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War in the Atlantic and Pacific

War in the Atlantic and Pacific. Battle of the Atlantic. On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.

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War in the Atlantic and Pacific

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  1. War in the Atlantic and Pacific

  2. Battle of the Atlantic On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans. “What a miserable, rotten hopeless life . . . an Atlantic so rough it seems impossible that we can continue to take this unending pounding and still remain in one piece . . . hanging onto a convoy is a full-time job . . . the crew in almost a stupor from the nightmarishness of it all . . . and still we go on hour after hour.” Frank Curry of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) wrote these words in his diary aboard a corvette in 1941, during the Battle of the Atlantic a battle that would be called the longest in history. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/atlantic/atlanticvid

  3. The Battle of the AtlanticThe Battle of the Atlantic officially began in September 1939 with the sinking of a passenger ship called the Athenia, and fighting continued in the North Atlantic until Germany was defeated in May 1945. During this period German submarines, often called U-boats and surface raiders, tried to cut Allied supply routes across the Atlantic. This threatened the transportation of vital goods and personnel from North America to Britain. Along with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Merchant Navy played a key role in Canada’s efforts to clear the North Atlantic of U-boats.The Battle of the Atlantic was the only Second World War conflict that took place close to North American shores.

  4. War in the Pacific Hong Kong: • Canadian Forces stationed in Hong Kong (British Colony) • Few hours after Pearl Harbour - attack on HK began • Had been planned for over 1 yr under code name “Hana-Saku”- “Flowers in Bloom, Flowers in Bloom” • Japanese soldiers stationed massed within 50 km of HK- well trained and equipped after 4 yrs of fighting and invading China.

  5. Hong Kong • Canadian soldiers not well prepared - troops classed as the “C-Force”- in need of refresher training or insufficiently trained, not recommended for operations”- Almost 30% had not fired a shot during rifle practice

  6. Hong Kong • December 8th battle began, by Dec 18th Can and commonwealth troops retreat across water to Hong Kong Island • Canadians outnumbered 10-1 • Christmas Day 1941 Hong Kong officially surrendered • When invasion ended - EVERY Can soldier in HK had either been killed or captured by Japanese - for next 31/2 yrs Canadian prisoners of war were crowded into barracks and used as slave labour. http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=14743 http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=feature/hong_kong_2005/hero_rem/

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