Among the things I would have expected to be taught (and remember being taught) in high school is the fact that during World War II German submarines were sinking boats and killing Canadians in the Saint Lawrence River and Gulf. Instead, I learned about it from this tweet: 6 July 1942 – World War II … Continue reading Nazi submarines in the Saint Lawrence
I’ve often failed to appreciate just how logistically difficult war is, and how much creativity is required as constantly changing technology presents new possibilities and makes old strategies obsolete. For example, if you want to invade heavily-fortified Nazi Europe from the water, that’s really hard! You need special boats to transport all your troops and equipment, absurdly detailed plans and … Continue reading Let’s invade France in swimming tanks
Here is a short story about what it’s like to step on a mine while you are invading the beaches of Normandy in a massive Allied push against the Nazis. Just a few years earlier, even as the war had begun in Europe, Charlie Martin was a farmer in Dixie, now part of Mississauga, Ontario. But … Continue reading Just one example of what it’s like to step on a mine
Colonel Lawrence Vincent Moore Cosgrave was a Canadian war hero. For his service in World War I (he was at Ypres, he was at the Somme) Cosgrave was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order twice, received the French Croix de guerre, and was blinded in one eye. He even claimed that his friend John McCrae wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields” … Continue reading The man who signed on the wrong line
The primary purpose of Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King’s trip to London was to attend the coronation of George VI, but he managed to squeeze in a few other things while there, including a private chat with a Nazi. Specifically, he met with ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop, who, writes Allan Levine, “was so impressed … Continue reading Canadian Prime Minister looks forward to working with fascist
Winston Churchill needed a backup plan. Europe was falling to Nazi Germany faster than anyone imagined, and Hitler was coming for Britain next. There was a real possibility the island could fall. So, Britain started making moves to send massive amounts of its wealth — and, if necessary, the government itself — across the Atlantic, to Canada. … Continue reading Operation Fish: The secret plan to hide Britain’s gold in Canada
