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[-] FireRetardant@lemmy.world 58 points 6 days ago

The Canadians are who they'd send in when other armies couldn't do it. Blizzard? The Canadians will charge the trenchs through 3 feet of snow and the blizzard would hide their advance. Swampy conditions? Half of Canada is a swamp and the Canadians would charge through the mud effortlessly in comparison. They fought when they wanted, how they wanted, and with no sympathy for the enemy.

[-] yucandu@lemmy.world 28 points 6 days ago

Swampy conditions?

Send in the Manitobans.

[-] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 12 points 6 days ago

Every war I've heard of since, people say "I wasn't afraid of the British, I wasn't afraid of the French, I wasn't afraid of the US, but those godamn Canadian's are ruthless."

I have a theory that it's all of the sorey's stacked up in a pent up rage

[-] gramie@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 days ago

It may be because the Canadians were well known in both wars for not taking prisoners. That's not true in every engagement, of course, but in Normandy, after a number of Canadian soldiers were taken prisoner and then executed, their comrades would execute any Germans they captured.

[-] ikidd@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

We just pretend it's a moose and pull the trigger.

[-] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 days ago

Lmfao that will work too

[-] OneWomanCreamTeam@sh.itjust.works 33 points 6 days ago

I didn't even realize Canada fought in WWII. Fuck, the US's education system is such garbage.

[-] PugJesus@piefed.social 20 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

That's really unfortunate. Strangely enough, we spent very little time on WW2 in my public school (also in the USA). I honestly don't remember if we went over Canada's contributions to the war in class.

... come to think of it, the largest stretch of education regarding WW2 in public school that I can remember was in high school, when our history teacher took a full half week for us to sit in the darkened classroom in total silence to watch the actual footage taken of the death camps after the Allies liberated them. He was normally a very jovial and engaged fellow, joked with the students, was pretty lenient on us, all that, but that one time he emphasized with deadly gravity that it was necessary that everyone be silent and pay attention for it.

... unironically grateful for that. That stayed with me, for certain. I hope it stayed with everyone else in that class too.

[-] minorkeys@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

It's propaganda to glorify itself.

[-] gramie@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 days ago

You probably also don't know that the country with the most volunteer soldiers in World War II was India, than 2 million men.

Or that both Canada and New Zealand had mutinies where men refused to go overseas to fight.

There's a lot of fascinating stuff. I recommend the podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk, for an informative and entertaining look at almost every facet of the war. They are up to something like episode #800 now.

I did know that india was involved, but I didn't know they were so heavily involved, not did I learn that from school.

My education on WWII was basically "while Hitler was gassing Jews Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand got assassinated which sent most of Europe to war because of a complex web of alliances. Then the Japanese bombed pearl harbor so us murcans stepped in and ended the war. USA USA BEST COUNTRY IN DA WORL." then my dad showed me Hogans Heros, and that's about it.

I've learned more since then, but mostly scattershot facts. Like how Japanese internment camps were a thing.

Sounds like an interesting podcast recommendation. Thanks!

[-] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

There is so much that school curricula could cover in limited space of time. But yes, a brief mention of the Commonwealth's participation in WWII shouldn't take too much time so it should not be an excuse.

I feel like we mostly only learn about the history of other countries through the context of interactions they've had with the US. Plus a smattering of ancient history. And I think that's a pretty big blind spot. It would go a long way to break us from our US-centric world view.

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

How'd they skip over Britain being in WW2?

[-] PugJesus@piefed.social 8 points 6 days ago

Canada was independent by WW2, though they joined the war very shortly after the UK joined the war.

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

We're not even fully independent today. The BNA act gave us more local government powers to respond to the American threat but everything still has to be approved by the crown.

Also we were born as British Subjects in Canada at the time.

Canadians can vote in British elections if they're residents.

We were compelled to go to war when England entered, even if it took a few days to draft a declaration.

[-] PugJesus@piefed.social 8 points 6 days ago

From wiki:

The 1931 Statute of Westminster gave Canada autonomy in foreign policy. When Britain entered World War II in September 1939, some experts suggested that Canada was still bound by Britain's declaration of war because it had been made in the name of their common monarch, but Prime Minister King again said that "Parliament will decide."[11][10]: 2 

In 1936, King had told Parliament, "Our country is being drawn into international situations to a degree that I myself think is alarming."[10]: 2  Both the government and the public remained reluctant to participate in a European war, partly because of the Conscription Crisis of 1917. Both King and Opposition Leader Robert James Manion stated their opposition to conscripting troops for overseas service in March 1939. Nonetheless, King had not changed his view of 1923 that Canada would participate in a war by the Empire whether or not the United States did. By August 1939 his cabinet, including French Canadians, was united for war in a way that it probably would not have been during the Munich Crisis, although both cabinet members and the country based their support in part on expecting that Canada's participation would be "limited."[10]: 5–8 

It had been clear that Canada would elect to participate in the war before the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. Four days after the United Kingdom had declared war on 3 September 1939, Parliament was called in special session and both King and Manion stated their support for Canada following Britain, but did not declare war immediately, partly to show that Canada was joining out of her own initiative and was not obligated to go to war.[12] Unlike 1914 when war came as a surprise, the government had prepared various measures for price controls, rationing, and censorship, and the War Measures Act of 1914 was re-invoked.[13] After two days of debate, the House of Commons approved an Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne on 9 September 1939 giving authority to declare war to King's government. A small group of Quebec legislators attempted to amend the bill, and CCF party leader J. S. Woodsworth stated that some of his party opposed it. Woodsworth was the only Member of Parliament to vote against the bill.[14][15] The Senate also passed the bill that day. The Cabinet drafted a proclamation of war that night, which Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir signed on 10 September.[16] King George VI approved Canada's declaration of war with Germany on Sept. 10.[17] Canada later also declared war on Italy (11 June 1940), Japan (7 December 1941), and other Axis powers, enshrining the principle that the Statute of Westminster conferred those sovereign powers on Canada.

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

I was unaware it extended to war against our sovereign.

[-] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 3 points 6 days ago

WW1 will do that to a fucker.

I knew that Britain was in WW2, but I didn't discover that Canada was a part of the British empire until well after I graduated highschool.

Anyway, there were plenty of British people in WWII movies, but I don't think I've ever seen one that's got Canadians in it.

[-] ikidd@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Jesus Christ. I'd say the average Canadian student could name half the US state capitals before they hit high school when I went to school.

[-] _spiffy@piefed.ca 18 points 6 days ago

Isn't half of the Geneva convention just a bunch of shit Canadians did during the war?

[-] Rakonat@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago
[-] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 5 points 6 days ago

some examples of the kit Canadians used/made for trench raids (most other armies stopped the practice but we kept doing it).

And yes that is a revolver with a bayonet.

[-] Kaput@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago
[-] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 4 points 5 days ago

I am sure there was a way that it was used that makes sense, but all I can think of is a really final fuck you.

[-] PugJesus@piefed.social 1 points 3 days ago

The handle gives leverage for a greater throwing range. "Stick grenades" and "Potato mashers", they were sometimes called.

They were eventually abandoned because they're larger than normal grenades - it was decided that 3 grenades you can toss at 20m is better than just one you can toss at 35m.

[-] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago

Canadian troops after being sent as shock troops into every battle by UK since World War I: YOU'RE VERY FUCKING WELCOME, MOTHER BRITAIN!

While watching the World War I channel in YouTube, some of the most competent generals and units are from the commonwealth. Canadian general Arthur Curry tend to be proven correct on how to fight the Germans and took more grounds, along with the Australians, than the British units did. But British generals tend to overlook the views of commonwealth officers because they don't want to take orders from "colonials".

[-] Visstix@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

Don't worry, the dutch remember

[-] Visstix@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

"The twin monuments symbolically link Canada and the Netherlands; though separated by an ocean, the two countries will forever be close friends. " Cute

[-] Thorry@feddit.org 12 points 6 days ago

The town I was born has a bunch of monuments for the Canadians and gets honored every year for liberating the town near the end of WW2. Don't worry Canada, the people you saved from the Nazis won't forget what you did.

[-] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

Now do the Gurkha in the BEF.

[-] ikidd@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

The Canadian Army that had entire clauses of the Geneva Convention written because fuck Nazis.

[-] Phil_in_here@lemmy.ca 10 points 6 days ago

We'll fuckin' do it again if we have to

[-] gramie@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 days ago

Except that this time we won't have to cross an ocean to get to the Nazis.

[-] Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 9 points 6 days ago

Don't forget the unofficial Canadian motto during war: "It's not a war crime the first time".

[-] DaMonsterKnees@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

The best part about being American is learning more and more every day about our brilliant and beautiful neighbors to the north and south. Fuck yeah Canada!

[-] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip 4 points 6 days ago

I didn't see no Canadian movie of the invasion now did I?!

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago
[-] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

More like Canaslain.

[-] VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Does this include Newfoundland which was a dominion at the time? I recall their causalities from both wars were incredibly high in comparison to the amount of men they sent.

[-] sunbytes@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

I'd love to see a ww2 game not just do an updated version of one of the well known battles. I'd love to see the a Canadian Campaign, or Australian, or maybe Indian!

In the same way that CoH3 did the Italian campaign. It's interesting to see new battlegrounds!

this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2026
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