1. Section 8

2. Canada Becomes a Middle Power Canada suffered from the debilitating effects of the Great Depression. Unemployment disappeared as factories started producing weapons for war (1939-45).

3. During the Great War, Canadians served under British officers (until after Vimy). During World War II, Canadians served directly under their own officers as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

4. Protecting the North Atlantic Canada played an important role in protecting Allied shipping from German U-boat attacks. Canadian warships escorted convoys of supply ships in the North Atlantic. The RCN used sonar devices and other technologies to locate and attack “wolf packs”.

5. Battle of Britain (July to October) An air war fought between the Germans (Luftwaffe) and the British (Royal Air Force)during the summer and autumn of 1940. Canadians served as pilots flying fighters like Hurricanes and Spitfires. They also operated as support crew fixing, refueling, etc. the planes.

6. Battle of Hong Kong (Dec. 8-25, 1941) Hong Kong was a British colony during World War II. Winston Churchill, prime minister of Britain, was concerned the Japanese would take Hong Kong if it weren’t defended. Approximately 10,000 Canadians were sent to defend the island. All of these soldiers were in Japanese prisoner of war camps a month after their arrival to Hong Kong.

7. Dieppe Raid (August 19, 1942) Canadians were the first to test Hitler’s so-called “Fortress Europe” with the Dieppe Raid. Until quite recently historians believed the purpose of the raid was to test certain theories about how to attack a fortified position from the water (amphibious assault). In reality the purpose of the raid was to capture the Enigma Machine.

9. Dieppe: Lessons Learned 1). Do not attack a port city. 2). The need for Allied air superiority, e.g. Canadians lost 62 planes in the attack (worst single day during war). 3). Need technologies to deal with barricades. 4). Disrupt communications and reinforcements behind the front. 5). Knock out artillery (land batteries) positioned inside enemy territory.

10. Invasion of Sicily (July 9, 1943) The Canadian and British armies combined to invade Sicily. After several days of intense fighting, the Allies successfully took the island. Sicily provided two things: firstly, a staging point for an invasion of Italy; and secondly, taking the island made the surrounding waters in the Mediterranean safer for Allied ships.

11. D-Day (June 6, 1944) Canada took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy. We attacked a beach code-named “Juno”. During the first day of the invasion, Canada penetrated further into German- held territory than either Britain or the United States.

12. Manhattan Project (1942-46) Canada provided scientists, uranium and other strategic resources to help win the “race” for the bomb. The technology developed was used to destroy two Japanese cities, e.g. Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

13. General Facts Canada moved away from reliance upon Britain and closer in its relationship with the United States. By the end of World War II, Canada’s air force and navy were among the top four countries in the world. Canada had one of the eight largest economies in the world. We were not a “super power” but a “middle power”.