-
Britain Declares War On Germany
-
New Zealand Enters WW1
Out of all the allies, New Zealand had the highest casualty rate per capita. -
Germany Enters WW1
Germany takes an offensive role in WW1. -
Austraila Enters WW1
Australia becomes part of the Allies. -
Battle Of The Somme
At 7:30 AM on July 1st, the Allies began their march across no-man’s land. This was the beginning of a large-scale attack led by Douglas Haig. At first, Canadian troops were stationed near the Belgian city of Ypres. By the end of August, they were moved to Somme under the orders of British generals. The Battle Of Somme would later be regarded as one of the bloodiest battles in human history. There were roughly 25,000 Canadian casualties. -
The Battle Of Vimy Ridge
The Battle Of Vimy Ridge is noted as Canada's most important military victory. All four divisions of Canadian troops attacked Vimy Ridge beginning on April 9th, 1917. The battle was a success, and Canada was victorious in capturing the ridge from the German army. There were more than 10,500 brave Canadians killed in the battle. -
The Battle Of Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele began on June 31st 1917; however it wasn’t until October that Canadian troops attacked. The main goal was to break through German defenses and then take control over the Belgian channel ports of Ypres. The previous victory of Vimy Ridge left the Canadian troops feeling proud. Though the Battle Of Passchendaele was a success, there were over 15,600 casualties for Canadians. -
Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive was a critical turning point in WW1, starting with The Battle of Amiens (August 8th to 11th 1918). Dissimilar from previous attacks, the strategy was surprise. The Germans were unprepared for battle, greatly outnumbered by both Canadian troops and the Allies. Many German troops surrendered as soon as they could. Shortly after, Canada saw a major victory and won the war. Canadian casualties were around 3,800. In my opinion, this was definitely a pivotal event. -
Treaty Of Versailles
The Treaty Of Versailles was a peace agreement enacted on June 28th 1919. Its purpose was to end the war between Germany and the Allies. The objectives of the treaty included: ● Disarming Germany and forcing it’s troops to retreat. ● Pay retribution. In the 1930’s, Adolph Hitler dismantled this treaty. -
Treaty of Saint-Germain
Soon after The Paris Peace Conference, the Treaty of Saint-Germain was enacted. This forced Austria to accept responsibility for their actions in the war. -
Treaty Of Neuilly
This treaty was created to limit the amount of territory in Bulgaria due to their actions in the war. -
The League Of Nations
The League Of Nations was a unifying body created on January 10th 1920. It was the first organization that aimed to bring world peace. Unfortunately, the effort proved unsuccessful at eliminating conflict. Therefore, The League Of Nations dissolved on April 20th, 1946. -
Signing Of The Treaty Of Sèvres
As with the previous two treaties, The Treaty of Sèvres was enacted to reduce the power of the Central Forces. The Treaty of Sèvres was specifically focused on the Ottoman Empire. -
Japan Invades Manchuria
Japan invades the Chinese Province of Manchuria. This was an attempt to gain control over the entirety of East Asia. This is still regarded as a key event leading up to World War Two. -
Germany Reccupies Of Rhineland
Ignoring the terms of The Treaty Of Versailles, Germany reoccupies Rhineland. -
Hitler Creates Anschluss
In violation of The Treaty Of Versailles, Germany created the “Anschluss” (a union between the states of Germany and Austria). -
The Munich Agreement
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared that world peace would be attained with the Munich Agreement. The premise of the agreement was to allow Hitler partial control of Czechoslovakia if he promised to cease his aggression. -
German Occupation Of Czechoslovakia
Hitler broke the terms of this agreement and his troops marched through the rest of Czechoslovakia. -
King George VI And and Queen Elizabeth Tour Canada
Britain’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured Canada in an attempt to gain support for Britain at a time of impending war. At first, Prime Minister Mackenzie King was not interested in Canada’s involvement in another world conflict. However, as time went on, Canada became increasingly pressured by Britian to enter the war. -
Britain Signs a Pact with Poland
The Polish-British Common Defense Pact was signed. This treaty held promise of a mutual military assistance between the nations in the event either was attacked by another European country. -
Germany Invades Poland.
Germany invades Poland. -
Britian And France Declare War On Germany
Britain and France decide to enter the conflict. -
The Battle Of The Atlantic
For the Allies, The Battle Of The Atlantic was challenging time and morale was low. German submarines were sailing as far as the Gulf Of St. Lawrence, and attacking any Ally ships in their way. However, by May 1942, the British gained new hope. They had cracked the German naval code, so they could track their submarine movements easily. While The Battle Of The Atlantic was burning strong, contributions from Canada were needed. Much of Britain's food was supplied by Canada. -
Canada Declares War On Germany
After Prime Minister Mackenzie King presented a convincing speech in favor of getting involved in the conflict, Canada declares war on Germany. In spite of Canada’s eagerness to join the war, the army was unprepared for combat with outdated equipment and an insufficient number of troops. Unlike in World War Two, Canadians didn’t cheer when Canada declared war on Germany. However, there was still no problem finding volunteers. In September alone, 53,330 people volunteered for service. -
The First Canadian Soldiers Set Sail From Halifax.
-
Canada Establishes The Department Of Munitions And Supplies
-
Germans Began Blitzkrieg
Starting with Denmark and Norway, Germany started placing strategic rapid attacks. It took the Germans only hours to conquer Denmark, and two months to take Norway. -
The Battle Of Britian
Germany begins bombing harbors and shipping facilities in Southern England. By September, the Germans had moved to bombing civilian targets. Although the Germans had a larger fleet of fighter aircraft than the British, they were unable to defeat them due to limitations in their technology and strategic attacks from other aircraft. -
Japanese Attack Of Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. This was a surprise military strike organized by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. This was intended as a preventative action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions. -
The Battle Of The Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea was an attempt by Japan to strengthen their position in the South Pacific. Although many U.S. ships were lost, this still proved to be a successful battle for the Allies, since many Japanese ships had also been critically damaged, weakening their navy. -
The Battle Of Dieppe
The Allies began their attack on German forces stationed at the Port Of Dieppe. The Canadian Division was selected as part of this raid. From the onset, prospects were looking grim. A ship carrying Canadian troops to Dieppe was met by a German convoy. The noise from this battle at sea alerted the German forces at shore. Coordination was poor between units deployed on land and sea. There were over 900 Canadian troops killed that day alone. -
Normandy Landings (D-Day)
The Normandy Landings (also reffered to as the infamous “D-Day”) marked a major victory for the Allies. It led to the liberation of France from Nazi control, and still remains the largest seaborn invasion in history. -
The Germans Surrender
After a long series of failures and defeats, Germany finally surrenders and World War Two begins to reach it's end. -
Enola Gay
A U.S. bomber (nick-named the “Enola Gay,” after the pilot’s mother) dropped an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. -
The Bombing Of Nagasaki
3 days after the bombing of Hiroshima, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 40 000 people. -
The Japanese Surrender (V-J Day)
The Japanese surrender, further marking the beginning of the end for World War Two. This is a historically significant event for every nation, as a new post-war era of optimism arose.
