The year 1943 was a turning point of WWII. Allied to serve the common cause of freedom and democracy, Canada, Great Britain, the United States, the countries of the British Commonwealth and free nations suffering under Nazi occupation counter-attacked.
In the Atlantic, Allied navies were finally able to counter the formidable threat of the German submarine fleet. The Royal Canadian Navy played a key role, taking command of the Northwest Atlantic theatre.
The Allied air forces, supported by Canada’s British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), launched massive air strikes. In preparation for D-Day strategic bombing against Germany targeted its war industry and abated the morale of its population.
Meanwhile the land forces were getting involved in major campaigns that were to bring about the demise of the Third Reich. Together with their allies, Canadian soldiers marched on, on Sicilian mountain roads, up the Italian boot, in Normandy, along the Scheldt, through the Netherlands and into Germany. So many different roads to Victory, conquered through determination and courage and at the price of many human lives.
Monday, June 5th, 1944: near Southampton, England, the men of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade had already boarded the ships. LCA slung from the davits, the ships sailed off at dawn, followed by the large landing...
The Winter by the Maas, November 8th, 1944 – February 7th, 1945 After the Battle of the Scheldt the First Canadian Army prepared to winter. For three months, between November 8th, 1944, and February 8th, 1945, Canadians were not involved...
The Liberation of Coastal Ports, August 22nd – October 1st, 1944 In order to progress eastwards through Europe, the Allies had to ensure a safe supply route. This meant seizing as soon as possible the seaports along the Channel so...
The Objectives At the end of 1942, Great Britain and the United States put a stop to the series of remarkable military successes of Marshal Erwin Rommel’s Afrikakorps, who threatened to capture Egypt and the Suez Canal. On November 4th, 1942,...
The Objectives In the mind of Allied strategists and military leaders, the campaign of Italy was not the logical continuation of the invasion of Sicily. Actually, there was a major disagreement between US President Roosevelt, who opposed the idea of further...
Extending the Bridgehead, June 7th – July 4th, 1944 The day following the Normandy landing, the 9th Infantry Brigade led the march towards Carpiquet where an airfield had been designated as the objective. The North Nova Scotia Highlanders, supported by...
Winter 1942-1943: in the North Atlantic, winter storms raged with gigantic waves and gusts of winds. But there were worst threats: the number of German submarines, the dreaded U-boats, was growing. Hunting in packs of up to 20 submarines, they...
