1. Canada and the Second World War
Axis Advances

2. The Allies
Britain 1939 (Churchill) Canada1939 (Mackenzie King) The United States 1941 (Roosevelt) Russia 1941 (Stalin)

3. With the declaration of war in September 1939, the Allies, (Britain France and Commonwealth countries including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) raced to get their forces organized.

4. The Axis Powers
Germany (Hitler) Italy (Mussolini) Japan (Hirohito)

5. During the first several months of the war, from October 1939 to April 1940, nothing happened.
Allied troops had been stationed along France’s border with Germany and waited for Germany’s next move.
This period became known as “phony war”

6. The illusion was shattered when Germany renewed its blitzkrieg (lightening war) and attacked Denmark and Norway in April of 1940.
Blitzkrieg is an extremely successful war tactic that uses surprise, speed and massive power.
Soon Germany had conquered Denmark and Norway, then attacked the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium.
Hitler then set his sights on France

7. Evacuation of Dunkirk
Within days of launching an attack on France, German troops had reached the English Channel and surrounded Allied forces in the French port of Dunkirk.
If the troops surrendered, Britain would lose the bulk of its army.
The British navy quickly rounded up every boat capable of navigating the English Channel.
The evacuation began on May 26 and was completed by June 4.
Nearly 340,000 Allied soldiers brought safely back to Britain.
Seen as a “miracle” and helped boost morale.

9. After the evacuation at Dunkirk, the German army continued to sweep through France.
The French army proved to be no match for the German troops.
France surrendered on June 22, 1940.
Now Britain and the Commonwealth stood alone against Germany.

10. Battle of Britain
Once France fell, Hitler initiated “Operation Sea Lion”; his plan to invade Britain.
For success, he would have to defeat the RAF. (Royal Air Force)
In June 1940, the Germans launch a massive bombing campaign.
Initial targets- harbours, shipping facilities, airfields and factories.
In August 1940, the Germans bomb London.

11. The Allies retaliate by bombing Berlin.
This enrages Hitler.
He orders further bombing of British cities, in what becomes known as “The Blitz”.
The Blitz takes place over several weeks, inflicts massive damage and casualties- mostly civilian.

14. Germany is unable to defeat the RAF.
Britain had an advanced radar system, uses effective fighter planes (Spitfires and Hurricanes) and has reinforced the air force with pilots and supplies from Canada and other Commonwealth countries.
In Sept. 1940, Hitler finally gives up on his plan to invade Britain.
During the Battle of Britain, more than 23,000 died. Most were civilians.

15. The North Africa Campaign
Once Germany had defeated France, it began a 3 year campaign in North Africa.
Also known as the Desert War.
A struggle for control of vast resources and strategic positions.
To be successful, the Axis would have to dominate the Mediterranean by controlling to strategic points.
Any idea what those points might be?
Map of Mediterranean Sea.
The strategic points would be the Straight of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. Holding these points would mean that the Germans would control access to the oil rich Middle East.

19. Over the next three years, neither side won decisive victories.
That changed in 1942, as the Allies gained control.
Allies secured victory in North Africa in May 1943, and then turned their attention to their next objective: Invasion of Sicily and the liberation of Italy. (more on that later!)

20. Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launches Operation Barbarossa (Operation Red beard) on June, 22, 1941.
This breaks the non-aggression pact between Germany and Russia.
Hitler wants the Soviet Union’s raw materials, agricultural lands and labour force.
Conquering Russia was also part of his long term plan for a new German Empire.
June 22, 1941 Hitler breaks the non aggression pact he had signed with Russia. Germany invades Russia with 3.5 million men.
Thought he would simply have to “kick in the door and the whole rotting structure would crumble”

21. The Eastern Front

22. The Soviets are completely unprepared for the attack.
This allows Germany to strike deep within Russian territory.
By autumn German troops reach the outskirts of Moscow and Leningrad (St. Petersburg)
Winter!
But the Germans are completely unprepared for the long cold Soviet winter, and they lose their advantage.

23. In 1942, they launch another offensive, focusing on Stalingrad.
Again they are stopped by severe winter.
Ultimately, German troops are surrounded with no hope of reinforcements as they are also involved in the North African Campaign.
After suffering more than casualties, the German army in Russia surrenders in early 1943.
The Russians then went on the offensive, retaking much of the territory it had lost.
The Soviets also joined the war on the Allied side.

24. War in the Pacific : Pearl Harbor
Thus far, the United States had remained neutral in the war.
That changed on Dec. 7, when the Japanese launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
2400 people were killed and much of the American fleet was destroyed.
Japan then bombed the US territory of the Philippines.
Americans were stunned.
On Dec. 8, the Americans joined the Allies and declared war on Japan.
Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy then declared war on the US.
In the decades before WWII, Japan had begin a campaign to expand its empire. By 1941, it was prepared to invade American and European colonies in Southeast Asia to gain control of valuable resources such as oil, rubber, and tin. It knew that such action would most certainly involve the Untited statesDec. 7, 1941 Japan sneak attack on Pearl Harbour. In the early morninghours, Japanese planes bombed the harbour
US Naval HQ for the Pacific
US Declaration of war

27. War in the Pacific: The Battle of Hong Kong
Hours after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack the British colony of Hong Kong.
Weeks earlier, Canada had sent to battalions to reinforce Allied forces in Hong Kong.
The Canadians were inexperienced.
The Allies were no match for the skilled Japanese soldiers.

28. After 18 days of fighting, Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in what would be known as Black Christmas- Dec. 25, 1941.
Every Canadian fighting in the Battle of Hong Kong was killed or captured.
Nearly 1700 Canadian prisoners of war.
Faced brutal conditions and were used as slave labour.

29. Kanao Inouye :“The Kamloops Kid”
Info Accessed via Wikipedia: Jan
“The Kamloops Kid”
Kanao Inouye (1916 – August 27, 1947) was a Canadian citizen convicted of high treason and war crimes for his actions during World War II. Known as the "Kamloops Kid," he served as an interpreter and prison camp guard for the Imperial Japanese Army and the political police, or Kempeitai.

30. Canadians were horrified when news reached Canada about the treatment of their soldiers.
It may have encouraged the growing anti-Japanese sentiment that culminated in the internment of Japanese Canadians.

32. Canada’s Contribution to the War Effort.
Canadians contributed on all fronts.
Over the course of the war, Canada expanded its navy and air force to reinforce the Allies
Remember….Canada’s official policy was that of TOTAL WAR!

33. The Battle of the Atlantic
Battle of the Atlantic-the struggle to control the supply routes of the North Atlantic
When the war broke out Canada only had 13 ships.
A massive building and training program was launched.
By the end of the war, the Canadian navy had grown to 400 vessels and 100,000 sailors.
Allied ships bound for Europe were being attacked by German “wolf packs” (U-boats patrolling the Atlantic)
During the first three years, the Allies suffered significant losses as the Germans pounded convoys and sank hundreds of ships.
As in the First World War, Britain was extremely dependant on Canada for supplies. That of course necessitated ocean transport. And once again Germany hoped to cut off that supply line.

35. German U-boats even made it up the St
German U-boats even made it up the St. Lawrence River and attacked ships there.
Things shifted when Britain was able to crack German naval code, allowing them to track German submarine movement.
The Royal Canadian Navy is credited with providing almost half the escorts across the Atlantic.

36. Convoy Assembling

37. Top: The HMCS Agassiz of the Royal Canadian Navy
Bottom:HMCS Arrowhead

39. War in the Air The RCAF grew quickly
More than 215,000 people enlisted in the RCAF.
At one point 35 Cdn. Squadrons were posted overseas.
Canadian aircrews participated in bombing raids in North Africa, Italy, Northwest Europe and Southeast Asia.
The Women’s Division was created in 1941.
Women trained as clerks, cooks, hospital assistants, telephone operators, welders, and mechanics.
Initially the RCAF refused to let licensed female pilots fly, however later in the war women ferried bombers to Britain.

40. Bomber Command
The RCAF also participated in one of the most controversial missions of the war- night bombings over Germany.
As part of Britain’s Bomber Command, the section of the RAF that directed the strategic bombing of Germany, Canada’s Bomber Group bombed German cities night after night.
The German cities of Dresden and Cologne were targeted to retaliate for German air attacks on English cities, to diminish German morale, and to destabilize German industrial centers.

41. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed.
One of the worst attacks was on Hamburg in July 1943.
Relentless Allied bombing created a firestorm that destroyed the city and killed more than 40,000 civilians.

43. There was a high casualty rate for RCAF aircrews- 1 out of 7.
Nearly 10,000 Cdn Bomber Group members died during the war.