More than sixty years on, memories of World War II are still fresh in the minds of many Canadian veterans. Approximately one million Canadians served in the armed forces from 1939 to 1945, and the majority of them who wore military uniforms saw action in Italy, Holland and France. Smaller numbers of Canuck soldiers found themselves in North Africa, Asia and the Aleutian Islands. Although their contributions were not the most visible or pivotal, they were important and nonetheless impressive for a nation which at that time had a population of 11 million people. This article takes a closer look at some areas where Canadian infantry troops fought and died.
The First Engagement in Asia
Although the war began in Europe in 1939, Canadian ground troops didn't get their first taste of combat until 1941 when they were ordered to Hong Kong to try to repel an invasion by Japanese forces. The Royal Rifles and Winnipeg Grenadiers were the units assigned to the island. After eighteen days of fighting the Canadians, who had run out of food and ammunition, surrendered near their position at Wong Nei Chong Gap. The survivors were taken to POW camps. For Canadian soldiers the war had kicked into high gear.
Dieppe
A raid on the northern coast of France in August 1942, code named Operation Jubilee, was spearheaded by Winston Churchill's new chief of Combined Operations, Louis Mountbatten. The main goals were to test amphibious equipment and to seize and hold a major port on the English Channel. Allied losses in North Africa were severe so everyone was hoping for a much needed victory.
The Canadians were chosen to go in and take the town of Dieppe along with 1,000 British commandos and a handful of U.S. and French servicemen. The South Saskatchewan Regiment and the Cameron Highlanders had achieved a small degree of surprise at Pourville on the western flank, but things changed once they crossed the Scie River. Intense fighting ensued near the town and the Canadians were forced to turn back.
Reserve troops from the Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal were sent up the beach due to the mistaken signal that advance troops had gained the upper hand. 600 men went in but only 125 made it back. The total number of deaths came to 900, and 1,200 more were taken prisoner.
Sicily and the Italian Mainland
This was the first full scale land campaign the Canadians had participated in since arriving in England in 1939. Troops from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade arrived on the Sicilian coast in July 1943. For Canadians, the action at the hill towns of Assoro, Leonforte, and Adrano was quite bitter.
In October the Canadians engaged their German foes at Motta and met the toughest enemy resistance along the Moro River as they approached Ortona, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders fought intense house-to-house battles to dislodge the German defenders. The town officially fell three days after Christmas 1943. This battle which was afterwards called "Little Stalingrad" claimed the lives of 1,375 Canadians, with another 964 wounded.
Juno Beach
On the morning of June 6, 1944, Canadians stormed Juno Beach in Normandy with more than 10,000 men. The Regina Rifles, one of the six rifle regiments to hit the beach that morning moved inland to the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer.
The Queen's Own Rifles from Toronto were hit especially hard. At Nan sector the aerial bombardment of enemy machine gun nests was not entirely successful. DD tanks were supposed to go in before the infantry to provide cover from the German artillery but were held back by the high tides. When they arrived on the beach most of the Queen's Own men were cut down by a hidden 88 mm. Only a few managed to get further inland. By the end of the day the Atlantic wall had been broken.
There was still much to do. Canadian soldiers took part in the Battle of the Scheldt, the Rhineland Campaign and achieved the monumental task of liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. In Asia, Canada's 435 and 436 Transport Squadrons were given the dangerous task of supplying ammunition and other vital supplies to the British Fourteenth Army in Burma and India.
References:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- junobeach.org
- 435-436.org
Scott Hayden - Since joining Suite101 in early 2007, I've contributed articles about travel, history and health. My speciality is writing about workplace ...
