Battle of the Atlantic Canada provided supplies to Britain by means of Atlantic Ocean –delivery of supplies, troops, and equipment Important to allies: keep method of supply open. Important to Hitler: to shut down and take control. Longest campaign of WWII. Canadians two lines of defense against German U-boats: 1. Sea craft= corvette (fast, lightly armed warship) could out maneuver submarines 2. Royal Canadian Air force (RCAF)— out of range to protect ships at Black Pit. Black Pit: Germans had upper hand with U-boats –air crafts could not reach – Germans traveled in Wolf Packs

Continued The final actions of Battle May 1945, just before Germany surrender. By the end: over 2000 vessels found at bottom of ocean 1943, advantage shifted to the Allies—sufficient escort aircraft carriers & long-range aircraft =cover the Atlantic Gap ‘Black May’ of 1943, U-boat losses were unsustainable U-boats withdrew from Atlantic—new German submarines arrived in 1945=too late to affect course of the battle.

Battle of the Britain July-September Hitler decides to attack British ships in the English Channel by using the Blitzkrieg ( "lightning war“ –use of strategic bombing) -In response, Churchill ordered an attack on Berlin Hitler claimed that this was a terrorist act and that Germany had to respond by killing British civilians in London. -London was attacked -Allies: fought primarily by the Royal Air Force (RAF) - Canadian pilots did join the RAF, and helped win this battle

Continued Over people had died in these air attacks but Britain remained unconquered Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe (the aerial warfare branch of the Germans) failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and its civilian population. “As a result, Hitler permanently postponed a landing on the British Isles and suspended the Battle of Britain.” 1

Dunkirk/The Miracle at Dunkirk Thousands of British troops raced across English Channel to defend France. A group of Canadian soldiers remained in Britain to defend against the expected German invasion. the Germans advanced rapidly into France leaving both British and French troops trapped. In May, 1940, British troops evacuated from the seaport town of Dunkirk on the French coast.

It was a Miracle because… Rescued from harbour and beaches near to Dunkirk from the German advance just in time Cloud cover—Hitler waited until the clouds cleared—they were rescued when cleared viewed as act of God/divine intervention soldiers were rescued by boats of all sizes- a makeshift fleet of: sightseeing boats, river ferries, fishing boats and privately owned crafts sailed across the British Channel to return the stranded troops safely back to Britain. They got the troops back - over a third of a million of them – “to fight another day.” Escape also captured minds and hearts of British people. One of the greatest rescues of all time= Crucial turning point in WWII Reminder of :human ability to rise to the occasion to overcome obstacles.— “Lasting monument to resilience of human the spirit.”

Operation “Barbarossa” August 23 rd, 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a “Non-Aggression Pact” On June 22 nd, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union—breaking this pact. Having purged his military of many of its best officers, Stalin and the Soviets were not ready for war Operation “Barbarossa” – began on June 22 nd, 1941 Germans drive into the Soviet Union almost reaching Moscow by October German army overwhelmed Leningrad for a two year struggle ending in the death of more than one million civilians Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 premiered in 1942—Soviets used it as propaganda tool BUT– Shostakovich’s intentions = for the Russian people (ONLY) to give them hope.

Continued Severe winter arrived in Russia—Nazi offensive broke down and the German attack was halted. Not prepared for the winter conditions Germans and Russians fight for strategic city of Stalingrad on the Volga River. Result= Russians defeat the Germans and begin advancing in the East

Battle of Dieppe Russia demanded that Britain established second front in Western Europe. British decided to send in Canadian troops to Dieppe and allowed the allies to test the German strength in Northern France. Objective: hold town long enough to destroy the harbour set up and withdraw Approx 5000 Canadians went in and only approx 1500 returned. Arrived at the beach: lost element of surprise and cover of darkness. Germans strong with machine gun pill boxes, Canadians were sitting ducks coming in land from the water.

Lessons of Dieppe: Canada defeated in Dieppe BUT the lessons learned from this battle were taken to D-Day (Normandy) Canada victorious in D-Day, which demonstrated Canada’s resilience and determination to win the war—establishes Canadian identity.

D-Day Evening of June 5 th paratroopers dropped in to secure bridges for the allied advance In the early morning, the largest fleet of ships left Britain for the French coast Of approx 150,000 allied troops who landed or parachuted = 14,000 were Canadians The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 ships and 10,000 sailors in support of the landings Canadian Third Division: responsible for landing at (code- name) Juno Beach (between British landing at Gold and Sword Beaches)

Success of D-Day: Element of surprise—allies had developed computer to break German’s Enigma code (a code that made German communications impossible to read) Attack at low tide and at first light Both Naval and air support(via parachutes) Dividing of beaches: each with own objective based on geography, German defenses, etc.