History Browser

This report is an account of the Japanese balloon attacks against the United States and Canada in the final year of the Second World War, and the measures adopted, especially in Canada, to meet this new type of warfare. It also includes information on the effectiveness of the attacks and the types of weapons dropped by the balloons.

Report on Canadian forces at Canada Dry 1, one of two Canadian bases in Qatar. Iraqi scud missiles are being fired at Bahrain, close to the Canadian base in Qatar. Gas masks must be readily available and although the missile threat in Qatar is considered low, every warning is treated as if it is the real thing.

The Canadian reputation as soldiers was made at the battle of Ypres, where they held the line against the first German gas attack.

At 5:30 on the morning of 9 April, all four Canadian divisions, advancing together for the first time, stormed the Vimy ridge and captured it, except for two German positions which fell three days later.

In 1991, Canadian troops were sent abroad for the first time since the Korean War, joining the Allied forces to fight Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Unlike any conflict before, the Gulf War of 1991 brought the threat of biological warfare. Iraqi forces retreated quickly; however, it was evident that problems remained unresolved. Includes links to related topics.

During the First World War, gas attacks killed or injured an estimated 1,296,853 soldiers. Canadian troops were front and centre during some of the first uses of such attacks in the war. From the television series "Canada: A People's History." Includes links to educational resources, bibliography, games, puzzles, and video clips.

This episode deals with Canada's production of the chemical later known as Agent Orange and the after-effects of its use in Vietnam by American forces.