Where Did Canada's Army Fight in World War II?

Canadian Army Troops Fought the Axis Powers in Europe and Asia

Nov 11, 2008

Today is Remembrance Day, and Canadians who fought in the Second World War will gather across the country to honour their fallen comrades.

More than sixty years on, memories of the conflict are still fresh in the minds of many of the surviving veterans. Approximately one million Canadians served in the armed forces during World War II 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, Southeast 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 December 1941, when they were ordered to Hong Kong to try and 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 Canadians, 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. Also, 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. Canuck soldiers saw bitter action at the hill towns of Assoro and Leonforte and again at Adrano.

In October the Canadians engaged their German foes at Motta and met some of the stiffest enemy resistance along the Moro River as they got closer to 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 - Normandy Coast

On the morning of June 6, 1944 Canadians stormed Juno Beach 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. Arriving 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.

The copyright of the article Where Did Canada's Army Fight in World War II? in WW II History is owned by Scott Hayden. Permission to republish Where Did Canada's Army Fight in World War II? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.