodrow Wilson’s as they contributed greatly to the Allied forces especially in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The approval of Canada’s seat is important to both the significance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the eligibility to participate on the world stage because it was one of the first steps Canada took towards its independence from Great Britain. Additionally, Canada became more social with other countries separate from Britain after the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Canada involved itself more in trading after the battle and the war, and had a flourishing...
Lyons, Michael J. World War II - A Short History. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education,
Because of Canada’s boost in the industrial economy and its status in World War II, job options were abundant. By 1942 there was a full employment as hundreds and thousands of Canadian men and women found work in war industries.
English, John. Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2007. Print.
Pearson, Lester B. Mike; the Memoirs of the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson. Vol. 1. Toronto:
Canadian soldiers took Hill 70 in August 1917 which was just north of Arras. After being transferred to the Ypres battle, the Canadians took the previously undefeatable objective of Passchendaele on November 6th 1917. However we lost 15,000 casualties while taking Passchendaele. Sometime in March 1918 cavalry and motorized machine-gun units of the Canadian Corps assisted to hold the line at Amiens, when the Germans tried their last big attack. “Then the Canadians formed the “spearhead” of the attack between Hourges and Villers-Bretonneux, afterwards coming back to the Arras area.”
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
“Holland is in a humanitarian crisis. Food supplies have run out, and the Germans are no longer able to even provide basic rations to the Dutch population.”(Mark Zuehlke). This was the gravity of the situation. The Netherlands were in dire straits, and needed help. We were that help. Realizing what needed to be done, the high command acted. The Canadians were the driving force for the liberation of the dutch people, through food drops, peace talks, and fighting smart.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge has been quoted as “one of the defining moments in Canadian history”, and there are reasons as to why this is. The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place on April 9, 1917(Good Friday), however, there were months of training and planning that led up to this attack of a main German line. Britain and France had both failed to capture Vimy Ridge and ended up losing around 1,500,000 men in the process, causing there to be a lot at stake for the Canadians, the last of the Allies to try to take Vimy Ridge. Canada’s planning included
The History of Canada and Canadians Canada and World War 1. (n.d.). The History of Canada. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://www.linksnorth.com/canada-history/canadaandworldwar1.html
2. Bloch, Michael. The Duke of Windsor's War. London, 1982. Illusts. Royal 8vo. or.cl. (398pp).