The Canadian Army
Canada declared war on Nazi Germany on 10th September 1939. Before the end of the year the 1st Canadian Infantry Division had arrived in Britain, even though it was under equipped and still heavily reliant on weapons of Great War vintage.
Following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from the continent, elements of the Division were briefly deployed to France before they being recalled. In the aftermath of the Dunkirk campaign the Division, for a time at least, represented the most complete formation available in the south of England should the Germans attempt a landing.
On the other side of the globe, an Infantry Brigade sent to Hong Kong was to be the first Canadian formation to see action, not against the Germans but the Japanese. The Brigade was lost along with the rest of the local and British Commonwealth garrison when Hong Kong fell on Christmas Day 1941.
While the other Commonwealth armies learned their craft against the Italians and then Germans in North Africa, the Canadian Army found itself firmly rooted in the United Kingdom. It was not until August 1942 the Canadian Army had its first opportunity to engage the Germans. Operation Jubilee was the codename for an assault on the French port of Dieppe, which would involve Canadian, British and even a few American troops (the latter being Rangers). While intended as a limited action it was at that time the largest amphibious assault undertaken by the Allies. The operation proved to be an utter disaster, and the name Dieppe became a byword for slaughter; over 3000 Canadian troops and 800 British soldiers, sailors and airmen were killed, captured or wounded.
Following the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa, the Allies expanded the war in the Mediterranean with the invasion of Sicily. With another year before the opening of the second front in Western Europe, the First Canadian Army was split, with its II Corps sent to fight in Sicily and later Italy. The balance of First Canadian Army remained in Britain and together with Second British Army formed 21st Army Group, which would fight its way from the Normandy beachhead into Germany.
After Normandy and the pursuit across France, Canadian forces operated primarily in Belgium and Holland, undertaking a series of amphibious assaults in the flooded landscape of the Netherlands. In early 1945, Canadian troops were withdrawn from Italy and transferred to the West, allowing First Canadian Army to see out the war as a single command. Canadian casualties across the three services included over 37,000 dead, the largest total of any Commonwealth nation after Britain.
One unique contribution of the Canadian Army was the Canloan scheme. Canada had intended to mobilise more than the five Divisions eventually formed for overseas service. This resulted in a surplus of junior officers being trained with no obvious role for them to fulfil until there was a call for casualty replacements. Over 600 officers volunteered to serve with British units to gain combat experience until such time as they were needed by Canada.
The below link leads to descriptions of the Canadian Infantry and Motor Battalions involved in the campaigns in the Mediterranean and Northwest Europe.
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