Canada in World War II - Part 1: Declaration

The first world war ushered in a tremendous number of changes for Canada. There was the obvious loss of a generation of young men, the schism of French and English Canada caused by conscription threatened to tear the country apart (mind you, that seems to have been happening since Confederation), women were working their way into the workforce, and we had become closer friends not with the weakened, aging lion of Britain overseas but the up-and-coming superpower behemoth to our southern border. Amidst all of this, the country was still reeling from the trials of caring for veterans and a post-war world. Of course, this all paled in comparison to the trails of Germany.

The German Blitzkrieg or "lightning war" style, based on
high mobility. It's like a really scary monster truck rally.

War reparations were demanded that put the country in an economic state that would be darn near impossible to recover from. One U.S. dollar was worth 25 billion Reichsmarks, a level of inflation that shattered the country. 1/3rd of the German population was out of work, and in their desperation to find a scapegoat, began to blame the Jews and the communists. Those that still believed in German strength and empire set out to restore the country, many in government positions circumventing the rules set out on demilitarization in the Treaty of Versailles (the treaty signed at the end of the war, stating "we win, you lose, gimme all your stuff" except said in the 1919 vernacular) until they began outright ignoring it.

Eventually Germany began to remilitarize the Rhineland, the area along the Rhine river that was a central piece of the World War I European puzzle. France and Britain, still nursing their wounds and icing their black eyes, had little intent to go back to the broken and battered hellscape that they had just won to fight for it all over again. The result was just kind of... letting it happen. That handcuffed attitude of wanting Germany to refrain from becoming a power again but not having the desire to go to war to achieve that goal was tested again when Germany and Russia set their sights on parts of Czechoslovakia, which they divided up between themselves. Meanwhile, the Germans were testing military equipment left right and centre in the Spanish civil war. Once Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with Stalin the path to Poland was free and clear. Make no mistake; war is coming. With all its glory... and all its horror.

Oops, that was a quote from Starcraft. Those slip through every now and again.

This was bad news for Canada, and for more reasons than just the obvious. With the Great Depression striking Canada and a cultural division causing havoc, William Lyon Mackenzie King, then Prime Minister, was left with no option where he came out well. Go too light on military spending and he would risk losing the confidence of the British Canadians. Too heavy on the other end and he risked upsetting the French Canadians. Erring on the side of caution with a greater concern about risks to the homefront, King opted for the lighter side of the spending. Our military at that point was weak. Promising no conscription, 58,000 still decided to sign up, but were poorly prepared with a lack of appropriate clothing and weapons for the soldiers. This time, the Canadians would sign up without much of the "ra ra war is fun" attitude of the first round, but with a somber "git 'er done" air about them.

Ah, the City of Light in the 1940s. Love, romance, Nazis... it had it all.
Here, Hitler takes a romantic stroll under by the Eiffel Tower.

They would have to fix things fast if they wanted to contribute. Meanwhile, in Europe, Hitler utilizes his new Blitzkrieg style of rapid tank presses and levels Poland in a heartbeat. The French, anticipating an attack, reinforce their 700km long Maginot line, what was meant to be an undefeatable fortification. For some time a "Phoney War" begins, with only small skirmishes and no true assaults. During that time, Canada begins to recoup, but it only lasted so long. During this break the Germans searched the Maginot line for weak spots, and when they struck, they struck with bewildering speed. France, the very same country that held on so desperately and bravely for years in World War I, was shattered in a matter of a few weeks.

British soldiers retreating at Dunkirk. Hats off
to them; even in a hasty retreat with the Nazi
war machine on their heels, they still form
an orderly line while wading out to the ships.

By May, the allies would retreat back to Dunkirk, along the French coastline near Belgium. Cornered and low on weaponry, the allies were planning on bidding a hasty retreat but did not yet have to ships to carry them off. All Hitler had to do was to take his standing army and order them to capture the soldiers, all 350,000 of them - an event that could very well have turned the tide of the entire war. However, he decided to give them a respite as his troops were ravaged by casualties and tired from marching. That decision provided enough time to call in every vessel that could get from France to Britain - really, any vessel - to carry troops back. The plan worked, and the would-be massacre at Dunkirk was mostly avoided.

A rattled and weary Britain then decided to once more call upon their Canadians - closer to allies than colonials, but still leaning on the side of the latter - to send them everything they had. King was hesitant. If he provided too many forces, he was worried about a German attack on Canadian soil which he may not be able to properly defend. He decided to send whatever he could spare, as little as that was.

It was June 8th that the Canadians landed in France, but to little importance. Word of an approaching panzer assault sent them flying around the continent or back to Britain (an event that happened so often they were often mocked as "McNaughton's Travelling Circus") and by the time France finally officially capitulated on June the 22nd, they didn't see much action. With Britain on the ropes and France already fallen, Canada began to commit much more strongly to the war. At that point, few would object. The war had begun in earnest, and the largest war the world has ever seen began in full.