History Browser

For Canada and Canadians the Second World War began in Parliament. Canadian newspapers documented the changes in government and social platform during World War Two.

The Liberals, headed by Prime Minister Mackenzie King, steered Canada through some rocky waters during the war years. The challenges the government faced were well documented in the English language newspapers of the time.

The Battle of the Atlantic was the struggle for control of the sea routes between the Americas and Europe and Africa. German forces attempted to break Britain’s vital supply link from the United States and Canada. During this six year conflict both sides suffered losses of personnel and materials.

On 6 June 1944, Allied forces invaded Western Europe along an 80-kilometre front in Normandy, France. Of the nearly 150,000 Allied troops who landed or parachuted into the invasion area on D-Day, 14,000 were Canadians.

This article explains the history of the Cold War era of NATO, the Warsaw Pact. It focuses on Canada's role during this era. Includes a list of suggested readings.

The war changed Canada. It became a rich industrial nation producing aircraft, ships, weapons, vehicles, and food not only for the national war effort but also for the country's allies. In the "Hamilton Spectator," as well as in other newspapers, the war was seen as a struggle to save Great Britain, the mother country of so many Canadians, from being wiped off the map.

On 8 February 1945, the Canadians helped deal a deathblow to German resistance. Fighting through the Rhineland and piercing the formidable Siegfried Line, they penetrated the Reichswald and Hochwald forests.

Hitler's invasion of Poland triggered the beginning of the Second World War after which France, Great Britain, and Canada declared war on Germany. The first movements of these forces were discussed in newspaper articles of the day.

In Canada’s first sustained land operation of the war, Canadian troops helped capture Sicily in a five-week campaign beginning 10 July 1943.

The role of the Canadian Armed Forces changed between the First and Second World Wars. Canada now had its own separate fighting force, as opposed to being under British command; however, Great Britain had trouble recognizing this fact.