Canadas involvment in ww2 Flashcards
What did japan do after attacking PH
ONLY 8 HOURS AFTER Japan attacked Pearl harbour they began attacking American forces and bases at guam, wake island, the Philippines
and also attacked British colonial possessions at Malaysia Singapore and Hong Kong
where did Japanese forces come face to face with over 1900 Canadians
HONG KONG
Why were Canadians soldiers in Hong Kong in 1941?
Hong Kong was a British colony and thus when japan got aggressive the British government got worried and sent Canadian troops to support HK in 1941
What year did they surrender to the jap
dec 25 1941
describe the POW camps japense version
took almost 1700 prisoners
Canadian troops surrendered on Christmas
Canadians were treated poorly with very little treatment and abuse.
When did the fall of Hong kong happen
Dec 8, 1941 – Dec 25, 1941
how badly were the british forces out numbered
1-4
What were the soldiers like
who were they backed up by?
Only a few of the Canadian soldiers being sent had any field experience, Poorly equipped – no vehicles or proper equipment
Backed up by thousands of British, Indian, Colonial and Hong Kong troops totaling over 14,000
What did they Japanese have over the Hong kong reinforces that made them win so fast
Using superior air and manpower the Hong Kong defenders were quickly overrun
who was Sgt. John Osborne
Sgt. John Osborne was awarded the Victoria Cross for jumping on top of a Japanese grenade saving the lives of his fellow soldiers
Brigadier Lawson,
the Canadian commander was killed in action fighting against Japanese troops. The Japanese gave him a proper burial for his bravery.
What was it like for the British forces fighting
very little hope because of how outnumbered they were
- no reinforcements
- inexperienced troops
- defenders being worned out and tired
How many did the japense take prisoners at Hong kong
and what did Private Don Nelson say about the Japanese treatment towards pow
Japanese took almost 1,700 Canadian prisoners. The Canadian troops surrendered on Christmas Day 1941.
As Private Don Nelson of Winnipeg explained, the –They were pretty rough on us.
-They tied our hands together with barbed wire. A lot of boys that fell and couldn’t walk because they were wounded so badly, they were cut loose and bayoneted right there. They don’t believe in taking too many prisoners…”
-only a bit of rice to eat at each meal, and regular beatings and murders of enemy troops
