Canada's Involvement In Ww2 Essay

The Importance of Canada’s Involvement in WWII

World War II affected many countries worldwide, and Canada played a vital role in the victory. It endured from September 1, 1939, to September 2, 1945, and Canadians were very generous and determined to finish the war as fast as possible. Everything that Canadians did between 1939 to 1945 was all in efforts to help ease the harsh conditions of the war. There were social contributions made by training soldiers for the war, acting as a humanitarian aid, and enforcing the anti-loafing act in Canada. There were also military contributions made by providing soldiers to fight in the Air Force, the Navy, and the Army. Lastly, Canada made economical contributions by providing money, agricultural goods,

and effective equipment to help with the war effort. During World War II, Canada was a young country, however, they made major contributions socially, militarily, and economically.
The Second World War had many social needs. Some social needs of the war included having to provide food, water, medical aid, and support from well-trained soldiers. Canada made social contributions during World War II by training soldiers, acting as a humanitarian aid, and enforcing the anti-loafing act.
Canada played their part in training soldiers for the Air Force, Army, and the Navy. One of Canada’s major contributions was the British Commonwealth Air Training plan, where aircrews were brought from all across the commonwealth for training as pilots, navigators, bombers, wireless operators, and air gunners. There were 107 flight schools across Canada, and he BCATP turned out 131,553 aircrews and 80,000 ground crew to the Royal Canadian Air Force by the end of the Second World War. There were over 50 training camps for the Royal Canadian Army across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The training for the Royal Canadian Navy was minimal because the Navy’s contributions to the war were limited. The soldiers that trained at these camps made a huge impact on the second world war.
Canada also showed social support by acting as a humanitarian aid towards the soldiers at war, as well as any civilian victims of the war. People were getting sick, injured, and hungry. Canadians generously gave millions of dollars, and countless hours of labor in order to send goods across to European countries. Some goods that Canadians sent include food, water, and medicine. The soldiers of the allied troops and civilians were able to recover and continue to fight and provide for the war.
Lastly, Canada ensured that they were doing everything they could for the second world war by enforcing the anti-loafing law. The anti-loafing law threatened jail time for any man that is not working full time. This ensured that no man was just lounging around while others were away fighting for their country. It was very important to Canadians that if somebody was not away at war, that they were working to provide for the war because they wanted their victory as soon as possible.
Military support for Britain was desperately needed during World War II because the military was an essential factor in the victory of a war. The Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Army were greatly expanded during the war. With over 1.1 million Canadians serving, and participation in over 160 battles, it is fair to say that Canada played a vital role in the military in World War II, by providing many soldiers in the Air Force, Navy, and the Army.
The Royal Canadian Air Force made a major impact on World War II. During the war, there were 232,000 men, and 17,000 women enlisted in The Royal Canadian Air Force. These soldiers flew bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, and transport missions. They also operated 86 squadrons, 47 of which were overseas. One of the responsibilities of the air force was hunting U-boats in the Atlantic during the beginning of the war.The most significant battle for the Royal Canadian Air Force was the Battle of Britain. During the Battle of Britain, Hitler commanded his air force to destroy all of Britain’s Air Force. The Germans had initial success, but Britain made effective resistance. Only 3 months later, Hitler canceled his initial plan of attack. Canada played an important role in this battle by providing trained pilots, radar personnel, replacement aircraft, and other supplies to help Britain’s Royal Air Force. By September 2, 1945, The Canadian Royal Air Force was the fourth largest air force in the world.
The Royal Canadian Navy also greatly expanded during World War II. The Navy was very important in the first 2 years of the war, in protecting ships from the German U-boats. In less than 6 years, the navy grew by over 100,000 people, and 365 warships. The Navy’s main role was to escort merchant ships that carried supplies over to European countries. They did this with corvettes, which were anti-submarine warships. During the Battle of the Atlantic, the Allies tried different strategies for protecting their ships. They tried organizing their merchant ships into convoys for better protection, using their air force for protection, and they also developed submarine tracking technology. After the war ended, The Royal Canadian Navy played a huge role in providing for World War II, and became the third largest navy in the world.
The Royal Canadian Army made significant contributions towards the war effort.

The army arrived in Britain within the first 2 months of the war, to supplement the British troops. During the 5 years of the war, there were over 700,000 soldiers fighting. The most significant battle for the Royal Canadian Army was the Liberation of the Netherlands. Canadian troops had been planning to attack France on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. With 156,000 Canadian, American and British troops, D-Day was a great success, and they continued to move farther inland. Several French towns were liberated, and the path for the final advance into Germany was cleared. Canadians successfully drove the Germans out of the Netherlands, into Northern Germany. This battle was important because it led to the end of the war with Hitler admitting defeat, and the ceasefire was declared. The efforts from the Royal Canadian Army had a major impact on the Second World War.

Canada committed almost all of their industries to the war effort. The government took control of the citizens daily lives and work. Donating money, manufacturing goods, and harvesting as many crops as possible was what Canadians were encouraged to do. Canada made many economical contributions during World War II, which included providing money, equipment, and agricultural

goods.
Canadian government used many strategies to acquire money for the war. The government used propaganda to encourage citizens to buy victory bonds. Victory Bonds were bonds issued by the government to help pay for the war. The government also encouraged citizens to contribute to the Patriotic Fund, which assisted the families of the men fighting in the war. Income tax was also used by the government, after initially being placed in the First World War. The Canadian government had many ways of acquiring money for the war, which gave significant help to the war effort.
Canadian manufacturing companies throughout the country rapidly worked towards assembling quality equipment.

In 1919, C.D. Howe directed manufacturing companies to build up their industrial output and to focus on producing munitions. Such manufactured equipment included parachutes, ration packs, first aid kits, naval vessels, aircrafts, and military vehicles. Factories also produced weaponry such as rifles, submachine guns, and anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. The different munitions and equipment were vital to the victory of the war.

Western Canadians also joined the war effort by harvesting crops such as wheat, flax, soybeans, canola, and many others. The harvesting that was done by Canadian women, and children of enlisted soldiers, provided food to soldiers and civilians of European countries. Also, the oil from the soybeans was not only used for food, but it could also be used to make glycerin. The glycerin was used in nitroglycerin for explosives and ammunition. The canola oil from canola seeds was also used as a lubricant for marine steam engines. The agricultural efforts made a tremendous impact on the Second World

War.
Canada made major contributions socially, militarily, and economically towards World War II, despite the fact that they were a young, upcoming country. Canada made social contributions by providing training camps for soldiers, acting as a humanitarian aid towards the people overseas, and enforcing the anti-loafing act to ensure every Canadian was doing their part. Considerable military contributions were also made by many Canadian citizens fighting in the Air Force, Army, and Navy. Canada also made many economic contributions by providing money, equipment, and agricultural goods to support the soldiers and people involved in the Second World War. Even today, World War II still impacts the lives of millions, and will never be forgotten in humanities eyes.