The+War+Year+to+Year

World War 2 Year to Year
World War II lasted six years, from 1939 to 1945. It was fought in Europe, North Africa, the Atlantic, and the Pacific, and involved nations on all five continents. Battles were fought on land, at sea, and in the air. In this chapter we'll examine some of the important contributions that Canadians made to the war. First, though, here's a quick year-by-year overview of the course of the war.

1939: Germany signs a non-aggression pact (an agreement not to attack one another) with the Soviet Union, then invades Poland. Britain, France, and the Commonwealth countries, including Canada, declare war on Germany.

1940: In six months, Hitler's army overwhelms Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, and finally France. Italy joins the war on Germany's side. Britain and the Commonwealth now stands alone against the Axis powers. Germany launches massive air attacks against towns and cities in England in the Battle of Britain.

1941: Having failed to capture Britain, Hitler turns east, breaking his pact with the Soviets and attacking Leningrad and Moscow. The Nazis term it "Operation Barbarossa". It is considered to be Hitler's fatal mistake.

In August, the Allies launch a disastrous raid at Dieppe, France, after which more than half of the Canadian soldiers in the attack are captured, wounded, or dead.

In December, the Japanese air force captures Hong Kong in 17 days and destroys the American base at Pearl Harbor (in Hawaii). The Americans now join the Allies against Japan and Germany.

1942: The Allies win major victories in the Pacific (at Midway) and North Africa (at El-Alamein). German U-boats step up their attacks on convoys in the Atlantic in an attempt to cut Britain off from its supply route.

Mr. Maggiacomo Fact Mr. M's grandfather fights in El-Alamein in North Africa. The plane he is in get's shot down, but he survives and returns to continue fighting in the war.

1943: The Soviets push German troops back at Stalingrad. In July, the Allies move from North Africa into Sicily and up the Italian peninsula.

1944: The Allies launch a massive campaign in Normandy, France, on June 6 - D-Day. From there, they continue to push west, while the Soviet Union attacks from the east. The Soviets defeat huge portions of the German military, paving the way for an allied victory. 10 million Russians die, making the ultimate sacrifice to defeat the Nazis. Canada and the other allies suffer heavily, but their numbers seem small in comparison. Over 45,000 Canadians and 400, 000 Americans died during WW2.

1945: Allied forces from the east and west meet in Germany. Hitler, recognizing that he's defeated, commits suicide. In May, Germany surrenders.

In August, the United States drops two atomic bombs on Japan, wiping out the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a matter of seconds. Japan surrenders.

Allied Side Countries: Britain <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1939

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: France <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1939

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: Canada <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1939

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: Other Commonwealth members, such as Newfoundland <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1939

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: United States <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1941

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: Soviet Union <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1941

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Axis Side <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: Germany <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1939

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: Italy <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1940

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Countries: Japan <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Year of Entry: 1941

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Casualties <span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">It is estimated that 70 million people died in WW2. True of any war, many more civilians lost their lives than soldiers. 20 million soldiers lost their lives, with something near 50 million civilians paying the ultimate sacrifice, simply for trying to live their lives. Whether it is one of the World Wars, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other conflict, civilians often seem to suffer the most.

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In terms of percentage of population that died due to WW2, Canada lost 0.4% of it's population. We were lucky that World War 2 never fully reached our shores. In Europe and Asia the loss of some countries was staggering. Italy lost 1%, Finland lost 2.6%, the Netherlands 3.5%, Germany over 5%, the Soviet Union 14% and devastated Poland lost 16% of it's population.

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Canada, for it's size, played a disproportionately large role in helping to win WW2 for the allies. We were truly fortunate that our terrible loss of human life was disproportionately small for that role.

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Want to know more about the casualties of World War 2? Wikipedia has a good section on this, that is backed up by many other sources. For once, we can believe Wikipedia!

<span style="font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">**Questions**
<span style="background-color: #dfdddd; font: 150% 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">1. Based on this overview, in what year would you say that the tide of war turned in favour of the Allies? Why?

<span style="background-color: #dfdddd; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; line-height: normal;">2. In what ways was World War 2 like World War 1? Think of the role of Britain's allies.