Canada Enters World War II

The Second World War Begins! World War II began on September 1, 1939 with Germany and the Soviet Unions synchronized attack on Poland. Germany attacked from the West side, while the Soviet Union attacked from the East. Poland surrenders September 28-30, 1939

Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) Germany relied on a new military tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war) Required the concentration of offensive weapons (tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow front. Forces would breach small areas in enemy defenses, permitting armoured tanks to penetrate rapidly. Caused shock and disorganization among the enemy defenses. German forces would then turn and encircle opposing troops, forcing their surrender.

The Allies Respond On September 3, 1939, Britain and France, having sworn to protect Poland's borders, declared war on Germany. Although Britain was hesitant to aid Poland at first, both Britain and France sought to stop Germany before it became too powerful. On September 9 th, having met in a special parliamentary session two days earlier, the Canadian government approved the support of Britain and France.

Canada Declares War! Canada declares war on September 10 th, 1939.

The War at Home At the beginning of World War II, there were only 10,000 members of the Canadian armed forces. At the time, Canada only had a population of 10 million people. Millions of other Canadians contributed to the war effort by working in war factories, mines, forests and farms. Canada’s allies were impressed by Canada’s availability to provide huge amounts of war equipment, supplies, and food to help win the war. The total cost of the war for Canada was about $16 billion ($150 billion in today’s dollars) This was Incredible for a country with such a small population!

Canada Ramps up Its Armed Forces By the end of September, Canada had over 58,000 people enlisted in its armed forces. Many of these recruits were unemployed men. On September 16, the first battalion of soldiers left for England, with 23,000 (roughly 40%) of them untrained Canadian troops.

World War II – A Different Kind of War Huge technological advances occurred during the start of WWII. Many new weapons, vehicles and ways of communication were developed.

Guns The introduction of automatic guns in WWII led to a change in warfare. Past problems with reloading were solved by larger clips of bullets. The use of the bazooka allowed soldier to attack tanks and buildings without setting up demolitions (prevented more causalities)

Tanks Tanks were used during World War I but were not as advanced as they were in the Second World War. Tanks now had radio communication, better armoured protection. Equipped with artillery and assault guns. Turrets guns increased accuracy and damage to other tanks.

Planes World War II was the first war that was won in the air. Precision bombing and high-powered guns made ground targets more vulnerable. (Ex. Bombing of Dresden, Germany) Dog fighting became a major part of the war. With better engines and plane structures, pilots were able to reach higher speeds and cover more ground.

P-51 Mustang

P-51 Mustang Redefines Combat Fighting s#p-51-mustang-redefines-combat-fightinghttp:// s#p-51-mustang-redefines-combat-fighting ME-109 vs. P-51 Mustang KEhttp:// KE Source: History Channel

Stealth Bombing – A Powerful Force The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) as part of the Allied forces between February 13 th and 15 th, ,600 planes, dropped: ▫650,000 incendiaries. ▫8000 lb. high-explosive bombs. ▫Hundreds of 4,000 Ib. bombs. The resulting firestorm destroyed 39 square kilometres of the city centre, resulting in the deaths of 25,000 civilians.

Ships and Submarines The biggest advancement in naval warfare during WWII was the development of the aircraft carrier. Planes could reach further distances and were able to return back to their countries’ carriers instead of landing in another country. Submarines were also a big part of naval battle German U-boats were used for stopping and destroying boats that were carrying supplies across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

Communication The biggest inventions in communication technology were radar and sonar. This technology was used on planes and ships, as well as on the ground. There were also technologies invented to jam enemy radar.

Summary World War II began on September 1, 1939 with Germany and the Soviet Union’s synchronized attack on Poland. Germany relied on a new military tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war) Canada declares war on September 10 th, World War II had tremendous impact on developing new technologies and changes in the way wars are fought today.