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As early as September 1939, volunteers
flooded recruiting offices. They came from
all parts of Canada, English-speaking or
French-speaking, workers, students, or unemployed.
Some dreamed of getting warm clothes and
regular meals, others were looking for excitement,
others wanted to give a meaning to their
lives. World War I veterans showed up to
wrap up the job they had started; kids under
18 lied about their age. For most, there
was no sense in trying to explain why, it
was just something that had to be done.
The Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force desperately
needed these men. They had to set up a territorial
defence system and prepare for the battle
that Britain was about to wage against the
Third Reich. Experts believed this would
be a war of attrition, a long, exhausting
conflict that could last at least three
years.
In July 1939, the Army's Permanent Force
was 4,261 strong, all ranks included, and
the Non-Permanent Active Militia counted
some 50,000 volunteers. Following mobilization
orders, many of these militiamen joined
the active forces. With that contribution
plus the many civilians who signed up, the
Army already had 3,001 officers, 55,255
other ranks, and 81 nurses by the end of
September 1939. But the units were under-equipped:
they lacked barracks, uniforms, boots, vehicles,
weapons. Many men were poorly housed, some
suffering from the cold, and training conditions
were difficult.
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Canadian
Army owned few and obsolete tanks.
Here, Renault tanks are demonstrated
for federal Members of Parliament
at Camp Borden, Ontario, May 14th,
1941. |
| Department
of National Defence / National
Archives of Canada, PA-114518. |
|
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When war broke out, the Royal Canadian
Air Force (RCAF) was 4,061 strong, including
both reserve and regular forces. Among them,
there were only 235 pilots, less than the
number of Canadian pilots serving with the
Royal Air Force. And they flew a heterogeneous
fleet of 275 bombers, fighters, transports
and trainers. Among its most modern aircraft,
there were 19 Hawker Hurricanes and, for
training, 23 Tiger Moths, 21 Airspeed Oxfords,
10 Fairey Battles, and 2 Westland Lysanders.
Some older planes, already close to the
end of their useful lives, such as Stanraers,
continued to be used and provided reliable
service almost to the end of the war. The
balance of the fleet was made up of obsolete
aircraft of little use. Fortunately, civilian
aviation had created a network of airports
that could be used for transportation and
training purposes, while new military facilities
were being built.
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Old
but still efficient, the Supermarine
Stanraer flying boat flew coastal
patrols until 1944. Stanraer 916
QN:P of No 5 Squadron, RCAF, was
photographed in June 1940 in Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia. |
| Department
of National Defence / National
Archives of Canada, PA-136889. |
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During the summer that preceded the proclamation
of the state of war, the Royal Canadian
Navy had 1,674 ratings and 145 officers.
It owned 15 ships, including 6 destroyers,
5 small minesweepers, and 2 training ships.
The Esquimalt Naval Base in British Columbia
served the Pacific theatre, while Halifax
in Nova Scotia, was the HQ for the protection
of the Atlantic seaboard. The Navy had its
own reserve forces, the Royal Canadian Naval
Volunteer Reserve, with bases throughout
Canada near major cities. Canada could also
rely on its merchant navy, on which rested
a significant part of the country's international
and inland trade. As early as August 26th,
1939, the Admiralty ordered that the merchant
navy be placed under the control of the
Royal Canadian Navy, as had been done everywhere
else in the British Commonwealth. Halifax
was once again a military harbour and the
complex transatlantic convoy system was
established, in spite of the opposition
of ship owners and captains.
The Canadian Government
Announces its Action Plan
While Canada was mobilizing all it resources
and setting up its defences, Germany tightened
its grip on Poland. Invaded once again on
September 16th, this time from the east
by the Soviet Army, Poland surrendered on
the 27th; its territory was partitioned
between Germany and Russia. This lightning-fast
assault gave rise to the word Blitzkrieg,
"lighting war". But during the
following, months, given the relative quiet
on the European theatre; western media often
used the phrase Sitzkrieg, the "phoney
war". Nobody questioned that the situation
was dramatic, though, and the Canadian government,
in an agreement with the British government,
actively prepared its action plan.
On October 31st, 1939, Prime Minister King
addressed the Canadian public on the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation's airwaves to present
the outline of that plan.
The most competent
military authorities believe this is not
likely to be a short war. They advise
that we prepare for a war of at least
three years' duration. All we know certainly
is that we must prepare for a long and
terrible struggle in which staying power,
the power to hold out to the end may well
be the decisive factor.
-
W.L. Mackenzie King, October 31st, 1939
In his speech, the PM summarized the ongoing
actions and highlighted his government's
priorities:
• territorial defence and the protection
of the Atlantic Coast by the Army, the Navy
and the Air Force;
• the dispatch of two infantry divisions
overseas;
• the training on Canadian soil of
airmen from all over the Commonwealth;
• the creation of a Department of Munitions
and Supplies to ensure procurement and production
of war material;
• the creation of a Wartime Prices
and Trade Board to prevent hoarding and
excess profits;
• the imposition of a heavy tax on
excess profits;
• the creation of a Censorship Coordination
Committee.
Reading between the lines, one realized
that the military intervention policies
were moderate, defence-based, and relying
on the development of industrial and agricultural
production. King supported the creation
of an ambitious programme, the British
Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP)
that would earn Canada the nickname of "the
aerodrome of Democracy". He wished
to avoid sending a large expeditionary force
overseas, lest the conscription crisis that
tore the country apart during WWI be revived.
The thought of sending men to the front
line slaughterhouse repulsed him.
Crisis in Quebec
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Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis
addressing the crowd. |
| CBC
/ National Archives of Canada,
C-019526. |
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From the very beginning of the war, King's
government was faced with a political crisis:
the province of Quebec harboured strong
anti-war feelings, some parliamentarians
and intellectuals even suggesting that Canada
declare its neutrality in the conflict.
The province's Premier, and leader of the
Union Nationale Party, Maurice Duplessis,
stated his opposition to any participation
in the war. Actually, he was even more strongly
opposed to any kind of involvement of the
federal government in provincial affairs,
as made obvious by the censorship guidelines.
In the fall of 1939, he called a provincial
election, making the conscription the key
issue of the campaign. The leader of the
Liberal Party, Adélard Godbout, claimed
that enlistment would remain voluntary and
that there would be no conscription. Federal
Justice Minister Ernest Lapointe campaigned
with Godbout, and together with other federal
ministers, Raoul Dandurand, Arthur Cardin
and C.G. Power, he promised that his government
would never impose conscription. He added
that if ever they were to break that promise,
they would resign.
"The broadcast
of political debates must be limited to
studios for the duration of the war. Radio
stations are not allowed to broadcast
political speeches delivered in public
meetings. To broadcast a speech of a political
nature from studio, two copies of the
speech must be submitted in advance to
the Superintendent and the broadcast will
be allowed only with this department's
authorization."
- H.N.
Novin, CBC, to directors of radio stations.
On October 25th,1939, Quebeckers chose
Godbout, a show of support for King's and
Lapointe's federal Liberal government at
the same time. In his October 31st speech,
King claimed that: "It is doubtful
if Canada could have made, within the first
two months of war, a more helpful contribution
to the cause of the allies than that signified
by the decisive pronouncement of a week
ago. Certainly nothing which has happened
in our country, since Confederation, has
contributed more to Canadian unity."
The 1st Infantry
Division Sails Off
Meanwhile, recruits were going through
military drills and training. They were
provided with uniforms and weapons and orders
for departure were given. Under Major-General
Andrew
McNaughton, the 1st Infantry
Division's 7,449 men sailed from Halifax
on December 10th, 1939. They were to celebrate
Christmas on British soil. A second cohort
followed soon after. For these men, war
was not a political issue but an increasingly
closer and threatening reality.
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The
second flight of the 1st Infantry
Division departing for overseas.
Halifax, December 20th - 22nd,
1939. |
| Photo
by F.C. Tyrell. Department of
National Defence / National Archives
of Canada, PA-163405 |
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Canada in WWII
