History Browser

In June 1942, some 8,500 Japanese personnel, supported by naval forces, occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, American parts of Alaska at the western end of the Aleutian island chain. Their aim, which was successful, was to distract the Allies and cause them to take resources away from more significant areas in the central Pacific. When the landings finally went ashore, the troops found that the Japanese soldiers had slipped away. Newspaper articles of the day discussed the battles of the far north.

Five thousand Canadian troops, along with a thousand British troops, attacked the French port of Dieppe on the English Channel Coast in August 1942. The purpose was to make a successful raid on German-occupied Europe over water, and then to hold Dieppe briefly. The results were disastrous.

Canadian involvement in the battle of the Netherlands was appreciated both by allied governments and the Dutch people. The actions of Canadian troops during combat and afterwards, assisting the population, were preserved in the archives of the "Hamilton Spectator."