Major Battles of WWII

Major Battles of WWII

Battle of Britain • Turning point of the war • First major battle to be fought entirely with air forces • The British had to prepare for “the whole fury and might of the enemy” –Winston Churchill • Hitler didn’t think sending Naval forces in would be smart • The German Air Force outnumbered the British 3 to 1

Battle of Britain- Cont • Germans referred to the attack as Operation Sea Lion. • Recently rescued British troops had little equipment and poor training, giving Canada a significant role • In July 1940, Canadians joined the 7th British Army Corps • Canadians served in squadrons consisting of Hurricanes and Spitfires

Spitfires Hurricane

Battle of Britain- Cont • August 12th, 1940- German Air Force attacks radar stations, airfields, and Forces • Estimated 22 Aircrafts lost by RAF, 31 by Germans • September 7th- Massive Air Raid on London by Germans • RAF: 27 GAF: 37

Battle of Britain- Postponed • On September 17th, 1940, Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion • Bombings and other scuffles continued until October 31st • On September 27th, Canadians and RAF’s defeat the last major daylight attack • Estimated total losses- RAF: 930 GAF: 1623

Battle of Hong Kong

Battle of Hong Kong • While most Canadian soldiers fought the second world war on the European front, they were also involved in one of the most infamous battles of the Pacific. • On December 8th 1941; the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese empire launched an attack on the British colony of Hong Kong, in an attempt to control all of southeast Asia. • When Hong Kong was threatened, Canada was asked to dispatch troops to defend the island. Although many said the island would be difficult, if not impossible to protect, 1900 soldiers were sent across the Pacific to take up positions around Hong Kong. • In the ensuing battle, the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers (the first Canadian ground units to see action in the Second World War) fought heroically to defend the colony.

The Invasion • The Japanese attack did not take the garrison by complete surprise; the defense forces were prepared. On the morning of December 8, the entire garrison was ordered to war stations. The Canadian force was ferried across from Kowloon to the island, and by 5 p.m. the battalions were in position. Fifteen hours before the Japanese attacked, all Hong Kong defense forces were in position. • The invasion of the island came with nightfall on December 18th. The enemy launched four separate assaults across a three-kilometer front on the northern beaches of Hong Kong Island. They came ashore in the face of machine-gun fire from soldiers of the Rajput unit who were manning the pillboxes. • The strength of the invasion force was overwhelming, and by early December 19, the Japanese had reached as far as the Wong Nei Chong and Tai Tam Gaps, again proving their effectiveness at night fighting.

Defending The Island • On the island, the defending forces were reorganized into an East and West Brigade. The West Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Lawson, consisted of the Royal Scots, the Winnipeg Grenadiers, the Punjab unit and the Canadian signalers. The East Brigade, under Brigadier Wallis, comprised the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Rajput unit. • To soften the island's defenses, the Japanese directed heavy artillery bombardment at the island, mounted destructive air raids, and systematically shelled the pillboxes along the north shore. • The Japanese demanded for surrender, it was refused, but the situation was very grim. With the sinking of two British relief ships off Malaya and the crippling of the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, there was no hope of relief, and the Chinese armies were in no position to give immediate aid. The defenders awaited assault in complete isolation.

Surrender • With both brigades isolated, it was only a matter of time before the island would fall. Still, the Canadian defenders fought on in the face of the relentless Japanese assault. • Finally, on Christmas Day, the Canadians were forced to surrender. Over 500 were dead and those who survived would become prisoners of war. Many of which would be tortured or starved by their Japanese captors.

The Battle of Dieppe • The raid on Dieppe, aka Operation Jubilee • August 19, 1942 • Allied attack on German-occupied Port of Dieppe on the Northern coast of France • American idea, thought to be ridiculous and impossible by British authorities • Plan put through to prove to American’s that their idea was unrealistic • Over 6,000 infantrymen (allies) • Mostly Canadian soldiers instead of the British themselves • The raid was undertaken without the approval of the Combined Chiefs • Germans were not expecting the attack and their troops were outnumbered by about 3:1

Objectives of the Raid Seize and hold a major port for a short period, both to prove it was possible and to gather intelligence from prisoners and captured materials while assessing the German responses. Assess the German’s new technologies and learn the techniques required to take over Hitler’s Atlantic Wall

Results of the Battle No major objectives of the raid were accomplished 3,623 of the 6,086 men who made it ashore were either killed, wounded, or captured, while the Germans only suffered 311 casualties Allies lost 119 planes, Germans lost 46 of the 58 tanks used in the battle Utter failure, biggest embarrassment of the war

Lessons Learned “I have no doubt that the Battle of Normandy was won on the beaches of Dieppe. For every man who died in Dieppe at least ten more must have been spared in Normandy in 1944.“ – Louis Mountbatten, Chief of Combined Operations Following the Battle of Dieppe, the British created a whole new range of armoured vehicles, allowing engineers to do many of their tasks while protected Improvements were made in shore-to-sea communications for future battles

← German tanks on the beach Dead Allies at the beach →

Map of Dieppe

Lessons learned at Dieppe help in planning for Juno Beach http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/second_world_war/topics/1317/

Canada in North Africa

In North Africa, Canada provided no infantry. Instead the Canadians to see action in North Africa with the Royal Air Force. (RAF) • North Africa was a three year campaign from June 10, 1940 to May 16, 1943. • At the end of this long battle the invasion of Sicily and the Italian Campaign was prepared and the Canadian infantry would the fore-front.

Sicily and the Italian Campaign • The invasion of Sicily started July 9, 1943 and ended August 17 of the same year. • The Canadians who were unprepared for the Mediterranean heat and were relatively untested. • Days into the operation the Canadians were halted days into the operation.

The Italian Campaign • During the Italian Campaign the Canadians acted as the Vanguard of the Commonwealth Forces. • Canada’s biggest involvement in the campaign was at the Moro River.

Moro River • The Moro River was strategically important as it was a key point in the German Winter line. • The Canadians created multiple bridgeheads across the river. • There were three main locations during taking of the Moro: Villa Rogatti, San Leonardo, and San Donato. • The Canadians broke the German line through San Leonardo on the ninth of December.

The Gully • This became the German line after the Canadians broke the line at the Moro River. • The Canadians opened the fighting at the Gully by taking Vino Ridge yet further advance was halted for many days. • The Gully would only be taken once the Germans retreated to Ortona.

Ortona • Dubbed “Little-Stalingrad” by the Germans it was one the bloodiest battle for the Canadians in Italy. • The battle was an eight day nightmare that cost 1375 soldiers. • The Canadians developed a new strategy for going house to house during the battle called “Mouse-Holing”

Juno Beach • Canada’s D-Day Victory – June 6, 1944 • Aka the Battle for Normandy • Situated between Sword Beach and Gold Beach • Known as the Canadian Beach; assigned to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division • Divided into three sections: • Love (West sector) • Mike (Middle section, controlled by the 7th Brigade and supported by the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment) • Nan (East section,controlled by the 8th brigade and supported by the 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment) • 9th Brigade was in reserve

Objectives of the Battle Main objective was to assault the coast from Graye-sur-Mer to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer Intended to later meet up with the British forces who would land on Sword Beach and take control of Caen

The Battle Canadian forces suffered about 50% casualty rates in the first hour Advanced inland quickly after clearing the seawall (approximately one hour into battle) By noon, the entire 3rd Canadian division was ashore and had pushed several kilometres inland to capture bridges over the Seulles River By 6pm they had seized the town of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer Before nightfall the “Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada” and the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment had reached their objective by gaining 15km of land and crossing the Caen-Bayeux Highway By the end of D-Day the 3rd Canadian Division had moved farther into France than any other allied force By the end of the next day, the Canadian forces had linked up with the British who had landed at Sword Beach

Allied Forces at Juno Beach • 3rd Canadian Infantry Division- Juno Beach • Mike Sector • The Royal Winnipeg Rifles • The Regina Rifle Regiment • The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) (Victoria) • 6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) (London, Ontario) • The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa • Nan Sector • The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (Toronto) • The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment (New Brunswick) • Le Régiment de la Chaudière (Quebec) • 10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse) (Winnipeg) • The Highland Light Infantry of Canada (Galt, Ontario) • The Dundas, Stormont and Glengarry Highlanders • The North Nova Scotia Highlanders • 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment) • Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa • Support Units integrated with troops in Mike Sector and Nan Sector • Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (12th, 13th, 14th, and 19th Field Regiments) • 7th Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars) (Montreal) • 3rd Anti-Tank Regiment • Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers • Royal Canadian Army Service Corps • Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps • Royal Canadian Corps of Signals • Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps

After the Battle 340 dead, 574 wounded Canadian 3rd Division were able to land 22 000 men with equipment on D-day

Fun Fact ! As Canadian soldiers landed on Juno Beach, each was given a bicycle to carry ashore, the idea being that once ashore they would cycle down the road to Caen! If only it was so easy..Obviously the bicycles were soon discarded when they realised just how dangerous the situation was.

Allied troops head for the shore German prisoners captured at Juno Allied troops march through France Canadian soldiers head for the beach

Canada and the Netherlands • Canada had an important role in liberating the Netherlands • Canada’s role was to open a supply route through Arnhem, and to clear enemy troops in the North-eastern, Western, and coastal areas • 1st Canadian Corps. transferred to Northwest Europe

Northeast • The Canadians gained momentum • Key areas cleared in the campaign included: Almelo , Groningen, Ijssel River, Zutphen, Deventer, Zwolle and Leeuwarden • Liberated Dutch were enthusiastic towards Canadians

Western • Responsible for liberating area North of the Mass River • Area was coming out of the ‘Hunger Winter’ • A two day battle at Arnhem started on April 12th • Liberated Apledoorn April 17th • On April 28th, Fighting stopped in Western Holland • 9 Days later, the war was over in Europe

Diversity • Gender and ethnicity based barriers were removed • By the end of the war, over 45,000 women enlisted • African Canadians were more widely accepted into the military and were given roles in which they could fight. • Natives could fight but they had to give up their status as registered Indians • More French Canadians than first world war.

Home Life • Canada’s GDP doubled • Wage and price controls, rationing, increased taxation • Women benefited from economic changes. • Baby Boomers

Major Battles of WWII