Second World War (1939 – 1945)
Timeline: Canada in the Second World War
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September 3 1939Battle of the
Atlantic begins. -
September 10 1939Canada officially enters the Second World War
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August 19 1942Canadians take part in
Raid on Dieppe -
July 10 1943Canadians come ashore in Sicily
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June 6 1944Allies come ashore in Normandy on D-Day
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May 5 1945Canadians complete Liberation of the Netherlands
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May 8 1945V-E Day: Official end of the Second World War in Europe.
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August 15 1945V-J Day: Official end of the Second World War
Canada’s role in the Second World War
Our country's great efforts in the Second World War involved virtually the whole country whether by serving in the military or by serving on the home front in industry or agriculture. More than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in the military — more than 45,000 gave their lives and another 55,000 were wounded. While the great powers made more significant contributions to the war effort; for a country of only 11 million people Canada's contribution was remarkable. At war's end, Canada had become a significant military power with the world's third largest navy, the fourth largest air force and an army of six divisions. Canada had grown significantly through the ordeal of war and assumed new responsibilities as a leading member of the world community.
Timeline - Canada and its military
Battles and Campaigns
Medals and Memorials
Remembering those who served
History
Related Pages
- Service Files of the Second World War - War Dead, 1939-1947
- Through a Lens: Dieppe in Photographs and Film
- Faces of the Second World War
- Faces of War
- Canadian War Industry during the Second World War
- Canada and the Second World War
- Democracy at War: Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War
- Canadian Wartime Propaganda: Second World War
- Art and War: The Second World War
- Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol I Six Years of War
- Official history of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol II The Canadians in Italy, 1943-1945
- The Canadian Army, 1939-1945: An Official Historical Summary
- War & Conflict: Second World War
- On All Fronts: World War II and the NFB
Sacrifice, Achievement and Legacy - Trailer
Transcript
Soldiers on a boat
Something was brewing, we knew there was something brewing but we did not know where. The announcement came over the loudspeaker system.
Veteran talking
"All hands to main deck for briefing." The most solemn time of my life was right there and you know it.
Soldiers on boats
He says, "Our destination is Dieppe. There are a lot of embankments, and so there'll be a lot of climbing. It's not going to be a picnic. But," he says,
Veteran talking
"The worst part I have to tell you is that only one out of every four of you people will come back alive."
Description
In this comprehensive video, learn about how Canadians rallied at home and overseas, in the face of the biggest threat the country ever faced. Through archival Second World War footage and Veteran interviews discover the contributions Canadians made in Hong Kong, Dieppe, Italy, Normandy, Holland and in the Far East, as well as in the skies and at sea around the globe.
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