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Canada in World War II

Recruitment poster for the Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division from 1941
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The history of Canada during World War II begins with the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. While the Canadian Armed Forces were eventually active in nearly every theatre of war, most combat was centred in Italy,[1] Northwestern Europe,[2] and the North Atlantic. In all, some 1.1 million Canadians served in the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, out of a population that as of the 1941 Census had 11,506,655 people, and in forces across the empire, with approximately 42,000 killed and another 55,000 wounded.[3] During the war, Canada was subject to direct attack in the Battle of the St. Lawrence, and in the shelling of a lighthouse at Estevan Point on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.[4]

The financial cost was $21.8 billion between 1939 and 1950.[5] By the end of the war Canada had the world's fourth largest air force,[6] and third largest navy.[7] The Canadian Merchant Navy completed over 25,000 voyages across the Atlantic,[8] 130,000 Allied pilots were trained in Canada in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. On D-Day, 6 June 1944 the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on "Juno" beach in Normandy, in conjunction with allied forces. The Second World War had significant cultural, political and economic effects on Canada, including the conscription crisis in 1944 which affected unity between francophones and anglophones. The war effort strengthened the Canadian economy and furthered Canada's global position.[9]

  1. ^ Canadian War Museum "The Italian Campaign" Archived 22 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on: 5 August 2007.
  2. ^ Canadian War Museum "Liberating Northwest Europe" Archived 15 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on: 5 August 2007.
  3. ^ Humphreys, Edward (2013). Great Canadian Battles: Heroism and Courage Through the Years. Arcturus Publishing. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-78404-098-7. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016.
  4. ^ Marc Milner (1999). Canada's Navy: The First Century. University of Toronto Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-8020-4281-1.
  5. ^ "World War II". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  6. ^ Canadian Air Force Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, "World's Fourth Largest Air Force?" Archived 14 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ World War – Willmott, H.P. et al.; Dorling Kindersley Limited, London, 2004, Page 168 Retrieved on: 17 May 2010.
  8. ^ Veterans Affairs Canada "The Historic Contribution of Canada's Merchant Navy" Archived 17 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on: 5 August 2007.
  9. ^ Stacey, C. "World War II: Cost and Significance". The Canadian Encyclopedia online (Historica). Revised by N. Hillmer. Retrieved on: 5 August 2007.

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