The early war (WW2) Flashcards
How does Canada go to war
- Unlike in WW1, Canada was not automatically at war because Britain was at war.
- The primary concern in parliament was over conscription
- Prime minister Mackenzie king: “so long as this government may be in power, no measure (as conscription) will be enacted.
- In sept 1939, Parliament voted in favour of war and Canada declared war on Germany.
Mobilising Canada’s resources. (talk about if they were prepared or not) and British commonwealth
-Canada was unprepared for war with a small army, airforce and navy, and outdated equipment.
How many Canadians volunteered for service
over 58,000
What was the name British navy and where did they train
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) was established to train allied pilots in Canada.
What did Canada produce
Department of Munitions and supply under C.D Howe mobilised industry in Canada to produce supplies for the war effort.
Canada produced ships, planes, military vehicles, tanks, farmers produced food, and uranium was mined.
Who were the Axis and allies
Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan
Allies: Britain, France, and the commonwealth including Canada, Australia and new Zealand.
What Technique did Axis Advances use
“Blitzkrieg”- lightning war
Germany used air strike, followed by German Tanks, then infantry to rapidly attack and destroy defending forces.
What were some of German Early victories
-Germany defeated Poland by the end of September 1939.
-April 1940, after a lull in fighting over the winter, known as phoney war, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway, fighting is finished by June.
In may the next month Germany invaded Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
When did France officially surrender
June 22, 1940
Explain the Evacuation of Dunkirk
-As german trooper advanced into France, the British army was trapped.
Between may and june 338,000 British & French soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk, but the British army lost a lot of tanks and heavy equipment.
When was the battle of Britain
Sep 1940-may 1941
Following German invasion of Western Europe, Chamberlain resigned and was replaced by Winston Churchill.
What was operation Sea lion
Germany began “operation sea lion” a plan to invade Britain.
-First Germany had to take out the Royal Air Force.
What is “the Blitz”
A bombing campaign directed at the British air force and cities.
What was Canadas role in the battle or Britain
The RAF was supported with pilots, planes, and supplies from Canada and other commonwealth countries.
what were the airforces called in Germany and Great Britain
Luftwaffe- Germanys air force
RAF- Britain’s royal air force
How did the war spread to north Africa
Italians invaded Egypts, an ally of Britain and took most of North Africa by 1942.
How did the war spread to Eastern Europe
Italy and Germany invaded Greece and Yugoslavia. Bulgaria and Hungary joined the Axis powers.
What was Germanys attack “operation Barbarossa”
In June 1941, Hitler disregarded the Non-aggression pact he made with Stalin, and invaded the Soviet Union.
Soviet union forces unprepared and retreated, destroying factories, farms and the crops to hinder the German advance.
What is siege of Leningrad
Leningrad was city in Russia, Siege of Leningrad was when Germans attacked the city and it lasted 2 and a half years, starvation , 1 million died.
Pearl Harbour
Japan had been looking to expand overseas empier- when japan took control of French Indochina in 1941, the USA cut off supplies to Japan.
So in Dec, 1941- Japan conducted surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, U.S.A (Hawaii)
later USA declared war on Japan
Canada defends Hong Kong
Dec 8-25 Canadian Troops defended Hong Kong, Which surrendered Christmas day 1941.
-as result 300 Canadian dead, 493 wounded, 257 died as prisoners of war.
