1. Clashes of World War II The Miracle at Dunkirk The Battle Britain
The Battle of the Atlantic
The Raid on Dieppe

2. The Miracle at Dunkirk May/June 1940
Nazi’s invade and take control of France pushing Allied soldiers back to the coast
338,000 troops saved
Privately owned British ships sailed across to help in any way they could. = “little ships”
Pushed out of Europe

3. “Never was so much owed by so many to so few”
The Battle of Britain
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few”
Fought primarily by the Royal Air Force (RAF)
Canadian pilots did join the RAF, and had helped to win this crucial battle
Over people had died in these air attacks but Britain remained unconquered
Occurred over the summer months of 1940
The development of British RADAR was instrumental in the success of the Allies
British planes often out numbered but still won!

4. An Early RAF Spitfire – All Allied planes had the bulls eye symbol

5. Part of an RAF squadron – patrolling the skies, ready to fight!

6. Pilots wait near their dispearsed aircraft at a coastal station
Defiant crews wait for the next scramble

7. Battle for Control of the Atlantic
Axis controlled much of Europe by 1941 (including coastal areas along English Channel and North Sea)
Britain becomes an isolated target for Nazis
Nazi bases in occupied territories of France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway
Convoy system to protect merchant shipping
Merchant Marine
First 3 years of the war, Allied ships were being sunk faster than they could be built
“Black Pit” – beyond aircraft protection (aka “The Greenland Gap”)

9. Analysis Questions:
What was the greatest disadvantage faced by Allied ships in the Battle of the Atlantic?
What year turned the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic?

10. Canada & the Battle of the Atlantic
Beginning of WWII: Canada had only 6 warships and 5 minesweepers to protect coastlines, with a Naval personnel of only 2000
Britain looks to Canada as the source of food, raw materials and weapons of war
By war’s end RCN includes 373 warships and men and women personnel
The Corvette – 120 built in Canada, best against U-Boat attack – each had the name of a Canadian city
1941 – Radar systems invented and installed

11. The WWII Corvette Class Warship
HMCS Weyburn
HMCS Oakville
HMCS Halifax

12. The Dieppe Raid
Russia (Stalin) encouraged Britain and U.S. to invade Western Europe to create a second front and divide German forces.
Western leaders decided that they weren’t ready for a full scale attack, so they opted for a “hit-and-run” raid to test German defences
Many Canadian troops were involved
August 19, 1942, a convoy of 237 ships reached Dieppe

14. The Dieppe Raid
Over 5000 of the 6000 Allied troops that landed at Dieppe were Canadian
Canadians bore the brunt of the casualties at Dieppe,
907 killed
2,460 wounded
1,874 taken prisoner by the Germans.
Of the 2,210 who returned to Britain, only 236 were unhurt - and 200 of these were men who had not been landed

15. Troops who took part in the raid on Dieppe, France, 19 Aug 1942.

16. The concrete barriers, wire fencing, and other obstacles on the beach show how well the Germans fortified the Dieppe beach.

17. Canadian tanks got bogged down on the pebbled beaches at Dieppe and very few ever made their objective of getting up the cliffs and into the town.

18. German soldiers round up Allied prisoners after the Dieppe Raid.

19. Canadian and Allied soldiers take care of their own after being taken prisoner during the Dieppe Raid.

20. An Assault Landing Craft grounded on the Dieppe beach.

21. This was my brother
At Dieppe,
The one who built me a doll house
When I was seven,
Complete to the last small picture frame,
Nothing forgotten.
He was awfully good at fixing things,
At stepping into the breach when he was needed.
That’s what he did at Dieppe;
He was needed.
And even Death must have been a little shamed
By his eagerness.
By Mona McTavish Gould
This Was My Brother (For Lt-Col. Howard McTavish, killed in action at Dieppe)
This was my brother
At Dieppe
Quietly a hero
Who gave his life like a gift,
Withholding nothing.
His youth, his love,
His enjoyment of being alive,
His future, like a book
With half the pages still uncut –