Canada's involvement in World War II was marked by significant military, economic, and social contributions to the Allied effort. Entering the war on September 10, 1939, Canada quickly transitioned to a full war economy, becoming a vital supplier of materials and resources. The country's industrial output surged, producing everything from aircraft and ships to munitions and vehicles, significantly bolstering the Allied war machine.
Militarily, Canada made substantial contributions on multiple fronts. The Canadian Army played key roles in several major campaigns, including the Italian Campaign and the Normandy Invasion (D-Day), where the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was one of the first to land on Juno Beach. Canadian forces also participated in the liberation of the Netherlands, earning deep gratitude from the Dutch people.
The Royal Canadian Navy expanded exponentially, providing critical convoy escorts across the Atlantic, protecting vital supply routes from German U-boats. The Royal Canadian Air Force contributed to the bombing campaigns over Europe and supported ground operations through reconnaissance and tactical missions.
On the home front, Canada saw significant social changes, with women entering the workforce in large numbers, filling roles in factories, farms, and the military. The war effort fostered a sense of national unity and pride, while also laying the groundwork for post-war social policies and economic growth. Canada's contributions were pivotal to the Allied victory, earning it a respected place on the global stage.
Blatant injustice : the story of a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany imprisoned in Britain and Canada during World War II by
After escaping from Nazi Germany with his family, Igersheimer was completing his medical studies when he was caught in the panic that led to the interment of 30,000 German and Italian citizens living in Britain. They were placed behind barbed wire and treated as enemies. Many of the Jewish refugees were then sent to prisons in Canada, but the internees did not let the authorities crush their creativity or desire for an education: they started a free university, mounted plays, and wrote musicals. Laced with black humour, Blatant Injustice is a story of resilience and determination. Grossly unsanitary living conditions, cruel and abusive treatment by camp officials, the withholding of medical treatment - these were common experiences for refugees imprisoned at internment camps in Britain and Canada. Walter Igersheimer's memoir exposes this bleak period in the British and Canadian war record.
Canada's Greatest Wartime Muddle by
To determine the government's commitment to a comprehensive mobilization strategy, Stevenson considers the effect of NSS policies on eight significant sectors of the Canadian population: Native Canadians, university students, war industry workers, coal miners, longshoremen, meatpackers, hospital nurses, and textile workers. These case studies show that mobilization officials achieved only a limited number of their regulatory goals and that Ottawa's attempt to organize and allocate the nation's military and civilian human resources on a rational, orderly, and efficient scale was largely ineffective. This detailed assessment of the effect of NSS activities on a broad cross-section of Canadian society provides a fresh perspective on the domestic impact of the Second World War. It will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Canada's economic, military, social, and political history.
Canada and the cost of World War II : the international operations of Canada's Department of Finance, 1939-1947 by
"Canada's Department of Finance during World War II was surprisingly small - a tightly knit coterie of only a few hundred civil servants who managed the country's finances through the dark years of the war and the difficult period of reconstruction that followed. At the centre of this group was an inner circle - a handful of men - whom the deputy minister, Clifford Clark, relied on to shape public policy. This inner circle included Clark, W. A. Mackintosh, A. F. W. Plumptre, a young Mitchell Sharpe, and a young graduate of Cambridge and student of John Maynard Keynes, Robert Bryce, who came to the department in the late 1930s and quickly became a confidant of the deputy minister. During this period little public policy passed through Ottawa that did not bear the stamp of these men." "Reconstructed from archival sources and memory, Canada and the Cost of World War II is Bryce's definitive work on the department during these crucial years as well as an intimate portrait of the civil servants whose war for their country was waged with ledger sheets."-
The U-boat hunters : the Royal Canadian Navy and the offensive against Germany's submarines by 
U-boats against Canada : German submarines in Canadian waters by The Following Links are to videos from the FAU Libraries' Database Collection - You must log in using your FAU Username and Password.
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