History Browser

The Second World War was fought over vast distances, with airpower and technology playing crucial parts. Both sides tried to avoid the stalemates of the First World War, and usually succeeded. This resource provides an index of World War II battles.

The North West Europe Campaign came in response to Stalin's demands that the allies open a "Second Front" in western Europe to relieve pressure on his Eastern Front. Canadian soldiers were once again ready to contribute to the battle and Canadian newspapers were there to cover the push to Germany.

After the German occupation of Poland, nothing much happened for month after month. War did not seem like war. A "phoney war," the British called it. But in the spring of 1940 Hitler's forces struck again, and by June he held Europe in his grasp. Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, France and Belgium all fell quickly to German forces.

At the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, the Allied leaders determined that, after they had gained all of North Africa, the next operation would be in the Mediterranean. The aim was to force Italy out of the war. The Germans formed a number of defensive lines across the peninsula, which the Allies were only able to capture at considerable cost. The Canadians played a leading part in the breaking of the Gothic Line north of Florence. In all, 92,757 Canadian soldiers served in the Italian theatre and a quarter of these became casualties.