How Did The Second World War Affect Canada

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The second world war was a major event in canadian history. Canada transformed from a quiet country, to playing one of the most important roles in the war. The whole country was involved in the war, either by serving in the military, or by serving in the home front either in industry or agriculture. A small nation with a population of only 11 million people had a remarkable impact on the world stage. At war's end, Canada had become a significant military power with the world's fourth largest navy, the fourth largest air force and an army of six divisions. Canada overall was involved with many battles which included the battle of Dunkirk, Britain, Hong Kong, Dieppe, and Atlantic. They had succeeded in most of them, but there is one battle where Canada played a very vital role in, which is the Battle of the Atlantic. The Battle of the Atlantic lasted the whole war, it was the longest continuous battle of World War 2. The battle began in September 3, 1939 when the first shots were fired from the U-Boats just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. The battle for control of the shipping routes between Europe and North America had begun. German Admiral Karl Dönitz believed that disrupting the…show more content…
Canada’s role was to escort duty for the hundreds of convoys that gathered in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, for the journey across the Atlantic. During this time Canada’s navy was small — only six destroyers and about 3,500 personnel. Canada started on a massive shipbuilding effort, making dozens of smaller warships known as corvettes. About half the size of a destroyer and armed with only a single gun and depth charges. These corvettes were quick and inexpensive to build, The convoys also got protection from the Royal Air Force Coastal Command, which included seven squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). By the end of the war, RCAF planes had sunk 19 German

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