The Canadian Encyclopedia

Showing All of 290 results for "Military"

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The Korean War

When is a war not a war? For the Korean War, the answer is not always clear.
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Vancouver Asahi

Kaye Kaminishi — A Proud Benchwarmer
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Stories of Remembrance

From Alex Colville, Mike Myers, John Ralston Saul and more . . .
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The final 100 days of the First World War — from 8 August to 11 November 1918 — came to be known as the Hundred Days Offensive. But the Canadian Corps' significant contributions along the Western Front generated the name "Canada's Hundred Days." During this time, Canadian and allied forces pushed the German Army from Amiens, France, west to Mons, Belgium, in a series of battles — a drive that ended in German surrender and the end of the war.
				
					Battle of Amiens​Canadian and Allied troops won a major victory against Germany at the Battle of Amiens between 8 and 11 August 1918.

					Women's Royal Canadian Naval ServiceThe Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) came into being during the Second World War on 31 July 1942.

					Military Service Act​The Military Service Act of 1917 was a controversial law allowing the conscription of Canadian men for service in the final years of the First World War.

					The Italian Campaign ​Canada’s longest Second World War army campaign was in Italy.

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					The No. 2 Construction Battalion and the Fight to FightThe No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) — also known as the Black Battalion — was a segregated non-combatant unit during the First World War. It was the first and only all-Black battalion in Canadian military history. This is their story.

					BonaventurePolitical controversy arose after a major refit in 1966-67, for which $8 million had been budgeted, cost between $12.5 and $17 million. As an economy measure, the government sold Bonaventure for scrap in 1970, although it could have had another 10 years of usefulness. It was not replaced.

					The First World War in Canadian LiteratureThe First World War generated an abundance of writing, which in its entirety presents a complex and varied picture of the war. The popular point of view within Canadian literature, however, generally depicts an overtly patriotic and unified perspective of Canada’s involvement in the war.

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					First Nations and Métis Peoples in the War of 1812First Nations and Métis peoples played a significant role in Canada in the War of 1812. The conflict forced various Indigenous peoples to overcome longstanding differences and unite against a common enemy. It also strained alliances, such as those in the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy in which some branches were allied with American forces. Most First Nations strategically allied themselves with Great Britain during the war, seeing the British as the lesser of two colonial evils and the group most interested in maintaining traditional territories and trade.

					The Royal 22e RégimentThe Royal 22e Régiment (R22eR), whose headquarters are at the Citadelle de Québec, is one of the three infantry regiments of the Canadian Regular Force. It is a francophone regiment made up of five battalions, of which three belong to the Regular Force and two to the Reserve Force.

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					Art and the Great War​Landscape painting in North America in the 19th century tended toward the pastoral, depicting idyllic scenes of rural life and representing the continent as a wondrous Eden.

					Max Aitken, Lord BeaverbrookWilliam Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, financier, politician, author, publisher (b at Maple, Ont 25 May 1879; d at Cherkley, Mickleham, Eng 9 June 1964). The son of a Presbyterian minister, Beaverbrook later claimed that his religion lay at the root of his worldly success.

					ConscriptionConscription is the compulsory enlistment or "call up" of citizens for military service. The federal government enacted forms of conscription in both world wars, creating sharp divisions between anglophones, who tended to support the practice, and francophones, who generally did not.

					Royal Canadian Navy​Canada's navy has defended Canadian interests in home waters and overseas since the early 20th century — despite often struggling for ships and resources under sometimes neglectful governments.

					Canadian Expeditionary ForceThe Canadian Expeditionary Force was the army raised by Canada for service overseas in the First World War.

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					The “Van Doos” and the Great War​As the only combatant unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) whose official language was French, the 22nd (French Canadian) Infantry Battalion, commonly referred to as the “Van Doos” (from vingt-deux, meaning twenty-two in French), was subject to more scrutiny than most Canadian units in the First World War.

					Royal Canadian Regiment​The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) is one of three permanent, regular army infantry regiments of the Canadian Forces.

					Battle of the SommeFew words conjure the futility and the staggering losses of the First World War like the Somme. In the summer of 1916 the British launched a major offensive against German lines. The battle lasted five months, killed or wounded approximately 1.2 million men, and produced little gains.

					Monuments of the First and Second World WarsSince the end of the First World War, monuments commemorating the lives of Canadians who died in conflicts overseas have occupied a prominent place in our urban cultural landscape.

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					Vimy Ridge: Bloody Easter"When death reigned, and the agony of pain.

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					Julian Byng of Vimy, ViscountJulian Hedworth George Byng of Vimy, Viscount, governor general of Canada, 1921-26 (b at Wrotham Park, Eng 11 Sept 1862; d at Thorpe-le-Soken, Eng 6 June 1935). A British aristocrat and cavalry officer, Byng was appointed to command the Canadian Corps in May 1916.

					Merchant Navy of CanadaA merchant navy (or merchant marine) is a fleet of commercial vessels that carries troops and supplies in wartime. The history of Canada’s merchant fleet is one of up and downs. From the heady days of the late 19th century to its virtual disappearance a few years later, through a rapid build-up as a key Allied component during the Second World War, to its final demise in mid-20th century, Canada’s Merchant Navy has not been treated well.

					Battle of the WindmillThe Battle of the Windmill was one of a series of raids launched along the Canada/US border in the summer and fall of 1838 by the Hunters’ Lodges, secret societies established by Canadian rebels who had taken refuge in the northern United States after the failed rebellions of 1837. Several thousand Americans also joined these societies, whose goal was to push the United Kingdom and the United States into war so as to liberate the Canadian provinces from British tyranny. The Battle of the Windmill was fought from 12 to 16 November 1838 near Prescott, in Upper Canada, and ended in a defeat for the invaders from the US. One month later, the Battle of Windsor put an end to the American incursions and Canadian rebellions.

					RCAF (Women's Division)Members of the Women’s Division (WD) of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) were wartime pioneers.  Thousands of young Canadian women volunteered to serve at home and abroad during the Second World War as part of the air force.

					Canadian Prisoners of WarPrisoners of War (POWs) are members of the military captured in wartime by the enemy. Since the late 19th century, international rules have governed the treatment of POWs, although these are not always followed. Thousands of Canadians have endured time as POWs in conflicts ranging from the First World War to the Korean War.

					Battle of Medak PocketIn 1993, during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, Canadian peacekeepers with the United Nations (UN) advanced into disputed territory in Croatia with orders to implement the Medak Pocket ceasefire agreement between the Croatian Army and Serbian irregular forces. Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI), came under Croatian attack for more than 15 hours. In the firefight that ensued – the most significant combat experienced by Canadians since the Korean War – 2 PPCLI held its ground and preserved the UN protected zone. UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said the Canadian soldiers brought credit to their profession, saved lives, and enhanced the credibility of UN peacekeeping forces.