WWII Flashcards
Why was Prime Minister William Lyon worried about entering World War II?
Because of the heavy casualties from ww1 and also the fear of conscription re-dividing the country
Why did Canadians go to Hong Kong?
selected the Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles of Canada to form the core of “C” Force – a military contingent that was the first to see action in ww2
–> neither of these battalions were properly trained for combat
what was britains initial worry about japan?
fear that japan would invade and attack british colonies in east asia (when their political relationship began to disassemble)
–> hong kong was a british colony
The British military believed that by sending reinforcements to their colonial garrisons it would deter Japan from starting a war in the Pacific
What was Hong Kong like geographically?
consisted of Hong Kong Island and the adjacent mainland areas of Kowloon and the New Territories
what were state of affairs like?
War with japan wasn’t considered urgent and it was expected that Canadians would just see non-combat duty
Racial attitudes of the time convinced white troop leaders that they would win easily against the Japanese
state of affairs cont’d
no significant air or naval defense (The Kai Take Royal Airforce base in Hong Kong – 5 planes, seven officers and 108 airmen)
what was the battle of hong kong?
Dec 8 1941 the 38 japanese div attacked hong kong – after 3 days of conflict, the japanese troops bombed the colonies airfeild and other military installations – after 5 days, Kowloon and the mainland fell to the Japanese
General Maltbly denied Japanese demands for surrender – he split the forces into two brigades (east & west brigade)
What were Prisoners of War (POW’s)
approx 290 canadian soldeirs were killed in captivitym and 264 more died as pows (almost 550 wounded, 554 dead)
Japanese captured british indian and canadian soldiers where they were hled for four years of slave labour, starvation and more
what were some technology advancements
(war in the air)
the interwar period meant development in tech (aviation)
development of the radar allowed aircrafts to detect and track enemy planes and ships
how did the british commonwealth air force contribute to the war
it was the most prominent contribution Canada made to the war effort – canada focused a majority of its resources and soldiers
canada funded and ran the training of the majority of the allied air crew
what were the Canadian airforces in ww2
- Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) – majority served with bomber command and as a part of the royal airforce – it was the fourth largest allied airforce with bomber, fighter, reconnaissance and transport missions
- the womens division of RCAF
*trained as cooks, mechanics, telephone operaterators and drivers however they were not allowed to fly or take part in combat until much later in the war
what was operation Sea Lion?
Nazi Germany’s plan to invade Britain via English channel – they had to first destroy the RAF to prevent attacks on the invasion fleet or providing protection (they needed air superiority)
what was germany’s plan to invade britain called in 1940?
Operation sea lion
1st phase
Battle of britain
- Channel Battles: attacks aimed at british shipping (bombed convoys, ships and ports)
what was the significance of the battle of britain
prevented a possible lethal attack from hilter
2nd phase
Battle of britain
Eagle attacks: attacks aimed at airfields and factories in an effort to incapacitate the RAF
3rd phase
Battle of britain
Luftwaffe’s efforts increase: Battle began more fierce - increase of dogfighting, large scale attacks during the day to discredit RAF as a fighting force
4th phase
Battle of britain
The Blitz: 8 month mass daylight and night raids on London and other strategic cities across Britain - destroyed buildings and killed many civilians
what were relations like before the Dieppe Raid
(Operation Jubilee)
Germany had control of Europe
Canadians were eager to be involved, and the soviet union pressured them into attack (they weren’t ready for a full scale battle - winston churchill suggested commando style)
what was the objective of the dieppe raid
exact goal is unknown
* Force germany to fight on two fronts (weakens their defenses) uk on western, soviet union on eastern
* show hilter that the allies had not yet been defeated
* invade german territory
* test new strats and learn more about german defenses
* create a diversion to find out info about the Enigma machine and crack the code
* to take back control over dieppe port?
it failed
what did the plan for the raid look like?
- led by canadian troops
*main attack force: 2nd Canadian Infantry div
*4963 canadian and 1000 british soldiers - troops were launched from southern england
- main tactic – element of surprise and tanks
- Britains plan - 4 pre-dawn attacks along dieppes coast then main attack on dieppe)
what events occured during the dieppe raid?
- august 1942 allies first ship ran into a german convoy /group
*initiated a sea battle – the rest of the ships were deylayed and arrived in daylight
*new plan: air force bombers
what led to dieppe’s fail
beaches
- blue beach: Royal regiment of canada arrived late, beach below town created height disadvantage
- green beach: saskatchewan regiment arrived on time, the only unit with anti aircraf guns landed on wrong side of the river scie
- germans defended the bridge too well
- red & white beaches: essex scottish and royal hamilton light infantry regiments arrived on time but didn’t have support since the 14th Canadian army tank regiment was late, the few tanks that arrived couldn’t travel (pebbles covered steep shores & got stuck)
how long did the raid last, and what were the casualties
9 hours
907 canadian soldiers killed, 586 wounded, 1946 taken prisoner
