Canada Enters World War II

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Canada Enters World War II
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The Second World War Begins!

• World War II began on September 1, 1939 with
  Germany and the Soviet Unions synchronized attack
  on Poland.
• Germany attacked from the West side, while the
  Soviet Union attacked from the East.
• Poland surrenders September 28-30, 1939

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Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)

• Germany relied on a new military tactic called
  the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war)
• Required the concentration of offensive weapons
  (tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow
  front.
• Forces would breach small areas in enemy
  defenses, permitting armoured tanks to penetrate
  rapidly.
• Caused shock and disorganization among the enemy
  defenses.
• German forces would then turn and encircle
  opposing troops, forcing their surrender.

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The Allies Respond

• On September 3, 1939, Britain and France, having
  sworn to protect Poland's borders, declared war
  on Germany.
• Although Britain was hesitant to aid Poland at
  first, both Britain and France sought to stop
  Germany before it became too powerful.
• On September 9th, having met in a special
  parliamentary session two days earlier, the
  Canadian government approved the support of
  Britain and France.

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Canada Declares War!

• Canada declares war on September 10th, 1939.

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The War at Home

• At the beginning of World War II, there were only
  10,000 members of the Canadian armed forces. At
  the time, Canada only had a population of 10
  million people.
• Millions of other Canadians contributed to the
  war effort by working in war factories, mines,
  forests and farms.
• Canadas allies were impressed by Canadas
  availability to provide huge amounts of war
  equipment, supplies, and food to help win the
  war.
• The total cost of the war for Canada was about
  16 billion (150 billion in todays dollars)
• This was Incredible for a country with such a
  small population!

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Canada Ramps up Its Armed Forces

• By the end of September, Canada had over 58,000
  people enlisted in its armed forces.
• Many of these recruits were unemployed men.
• On September 16, the first battalion of soldiers
  left for England, with 23,000 (roughly 40) of
  them untrained Canadian troops.

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World War II A Different Kind of War

• Huge technological advances occurred during the
  start of WWII.
• Many new weapons, vehicles and ways of
  communication were developed.

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Guns

• The introduction of automatic guns in WWII led to
  a change in warfare.
• Past problems with reloading were solved by
  larger clips of bullets.
• The use of the bazooka allowed soldier to attack
  tanks and buildings without setting up
  demolitions (prevented more causalities)

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Tanks

• Tanks were used during World War I but were not
  as advanced as they were in the Second World War.
• Tanks now had radio communication, better
  armoured protection.
• Equipped with artillery and assault guns.
• Turrets guns increased accuracy and damage to
  other tanks.

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Planes

• World War II was the first war that was won in
  the air.
• Precision bombing and high-powered guns made
  ground targets more vulnerable. (Ex. Bombing of
  Dresden, Germany)
• Dog fighting became a major part of the war.
• With better engines and plane structures, pilots
  were able to reach higher speeds and cover more
  ground.

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• P-51 Mustang

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P-51 Mustang Redefines Combat Fighting

• http//www.history.com/shows/dogfights/videosp-51
  -mustang-redefines-combat-fighting
• ME-109 vs. P-51 Mustang
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vLt8G3vxLmKE
• Source History Channel

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Stealth Bombing A Powerful Force

• The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by
  the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United
  States Army Air Force (USAAF) as part of the
  Allied forces between February 13th and 15th,
  1945.
• 3,600 planes, dropped
• 650,000 incendiaries.
• 8000 lb. high-explosive bombs.
• Hundreds of 4,000 Ib. bombs.
• The resulting firestorm destroyed 39 square
  kilometres of the city centre, resulting in the
  deaths of 25,000 civilians.

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Ships and Submarines

• The biggest advancement in naval warfare during
  WWII was the development of the aircraft carrier.
• Planes could reach further distances and were
  able to return back to their countries carriers
  instead of landing in another country.
• Submarines were also a big part of naval battle
• German U-boats were used for stopping and
  destroying boats that were carrying supplies
  across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

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Communication

• The biggest inventions in communication
  technology were radar and sonar.
• This technology was used on planes and ships, as
  well as on the ground.
• There were also technologies invented to jam
  enemy radar.

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Summary

• World War II began on September 1, 1939 with
  Germany and the Soviet Unions synchronized
  attack on Poland.
• Germany relied on a new military tactic called
  the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war)
• Canada declares war on September 10th, 1939.
• World War II had tremendous impact on developing
  new technologies and changes in the way wars are
  fought today.