History Commons^™

“A Question Of Relevance”: The Establishment Of A Canadian Parachute Capability, 1942–1945, Bernd Horn

Canadian Military History

“The great trouble with starting anything new,” argued Brigadier-General William Mitchell, “is to break away from the conservative policy of those who have gone before.” His observation was born from his own experience as a result of the inertia which existed in the interwar years. Not surprisingly, Canada did little during this period to ensure that it was capable of participating in a modern war. The vacuum of peace was insufficient to overcome the vacillation of military and political decision makers. It was only the stunning German victories of 1939–1940, which provided the catalyst for change and a template of …

The Burlington Races Revisited: A Revised Analysis Of An 1813 Naval Battle For Supremacy On Lake Ontario, Robert J. Williamson

Canadian Military History

From the safety of the Lake Ontario shore near Burlington, military and civilian observers witnessed the jockeying for position for many sailing vessels during the afternoon of Tuesday, September 28, 1813. They likened the event to a yacht race. Thus, a pivotal naval engagement that would determine the outcome of the War of 1812 was facetiously labelled, "The Burlington Races." The facts of this important piece of Canadiana, have, like so many significant historical events, been cloaked by myth and misconception until recently. The discovery in the US National Archives of the log of the British flagship of the Lake …

D-Day At Bernieres-Sur-Mer: The 5th Bn, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Gordon Blight

Canadian Military History

Editor’s Note: Canadian visitors to Bernieres-sur-Mer are frequently puzzled by the name of the main street leading from the beach to the village church. The signs reach “Rue Royal Berkshire Regiment.” Who were the Berkshires and why such prominence in a Canadian landing area? C.P. Stacey’s official history has no listing for the regiment. Copp and Vogel ignore them in Maple Leaf Route: Caen as does Reg Roy in 1944: The Canadians in Normandy.

The British official history is almost as silent except for a single chart on “Initial Beach Organisation” which lists “8 Kings and 5 R Berks” …

Bombs Away: The First Mission On A Coastal Command Liberator, D. Joseph Matthews

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The End Of Hmcs St. Croix, William Fisher

Canadian Military History

The following story tells of the end of HMCS St. Croix and HMS Itchen. It was written by the sole survivor of St. Croix, a stoker. The story which follows originally appeared in the Royal Canadian Navy Monthly Review in August 1944. It is printed without embellishments or alterations.

The Gardeners Of Vimy: Canadian Corps’ Farming Operations During The German Offensives Of 1918, S.F. Wise

Canadian Military History

“The Gardeners of Salonika” was Georges Clemenceau’s jibe at the French and British divisions tied down in entrenchments round the Greek port for a good part of the First World War, because all they seemed to do was dig, rather than launch a Balkan offensive. The Canadian Corps, from Field Marshal Haig’s perspective, was similarly removed from the war when Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie, strongly supported by the Canadian government, refused to accept the piecemeal breakup of the Corps to help shore up the British line during the great German offensive which began in March 1918. Haig never forgave this …

The Canadian Role In Operation “Charnwood,” 8 July 1944: A Case Study In Tank/Infantry Doctrine And Practice, David A. Wilson

Canadian Military History

On the morning of 8 July 1944, soldiers of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade (9 CIB) left their startlines near the Norman village of Vieux Cairon heading for Buron and Gruchy; two villages nearly 2,000 yards across open ground to the south. Their advance was part of Operation “Charnwood,” British I Corps’ final assault on Caen. By the end of the day most objectives were secured, and on 9 July Caen north of the Orne River and Canal was captured. General Dempsey, General Officer Commanding (GOC) British 2nd Army expressed his satisfaction, saying that the operations of 8 and 9 …

The Quebec Tercentenary, 1908: Canada’S First National Military Pageant, Mark Reid

Canadian Military History

The Quebec Tercentenary celebrations of 1908 constituted one of the largest gatherings of military forces on Canadian soil before 1914, yet the affair has been largely eclipsed by the momentous events of the First World War. The recent donation to the Canadian War Museum of the scrapbooks of General Sir William Otter, however, have provided some information on the contemporary view of the Tercentenary as seen through the eyes of Canadian journalists. The 19 leather-bound folios, covering his entire military career, were compiled by his loyal wife “Molly,” and contain a wealth of newspaper clippings, official programs and invitations. Every …

Rcaf Identity In Bomber Command: Squadron Names And Sponsors, John G. Armstrong

Canadian Military History

Royal Canadian Air Force bomber squadrons which served overseas during the Second World War were not only identified on the Commonwealth air forces order of battle by the customary squadron number but by a title or nickname as well. Additionally, Canadian squadrons received formal sponsorship and support, generally from Canadian communities or other organizations. In one instance the sponsor was a major Hollywood film studio which also mobilized its roster of movie stars to the cause. Needless to say, these practices were something of a departure from the general orthodoxy within the parent RAF, where the normal practice was to …

The Franks Flying Suit In Canadian Aviation Medicine History, 1939–1945, George Smith

Canadian Military History

It is not widely appreciated that Canadians were active during the war in the field of aviation medicine. Aviation medicine research in Canada during the Second World War involved a significant commitment of personnel and resources. However, there has been little historical investigation of this and that which has occurred is misleading. In 1947 C.B. Stewart argued that Canadian research was boosted by an early start and achieved unsurpassed results; the most prominent of which was the work of Wilbur Franks. In the years since 1947, Stewart's conclusions have never been challenged. In fact, historians have ultimately judged the entire …

A Lesson In Success: The Calonne Trench Raid, 17 January 1917, Andrew B. Godefroy

Canadian Military History

The Allied armies slugged it out on the Western front for nearly four years before finally achieving the breakout sought since November 1914. The four-division strong Canadian Corps led this “spearhead to victory.” Its commander was Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie, and his corps was commonly referred to as the “shock troops” of the British Expeditionary Force and as “the enemy’s elite soldiers” by the German high command. This reputation stemmed from the Canadians’ impressive record of success in raiding the German lines throughout the war. The Canadian Corps’ flexibility, and initiative, the aggressiveness of its soldiers, and their ever improving …

Memory, Monument, And Landsacpe, Nan Griffiths

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

24th Canadian Field Ambulance Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Harold Russell

Canadian Military History

The 24th Field Ambulance, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, was the only complete Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario unit mobilized and sent overseas in the Second World War. Today few know its story in spite of an active veterans’ association. The purpose of this article is to pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of these extraordinary ordinary men who risked all when Canada was in peril.

The Fog Of War: Large-Scale Smoke Screening Operations Of First Canadian Army In Northwest Europe, James C. Bond

Canadian Military History

Smoke screens have been employed in sea and land warfare for many centuries for a variety of purposes. They have been used to conceal troop movements, to deceive the enemy as to combat strengths, point of attack, and preparations for offensive operations. During the Second World War all armies made use of smoke screns in their operations to a greater or lesser extent. Canada was no exception and was considered to be extremely innovative in the use of smoke equipment in ways for which it was not designed. The First Canadian Army first employed large-scale non-artillery-projected smoke screens during the …

“While The Shells Crashed We Were Strong”: The Life Of War Poet “Toronto” Prewitt, Andrew Coppolino

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The Fighter-Bomber In The Normandy Campaign: The Role Of 83 Group, Christopher Evans

Canadian Military History

The dichotomy between popular and academic history is, for most historians, and readers, an uncomfortable one. A book that appeals to a mass audience risks the scorn of academia, whereas a scholarly work may never reach beyond the confines of the university. While there are exceptions to this rule, John Keegan’s The Face of Battle being perhaps the most famous, by and large academic study runs parallel with popular accounts and rarely the twain meet. No where is this more prevalent in the study of military history than the question of the role played by tactical air power in the …

What Is Tank Country?, William Murphy

Canadian Military History

There are certain principles that evolved during the past war that should be applicable to future operations, and one of these principles, it is suggested, is the answer to the question of what is and what is not tank country. Many serving and former members of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps will recollect how eagerly they perused reports from the western desert during the years they sat in England awaiting their turn. They realized that in all probability when they saw action it would be with a better vehicle and in totally different country. But the only reports available, so …

Shermans In Sicily: The Diary Of A Young Soldier, Summer 1943, Jack Wallace

Canadian Military History

Fifty five years ago, one of the biggest news stories of the summer was the invasion of Sicily by Allied Forces. For some, the memories will never fade because they were in the front lines of the first successful Allied push into occupied Europe.

Jack Wallace of Nepean remembers Sicily the way it was 55 years ago—the stifling heat, the billowing clouds of dust and the rugged mountain terrain. At the time, Wallace was a 23-year-old lieutenant commanding a squadron of Sherman tanks with the Three Rivers Regiment. The battle for Sicily—“the soft underbelly of fascism” as Churchill called it—was …

Restoration Of The Canadian War Memorial In The Senate, Danielle Allard

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Phantom German Air Raids On Canada: War Hysteria In Quebec And Ontario During The First World War, Robert Bartholomew

Canadian Military History

In late August of 1914, Canada entered the First World War following the unanimous vote of a special session of Parliament. This event occurred amid great exuberance and unanimity, and was marked by parades, decorations, cheering crowds and patriotic speeches. Canada was situated far from the European front lines, and its distant, vast land mass and cold climate also contributed to a feeling of insulation from attack or invasion. However, despite a general feeling of distance from the war's unfolding events, there was a rapidly growing realization that German sympathizers and enemy agents might pose a more immediate threat.

“Batty Mac”: Portrait Of A Brigade Commander Of The Great War, 1915–1917, Ian Mcculloch

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

One Family’S War: World War Two As Seen Through The Craig Family, Jeff Keshen

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The “Dorothy Medal” And The Dominion Rifle Association, Kyle Mcintyre

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Operation “Canada”: 5th Canadian Armoured Division’S Attack On Delfzijl, 23 April To 2 May 1945, Daniel Byers

Canadian Military History

Operation “Canada” was the last action fought 5th Canadian Armoured Division in the Second World War. The battle to open the northern Dutch port of Delfzijl lasted ten days, and cost the Division a total of 62 dead and 180 wounded. Yet it has largely been forgotten. The capture of Delfzijl is interesting enough to be worth studying in its own right. As one of the last Canadian actions in the war, it reveals the level of proficiency achieved by Canadian soldiers by that time. The reduction of the pocket was carried out with a high degree of efficiency, and …

Confronting Technological And Tactical Change: Allied Anti-Submarine Warfare In The Last Year Of The Battle For The Atlantic, Douglas M. Mclean

Canadian Military History

The recall of German U-boat wolfpacks from the central north Atlantic at the end of May 1943 ended the most costly phase of the shipping war for the Allies. Never again would the German U-boats inflict dangerously high shipping losses. The naval war remained bitter, nonetheless, for the U-boats refused to give up, turning instead to new technology and new tactics. Right to the end, they continued to present a plausible threat that caused concern in high Allied circles. Indeed, in January 1945 the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty was moved to warn that, “The high shipping losses which …

Fighting The Defensive Battle On The Jamestown Line: The Canadians In Korea, November 1951, David J. Bercuson

Canadian Military History

Barbed wire. Artillery duels. Patrolling in “no-man’s land.” Static warfare from fixed defensive positions. This description could easily fit the western front in 1916. In fact, however, it also depicts the Jamestown Line in central Korea from the beginning of the static phase of the Korean war in late October 1951 to the cease-fire of July 1953. The apparent similarity of this static war to the Western Front from late 1914 to early 1918 has obscured the importance and uniqueness of the Korean experience to recent military history. For while stalemate on the Western Front derived from fundamental military problems, …

In Support Of The Canadians: A British Anti-Tank Regiment’S First Five Weeks In Normandy, Tony Foulds

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The Royal Arms Of France And Its Ancillary Artefacts, Bernard Pothier

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“Within Ourselves”: The Development Of British Light Infantry In North America During The Seven Years’ War, Ian Mcculloch

Canadian Military History

The first British regulars to appear in North America were those accompanying a small British expedition to wrest Manhattan from the Dutch in 1664. Colonel Richard Nicolls’ troops landed on Long Island 25 August 1664 at the exact site where General William Howe’s troops would disembark over a century later. After a swift Dutch capitulation, Nicolls’ redcoats and subsequent garrisons of British regulars would maintain a solid presence in New York for a virtually uninterrupted period of 119 years.

It has been suggested by one American historian that this factual record has been conveniently overlooked by most of his colleagues …

Pursuit To The Seine: The Essex Scottish Regiment And The Foret De La Londe, August 1944, Doug W. Mcintyre

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.