Canada in World War II: Understanding Its Distinct and
Important Role in World War II
Abstract:
World War II, where we witnessed a major conflict between the Axis Powers, led by Nazi Germany, and the Allied Forces, is one of the most well know wars of modern history. No matter what country you look at, they have all been affected by World War II in one way or another. Some of the most notable countries to fight for the Allied Forces were the United States, Britain, France, and Soviet Union where each of them has their own story about the war and how they were involved. They all have their own lens that they look through to recount the events. One story that is not often looked at is Canada’s involvement in World War II and how they were impacted by the war and, more importantly, how they impacted the war. In this project, I will be analyzing Canada’s involvement in World War II to understand their impact. Through examples such as their participation in Operations Husky and Overlord, the early years of the war as Canada built up a military and played an unconventional but important role, and Canada as a country in the lead up to World War II as they navigated a stronger sense of independence from Great Britain, I will argue that Canada’s role in World War II was both important and distinct. Canada’s participation in various battles should be enough to understand the importance of their role but the project will also highlight some distinct barriers and additional responsibilities that Canada had that makes their role much more distinct from other nations. Hopefully through this project, it will be clear that not only did Canada play a role in World War II, it should be understood that Canada’s role was both important and distinct.