The Second World War

Public Information Sheets

Canadians contributed in many ways to our country's great efforts in the Second World War.

Second World War Historica Minutes

The Historica Minutes are one-minute movies that portray exciting and important stories from Canada's past.

Canada and the Second World War

The Second World War lasted six terrible years and left a legacy of death and destruction. It was truly a world war encircling the globe from the Atlantic to the pacific and touching the far reaches of the Arctic.

The Battle of the Atlantic

What a miserable, rotten hopeless life . . . an Atlantic so rough it seems impossible that we can continue to take this unending pounding and still remain in one piece.

The British Commonwealth Air Training plan

In 1939, prime Minister Mackenzie King had a dream which he believed was a sign of "the power of the airplane in determining ultimate victory" for the war effort.

The Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which saw German U-boats penetrate the Cabot Strait and the Strait of Belle Isle to sink 23 ships between 1942 and 1944, marked the only time since the War of 1812 that enemy warships inflicted death within Canada's territorial waters.

Canadians in Asia 1941-1945

It was in the defence of Hong Kong in 1941 that Canadian soldiers were first committed to battle during the Second World War.

Dieppe

The Allied situation in the spring of 1942 was grim. The Germans had penetrated deep into Russia, the British Eighth Army in North Africa had been forced back into Egypt, and in Western Europe the Allied forces faced the Germans across the English Channel.

Canada - Italy 1943-1945

Canadian troops played a vital role in the 20-month Mediterranean campaign which led to the liberation of Italy during the Second World War.

Normandy 1944

By the time of the Normandy invasion, Canada had been at war for almost five years.

Canada - Belgium

Belgium takes up many chapters of the story of Canadians at war. More than 800 Canadian soldiers are buried in Belgium. They died in the autumn of 1944 for the liberation of Flanders.

The Scheldt

Adegem Canadian War Cemetery contains the graves of 848 Canadians, most of whom lost their lives during the bitter struggle to clear the south bank of the Scheldt River.

Canada - Netherlands

The foundations of a special relationship between our countries were established during the dreary years of the Second World War.

For Valour

This book and the accompanying lithograph were produced to honour the sixteen Canadian servicemen who were awarded the Victoria Cross during the Second World War.

Uncommon Courage

These are the stories of gallant people whose names deserve to be engraved forever on Canada's roll of honour. Some of them did not survive - were captured, tortured by the Gestapo and then executed. These are stories, simply told, of real heroes, hitherto unsung but no less inspiring despite the passage of time.

Canadian War Brides - 60 Years

The term "War Bride" refers to the thousands of young women who met and married Canadian servicemen during the Second World War.