Canada's+role+in+WW2

= __Canada's role in WW2__ =

__Overview__
By the end of the war, 1 million citizens served in the army, navy, or air force. Of these, 45 000 were killed and 55 000 were wounded. Canada possessed the fourth largest air force and third largest naval surface fleet in the world!

__Canada’s First Declaration of War[[image:ortona_b1.jpg width="300" height="305" align="right"]]__
Since December 11 1931, after the Statute of Westminster was passed, legislative equality for the self-governing dominions of the British Empire with the United Kingdom was established. This included Canada, and it gave Canada the authority to declare war. World War Two was the only time Canada declared war. On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. The United Kingdom, therefore, declared war only two days later, on September 3. Canada’s political leaders went to seek approval from the Canadian Parliament to declare war as well. The Parliament, however, was not scheduled to return until October 2. They returned to session early on September 7 to consider the declaration of war. The Senate approved it on September 8 and the House of Commons approved it on September 9. On September 10, Prime Minister Mackenzie King and the Cabinet drafted an Order in Council to that effect, King George VI granted the royal assent, and Canada has finally & officially declared war on Germany. This date marked Canada’s first independent declaration of war and the beginning of the country’s participation in the largest combined national effort in its history.

__Canada’s Involvement on D-Day__
On June 6, 1944, D-day/Operation Overlord, was a liberation of Europe from Nazy Germany. This long-awaited invasion of the Northwest Europe started with allied forces, including Canada, to land on the coast of Normandy. Canada played a major role on D-day, in which its troops had to take on Juno Beach. There were about 155 000 soldiers, 5000 ships/landing craft, 50 000 vehicles, and 11 000 planes set for the battle. At Juno Beach, there was a 50% casualty rate in their first hour of attack. By the end of the day, the Canadians had penetrated deeper into France than either the British or American troops at their own landing sites.

=__Cana____dian Liberation of Holland__=

Liberation of Holland, WWII, begun by American troops, who entered Maastricht on 13 September 1944. British troops also played a major part in liberating southern Holland, along their advances toward Berlinn. The failure of an airborne assault on Arnhem (September 17) prevented the liberation of the rest of Holland in 1944. First Canadian Army under General H.D.G. Crerar, on the north end of the Allied line, was to clear the Dutch approaches to the key Belgian port of Antwerp, along both banks of the Schelde estuary, a threat completed in November. There were still more Allied than Canadian troops under Crerar until this point, but in mid-March 1945 Canadian Corps arrived from Italy to replace I British Corps. I Corps pushed north to the Jsselmeer (Apr 18), isolating German forces in west Netherlands, while II Corps drove northeast to Groningen (April 13) and Leeuwarden (April 15), and then east into Germany. When hostilities ceased 5 May 1945, it fell to the Canadians to liberate western Holland, including Rotterdam, the national centre of government. The Hague; and the national capital, Amsterdam. The Dutch there had suffered through an extremely harsh winter, short of food and fuel, but relief supplies were quickly funnelled into the area. The Canadians were welcomed enthusiastically and the joyous "Canadian summer" that ensued forged deep and long-lasting bonds of friendship between the Dutch and Canadian peoples.

= __Canada on the Home Front__ = The war impacted Canadians in almost every aspect of day-to-day life in Canada. Towns and cities hummed with activity as factories converted to round-the-clock production of military equipment. New industries were created into existence, as did vast air force, naval and army bases. Streets teemed with military personnel; not just Canadians, but also thousands of personnel from Allied Countries around the world. The war was also omnipresent in the media. Radio, movie houses, newspapers, magazines featured constant news updates, and advertisements from the government and citizens groups promoting the war effort. During this time frame women began to be the major workforce on the home front. They would work in factories creating military supplies as the majority of young men were abroad fighting.

media type="youtube" key="WBnojog_upU" height="315" width="420"

Created by: Blake Hawkins and Sarah Choi
Recources:

http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/chrono/1931d_day_e.shtml

http://www.ualberta.ca/~mfowler/WWII_Canadian_involvement.htm

http://www.mta.ca/library/courage/canadasroleinwwii.html