World War Two Part One

Appeasement Following the rearmament of the German Army by Hitler, the government’s of France and Britain began negotiations with the Nazi government. Germany felt they had been unfairly treated in the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War, and made demands for territory in Europe. The Allied governments felt that Hitler’s grievances with the Versailles treaty were reasonable, and were hoping at any cost to prevent another European conflict.

Reasons for Appeasement It was believed that with the newly found importance of Airplanes and the ability of these planes to drop bombs over cities, that another war would result in widespread devastation and a massive death toll within weeks. The thought of a “total war” and civilian deaths heavily influenced the desire of British P.M. Neville Chamberlain to maintain peace. In addition, the Great Depression had left Britain and the Commonwealth (including Canada) at a disadvantage economically. The armies of these countries were not prepared to go to war at this time.

The Munich Agreement Leaders from Germany, France, Britain and Italy met in Munich in September of 1938 and signed the Munich Agreement to maintain peace. The agreement allowed Germany to occupy part of Czechoslovakia. The Czech government was not invited to the conference. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to Britain claiming that there would be “peace for our time.”

Declaration of War In March of 1939, Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia, and in August, invaded Poland. These acts broke the Munich agreement, and ended the policy of appeasement. Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on September 3 rd, Canada, an independent nation, declared war on September 10 th, after a special session of parliament.

Canada at the Outbreak of War In Canada, the same day as the German invasion of Poland, the Governor General introduced the War Measures Act, which gave the government the power to arrest suspected enemies, and to control the economy to maintain war production. The Natural Resources Mobilization Act gave the government further power to mobilize Canada’s resources for the war effort. The government created new corporations, controlled inflation and prices, and took control of tax management from the provincial governments. Factories were also ordered to make war goods. Following the declaration of war, Canada set forth to rebuild and rearm its military forces, which had declined after the First World War.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Mackenzie King planned to send only 40,000 Canadian soldiers to Europe. He hoped to avoid the numbers of casualties suffered in WWI. Canada was to be mainly a supplier of materials for the war, not a major source of troops. In addition, King did not want to divide the country between English and French Canadians over the issue of conscription.

Germany’s Advance Using a newly created technique combining artillery, and tank and troop movement called Blitzkrieg, the German army quickly advanced and overran most of Europe. Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands all fell to Germany’s well trained and equipped army. In April of 1940, Germany invaded France. British and French troops were forced back and evacuated to Britain from the beaches of Dunkirk, abandoning their equipment and vehicles. France had fallen, and Britain was the last country in Europe not under Nazi control.

The Battle of Britain In order to successfully invade Britain, Germany set out to first destroy Britain’s defenses by aerial bombardment. Over the summer and fall of 1940, the Royal Air Force (RAF) shot down 3,000 Nazi planes. The German bombers attempted to knock out British radio towers and airfields, but were unsuccessful and suffered heavy casualties. Canadian fighter pilots participated in the defense of Britain and were credited with at least 110 kills.

War in the Pacific With Allied focus on Europe and the defense of Britain, Japan began its campaign to conquer a number of countries in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. In 1941, Japan attacked Hong Kong, which was defended by a poorly equipped and organized force of Canadian soldiers. After 17 days of intense fighting, the defenders surrendered on Christmas Day, Nearly 300 Canadians had been killed and over 500 more wounded. Those captured were sent to Japanese labour camps, where 267 died.

The Soviet Union Enters the War In 1941, the Soviet Union and Germany signed a neutrality pact to prevent hostilities. Germany did not want to have a two-front war similar to the First World War, until they were prepared. The Soviet Union was also struggling to mobilize its military and economy to wage war, and needed more time. However, Germany and Japan made preparations and finally invaded the Soviet Union in late The German army made quick advances into Russia, but were halted by both the harsh climate, and the tenacious defense of many Soviet cities. The Soviet Union and Britain then entered into a military alliance against Germany. The sheer size and population of the Soviet Union would play a key role in winning the war for the Allies.

America Enters the War Following the successful capture of Hong Kong, Japan next turned its air force on the American fleet harboured at the Naval Base of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. On Dec.7 th, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers and bombarded the U.S. base. The U.S. lost two battleships, two destroyers and one minelayer beyond repair, while nearly 2,400 men were killed, with another 1,200 wounded. As a result of the attack, the American government declared war on Japan, and as a result entered the war on the Allied side.

Dieppe In order to test out German defenses in France for a later Allied invasion, Canadian and British troops staged a reconnaissance attack at the beach of Dieppe in France. On 19 August 1942, 5,000 Canadians landed on the beaches. The fortified German position killed many soldiers before they reach the shore. Nearly 900 Canadians were killed, 1,000 were wounded, 1,900 were captured and only 2,200 returned to Britain. The raid on Dieppe was a defining moment for Canada in the war, despite heavy losses. The New York Times wrote, “Brave men died without hope for the sake of proving there is a wrong way to invade. They will have their share of the glory when the right way is tried. However, these deaths achieved nothing except to prove what was already known: the high quality of the Canadian troops.”