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50th Anniversary WWII
Fifty years ago, Canada made its first independent declaration of war and joined the Allied Forces. Canada Post Corporation begins a new series of commemorative stamps to recognize Canada's achievements and sacrifices during the Second World War. The first set of four se tenant stamps focuses on significant political or military actions taken by Canada in 1939. The involvement of Canada's army, air force and navy is represented on the stamps. A Souvenir Edition will also be available. Montreal designer Pierre-Yves Pelletier created the stamps using illustrations by Jean-Pierre Armanville, also of Montreal. These stamps focus on how people were affected by the declaration of war and present realistic scenes which evoke memories of the experience of ordinary Canadians during that time period. A background of vignetted metallic colours highlighting the year of war being commemorated is a common feature to appear on these stamps and future issues on the series.
The Second World War, 1940, Canada Mobilizes Its Resources
Issued 9 November 1990
Home Front |
Communal War Efforts |
Science and War |
Food Production |
This set of four commemorative stamps is the second in a series marking the 50th anniversary of Canada's contribution to the Allied war effort during the Second World War. Canada Post Corporation recognizes the hardships endured by Canadian individuals and families who remained on the Home Front. The many communal activities, organizations and programs that were created boosted morale and provided assistance to troops, prisoners of war and their families. Canada's important contribution in food production helped feed the Allied nations. And through research, inventions and innovations, Canadian scientists and medical doctors made significant technological developments, which helped to win the war. Pierre-Yves Pelletier designed these stamps with the help of illustrations by fellow Montrealer, Jean-Pierre Armanville. The stamps depict realistic scenes, focusing on the effects of war on people.
The Second World War, 1941, Total War
Issued 8 November 1991
Canada Post Corporation's on-going tribute to heroic achievements and sacrifices of Canadians during World War II continues with a set of four stamps marking 1941, the first year of "Total War". The stamps will be issued on November 8, to complement Remembrance Day ceremonies on the 11th.
Title: Women's Armed Forces
 Canadian women had served as nurses in the Armed Forces since the North-West Rebellion of 1885 and their dedication continued during the Boer War and World War I. In the Second World War, 4439 women were enlisted as "Nursing Sisters". Although women had served in the British Armed Forces since 1938, it wasn't until 1941 that the Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force was formed. It was followed by an army corps later that year and a naval service the following years. Beginning as mainly clerks and typists, by the end of the War Canadian women were handling duties as radio operators, armorers, draftsmen, mechanics and welders. Despite receiving lower wages than their male counterpart, more than 50,000 served the cause.
Title: War Industry
 Due the Depression of the 1930's, this country's military armaments were in a sorry state at the outbreak of the war. And it wasn't until the Nazi offensive of 1940 that things began to improve. C.D. Howe, the Minister of Munitions and Supply was given the power to mobilize Canadian industry totally behind the war effort. Canadian workers outdid themselves, with such increased productivity that much of it went to Allied forces. Women entered the work force in ever-increasing numbers as the men went to war. And the labour movement improved its position as both pay levels and benefits increased.
Title: The Defence of Hong Kong
 The Canadian Army's first real battle of the war ended in disaster at the British colony of Hong Kong. As early as the 1920's, the British knew that Hong Kong could not be defended in a war with Japan. But in 1941 the commander of the colony, having underestimated the Japanese Army and overestimating his forces' ability, convinced the British government that suitable reinforcements could hold the territory. As British troops were deployed elsewhere, Winston Churchill requested that Canadian troops be sent. Prime Minister MacKenzie King readily complied. The government selected two battalions, the Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers. However, both units had recently returned from garrison duties and were not fully trained for combat. C Force, as the Canadian contingent was known, was also hampered by the fact that it lacked anti-tank rifles and mortar ammunition and sailed without its motorized transport. The landed in Hong Kong on November 16, 1941 and did not have time to complete their training before the powerful Japanese Army attacked on December 8. The 1975 brave Canadians bore the brunt of the battle and lost 290 men in an heroic but helpless cause. Sergeant-Major John Osborne won a posthumous Victoria Cross for throwing himself on an enemy grenade to his men. Surrender came on Christmas Day, but a further 267 Canadians died in brutal and degrading captivity before the survivors returned home in 1945.
Title: Cadets and Veterans
 Many veterans of the Great War sought to re-enlist, but were ineligible for various reasons. Thus was formed the Veteran's Guard of Canada with more than 10,000 men providing vital services for home and country. In Cadet Corps across Canada young men received training that was to benefit both them and their country for the rest of their lives. The Army Cadet movement began in 1862 and was augmented by Sea cadets in 1902 and finally Air cadets in 1941.
The Second World War, 1942, Dark Days Indeed
Issued 10 November 1992
Canada Post Corporation's on-going tribute to heroic achievements and sacrifices of Canadians during the Second World War continues with a set of four stamps marking 1942 as the "darkest days" of the war.
Title: War Reporting
 Canadian was correspondents endured life-threatening conditions and strict government censorship to send news of the war home to Canadians. Newsprint journalist like Charles Lynch and Ralph Allen filed stories of vivid accounts of the despair of loss and the thrill of victory. The C.B.C.'s (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Matthew Halton brought the war into Canadian living rooms with his live radio reports directly from the battlefield. Reporter Ross Munro distinguished himself by aiding in transporting the wounded at Dieppe to rescue crafts, and then being the first journalist to file a story on the tragic event. He was also the first correspondent to report on the Allied landing in Sicily, finishing his story with a waterproof typewriter while Italians snipers peppered the area with fire.
Title: Newfoundland Air Bases
 The establishment of defence units in Newfoundland during the war strengthened the relationship between the two partners, and helped lay the foundation for Newfoundland's entry into Confederation in 1949. When the war broke out, Newfoundland requested additional forces from Britain to protect her coastal waters. With Britain's inability to comply, the colony turned to Canada, which supplied full equipment for a militia unit. By 1940 Canada began to take full control of the island's military developments. In 1942, a Canadian infantry battalion was stationed at the recently completed Goose Bay airport. It became the headquarters for the RCAF patrolling the Atlantic. As the war progressed, Canada became the key supplier if adequate defence forces for Newfoundland, with its citizens looking to Canada for protection, rather than distant Britain.
Title: The Dieppe Raid
 Certainly the most controversial battle of the war involving Canadians was the Dieppe Raid on August 19, 1942. During a nine-hour battle, 900 Canadians soldiers were killed and 1,900 taken prisoner. The surprise attack strategy of Operation Jubilee, originally cancelled one month earlier, seemed doomed, as too many were aware of the destination. A German convoy discovered the fleet and quickly alerted land forces. The German guns, which were supposed to have been destroyed in advance, remained intact - and the Canadians were pinned to the beaches under heavy shelling. Two outstanding Canadian heroes of the day were Chaplain John Foote and Lt. Colonel C.C.I. Merritt, both of whom were awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery.
Title: U-Boats Offshore
 By 1942, German U-boats had battled their way across the Atlantic to invade the coastal waters of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and into the Gulf St. Lawrence. Five U-boats attacked five convoys, sank 17 merchant ships, a loaded troop ship and two warships. But it was the sinking of the Caribou, the North Sydney-Port aux Basques passenger ferry, with the loss of 136 civilian lives, that finally brought the reality of war to Canada's shores. In September, the St. Lawrence was closed to all shipping except the coastal trade. With Canadian air superiority and less shipping, by the next month the U-boats had all but disappeared. But it was a coup for the Germans for it forced the Allies to re-route war material.
The Second World War, 1943, The Tide Begins to Turn
Issued 8 November 1993
Canada Post Corporation's tribute to the Canadian war effort continues with four stamps issued on November 8, 1993 to mark the 50th anniversary of the tide turning in the Allies favour. The Dutch Royal Family were guests of Canada while awaiting liberation of their country. A room at the Civic Hospital was declared Dutch Territory so that Princess Margriet could be born a full-fledged Dutch citizen. In gratitude, the Dutch continue to send a gift of tulip bulbs to Ottawa every spring, a reminder of when the tide was beginning to turn. The Italian Campaign shows an infantry assault through a village, while a surfaced U-boat appears on the foreground of the Battle of the Atlantic stamp. The night scene background depicts an Allied convoy under attack as a Canadian corvette has opened fire on the sub. The Bomber Forces stamps illustrates a "bombing up" - the groundcrew loading bombs on a Halifax heavy bomber, while stevedores load supplies for Russia on the Aid to Allies stamp. The Italian Campaign shows an infantry assault through a village, while a surfaced U-boat appears on the foreground of the Battle of the Atlantic stamp. The night scene background depicts an Allied convoy under attack as a Canadian corvette has opened fire on the sub. The Bomber Forces stamps illustrates a "bombing up" - the groundcrew loading bombs on a Halifax heavy bomber, while stevedores load supplies for Russia on the Aid to Allies stamp.
Title: Aid to Allies
 Canadian war aid to the Allies was forthcoming in various forms including cash, food, raw materials, munitions, tanks, trucks, armoured cars, artillery, aircraft, ships, and a wide range of war-related products and services. By 1943, Canada presented $1 billion to the British and a further $1 billion to the United Kingdom and other countries to provide for goods for the winning of the War. The British Eight Army in North Africa used 90,000 Canadian trucks. Canada manufactured 1/6 of the artillery pieces produced in the Commonwealth and provided 67% of this production to the UK allied navies and air forces. Allied navies and air forces also utilized Canadian production, from mine sweepers and corvettes to combat and light transport planes. Canada established training bases for foreign servicemen. In addition to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was the Royal Norwegian Air Force Training Centre known as "Little Norway". Granted use of the Toronto Island airport and adjacent territory from 1940 to 1943, the group moved to the Muskokas, only to return to Toronto in May 1945. One Canadian contributions to the War Effort was non-military but important none the less.
Title: Bomber Forces
 Mackenzie King' hope of avoiding large casualties with resulting cries for conscription had been largely responsible for his support of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) and the strategic bombing offensive. Under terms of the BCATP, Canadian graduates were supposed to serve in RCAF squadrons. But the British viewed the RAF as a Commonwealth force and integrated squadrons. This policy was unacceptable to the Canadian government which pursued "Canadianization", resulting in the creation on January 1, 1943 of No. 6 Bomber Group (RCAF). Canada's Air Minister Chubby Power fought hard for this RCAF group, even though they could expect to get the worst available equipment. No. 6 found itself stationed in Yorkshire, further away from Germany than the RAF and USAAF which had been previously allocated bases closer to the continent. In addition to longer flying times, 6 Group flew obsolete twin-engined Wellingtons and four-engined Halifaxes that had lower ceilings, providing less chance of avoiding German anti-aircraft fire. It was August 1943 before the first Lancaster bombers came in to 6 Group. Due to longer flying times, older aircraft and inexperience, the Group's casualties were initially high, but with the acquisition of better aircraft, by 1944 the loss rate had decreased and morale improved. Total Canadian casualties on the bomber offensive included 8,290 aircrew lost on operations. Among those was 6 Group's Pilot Officer Andy Mynarski of Winnipeg whose Lancaster was hit on June 12, 1994. His clothing and parachute caught fire while he was attempting to free the trapped rear gunner. Engulfed in flames, he jumped from the plane only to die on the ground. The trapped gunner survived the crash and Mynarski's heroics gave 6 Group its sole Victoria Cross.
Title: Battle of the Atlantic
 The Battle of the Atlantic began 12 hours after Britain declared war on September 3, 1939, when a German U-boat sank the passenger liner S.S. Athenia off the coast of Ireland. Canada's role started on September 16, 1939 when two Royal Canadian Navy destroyers sailed with the first convoy from Halifax and ended when Canadian warships escorted the Nazi submarine U-889 into harbour at Shelburne, Nova Scotia, nearly six years later. Until 1943, the Allies had been steadily losing the Battle of the Atlantic. During 1942, more than 200 Allied ships had been lost within 10 miles of the Canadian and American coastlines. Things did not get any better, as in the first three weeks of March 1943, 22 per cent of all ships in trans-Atlantic convoy were lost. RCAF air cover was hampered by adverse weather and stormy seas took a heavy toll on ships and men. The RCN were deploying small corvettes, designed for use in coastal waters rather than on the high seas. They were in need of desperate overhauling and the men exhausted from long patrols with few rest periods. In March 1943, the Atlantic Convoy Conference, at which Rear Admiral L.W. Murray, RCN, was made Commander-in-Chief, Canadian Northwest Atlantic, illustrated Canada's growing stature. Technical improvements had a dramatic effect on the Battle of the Atlantic. Hedgehog, a forward firing mortar replaced depth charges. No longer was it necessary to pass over the top of a submerged U-boat. Huff-Duff, High Frequency Direction Finding Sets, provided pinpoint location of subs' radio transmissions and the Corvettes'fo'c's'les were extended to provide more crew space and improve sea-keeping abilities. As Canadian historian Joseph Schull concluded that by the end of 1943 the Atlantic lines of communication were firmly held. The primary condition for the invasion of Europe had been established.
Title: The Italian Campaign
 At the beginning of 1943, nearly a quarter million Canadian soldiers were stationed in Britain; three infantry and two armoured divisions; two tank brigaded; as well as two corps headquarters and army headquarters. But despite the various battles raging, they could claim action only at Hong Kong and Dieppe. Canadians were demanding that the Canadian army be deployed somewhere, and the Mackenzie King government responded by abandoning the concept of maintaining the Canadian army as a unified group. The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was substituted for the 3rd British in Operation Husky - the invasion of Sicily. In late June, Canadians set sail for Sicily and even though three vessels were lost, the landings met little resistance. While the Canadians, as part of Montgomery's British Eight Arm attacked northward on the east, Patton's Fifth U.S. Army went up the west side of the island. Canada's General G.G. Simonds led his troops against German defenses in the mountainous terrain. As a result of this invasion, Mussolini was overthrown on July 25. German soldiers would continue to fight for Italy for more than a year. On December 14, 1943 Captain Paul Triquet of the Royal 22nd Regiment won the first of three Victoria Crosses awarded to Canadian in Italy. Despite the loss of half os his company, Triquet led his remaining men to destroy German positions and hold the village of Casa Berardi until reinforcements arrived the following day. From September 3, 1943 to January 8, 1944, Canadian casualties numbered 3,869, including 879 dead in Italy. But none doubted that Canada was now truly at war.
The Second World War, 1944, Victory in Sight
Issued 7 November 1994
Canada Post Corporation's tribute to the Canadian war effort continues with four stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944 and the subsequent advance up the European coast.
Title: D-Day Beachhead
 The Germans had ejected the British from Northwest France in 1940, and defeated the Canadians at Dieppe in 1942. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before a full-scale invasion was mounted. The questions were where when, and at what cost. At the Quebec Conference of August 1943, it was decided that the Normandy beaches of the Baie de la Seine would be the site for a June 5th landing with possible postponement to the 6th of 7th if necessary. It was anticipated that Canadian casualties for D-Day would be approximately two thousand. Five assault divisions were to be lanced from the sea, just after three airborne division were dropped under the cover of darkness. Canada's section was Juno Beach, between the British beaches, Sword and Gold. Over 15,000 Canadians troops, about a fifth of the total invasion force, were to secure the Canadian sector which was about four and a half miles of the 55 mile invasion front. Just after midnight on June 6, 450 troopers of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion crossed above the English Channel. Within hours, 84 were Nazi prisoners, 19 were dead and 10 injured. RAF Bomber Command launched the heaviest blow it had ever struck. The RCAF's No. 6 Group had 230 aircraft dropping 859 tons of explosives, with only one aircraft lost. The US Army Force dropped another 3,000 tons during the 30 minutes before the troops went in. The Royal Canadian Navy assisted with Bangor class minesweepers clearing a path through sea mines, corvettes escorting shipping, destroyers shelling the coast and infantry landing craft bringing in troops. About 110 Canadian ships and 10,000 sailors participated in "Operation Neptune". At 8:12 a.m. the first Canadian units hit the beaches meeting fierce opposition. But by 10:30 a.m. the following message was sent to General Crerar, Commander of the First Canadian Army: "Beachhead gained. Well on our way to our intermediate objectives." On that single day, Canadian casualties numbered 1,074 including 359 dead. D-Day was a triumph, but Canadians had paid for their success in blood.
Title: Artillery - Normandy
 By nightfall of D-Day Canadians were further inland than any other Allied troops, but the next day clearly showed that a long merciless fight lay ahead. Dieppe had shown the need for artillery support, and "Priests" provided it for the assault troops on D-Day. They were self-propelled guns (SPs) - tracked armoured vehicles with 105 mm guns - and they played a significant support role for the forward troops. Later, these "Priests" were replaced with "25 pounders" - 105 mm and 5.5 inch artillery pieces - all of which provided close support through the remainder of the war. After the move inland Canadians participated in a series of desperate battles. Casualties at Caen were higher than on D-Day and except for Dieppe, July 25 was the bloodiest day's work for the Canadian army. About 450 men died and another 1,100 were wounded or captured. Then in August at Falaise in what has been called the Canadian artillery's greatest shoot of the war to that time, there were wholesale surrenders of Germans desperate to surrender and escape the shells that rained down upon them.
Title: Walcheren and the Scheldt
 After the successful battle for Normandy, the next step was the advance towards the German frontier. A pressing need existed to capture the port of Antwerp, so as to allow the more than 20,000 tons of daily supplies to be unloaded at a point closer than the Normandy beaches. On September 4 the British entered Antwerp but due to Allied strategic errors, the Germans quickly denied use of the port by occupying the 80-km waterway known as the Scheldt, between the city and the sea. Hitler had ordered that this area be held as a "fortress". The area to the south, also heavily defended, would become known in history as the Breskens Pocket. Two Canadian divisions were assigned the task of clearing the Breskens Pocket. This was accomplished on November 2. Walcheren Island was the next objective. The only approach to Walcheren was a causeway from South Beveland. The German defenders had closed the causeway to tanks and wheeled vehicles by cutting a water-filled ditch across the roadbed. British troops under First Canadian Army command made landings which toppled German resistance on November 10. On November 18, a convoy of 18 supply ships entered the port of Antwerp. "The end of Nazism was in clear view", General Eisenhower said, "when the first ship moved unmolested up the Scheldt". Victory was in sight!
Title: Tactical Air Forces
 While the ground troops fired away, Tactical Air Force bombed and strafed from above. RCAF squadrons flying Typhoons, Spitfires, Mustangs and Mosquitos provided air support to Canadian forces on Juno Beach and during the fighting around Caen. "Johnnie" Johnson's RCAF Spitfire wing touched down on June 10 in France, the first Allied aircraft to do so. On August 18, a day of supreme disaster for the fleeing enemy, Allied air forces including Canadians claimed 124 tanks destroyed and 96 damaged, and 1,159 transport vehicles destroyed and 1,724 damaged. On the same day at St. Lambert-sur-Dives, Major David Vivian Currie of the South Alberta Regiment led a small force against enemy armour and artillery positions, and killed 300 Germans, wounded 500 and captured 1,100 more. Currie was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action.
The Second World War, 1945, Peace
Issued 20 March 1995
The seventh and concluding set of Second World War stamps are being issued on March 20, 1995, just before the 50th anniversary of V-E Day, on the theme of peace.
Title: Liberation of Civilians
 After five years of occupation, the Netherlands were about to be liberated! Food shortages bordering on starvation hit the Netherlands in the winter 1944-1945. Malnutrition and disease took its toll as the number of corpses grew. Queen Wilhelmina desperately called for Allied intervention. The 2nd Canadian Corps pushed rapidly, liberating Zutphen, Deventer and Groningen by April 16. The 1st Canadian Corps was simultaneously entering Arnhem and Apeldoorn. The German troops were forced towards Utrecht in the Western Netherlands which held nearly 40 percent of the population in the large cities and where shortages were most severe. General Eisenhower recommended against military operations in the Western Netherlands, since civilian casualties would be high. Instead, he requested that direct negotiations be held with the German Reichskommissar. On April 28, German and Canadian generals met, and the first drops of rations began the next day.
Title: Crossing the Rhine
 The Rhineland campaign necessitated frontal assaults against three successive fortified zones: the outposts at the edge of the Reichswald; the Siegfried Line which crossed the Reichswald; and the Hochwald strongpoints - the "Layback". The campaign was planned in stages. First Canadian Army would attack from the Nijmegen salient south-eastern and clear the area between Maas and the Rhine. In two phases, First Canadian Army fought through the Reichswald and the Siegfried Line to the German city of Goch and then pushed through the Hochwald to Wesel. By March 11, the remaining Nazi soldiers surrendered and resistance ceased west of the Rhine. The crossing of the Rhine by Canadian and British troops began on March 23. The airborne phase began the next morning. Two divisions, the British 6th (with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion) and the US 17th, combined for the largest single drop of the war.
Title: Freeing the POW
 During the course of the Second World War, approximately 9,000 Canadians fell into enemy hands. As the end of the European war approached, conditions worsened. To avoid the Red Army, forced marches in mid-winter moved Allied captives in and out of increasingly overcrowded camps. Some of the POW camps were liberated by Americans, others by the British. In the Pacific, liberation came quietly for the 1,418 surviving Canadian prisoners of Japanese. Allied ships, including the HMCS Prince Robert arrived and the men started to return home.
Title: Veterans Return Home
 While Canadian forces were preparing for war in the Pacific, the war against Japan abruptly ended. After atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima August 6, and Nagasaki August 9, Japan surrendered on August 14, ending the Second World War. The end of hostilities brought a return to civilian life for a million Canadians. The vets began their return in the early summer of 1945, and during the winter of 1945-1946, 3,000 men and women were discharged daily. By November 1946, the veterans were home.
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