Ypres Salient

Ontario, Canada

The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry helped prevent a German break-through in the Ypres Salient.

Procter vs. Tecumseh

Ontario, Canada

Maj.-Gen. Henry Procter and Tecumseh were forced to end a 10-day siege at Fort Meigs in Ohio.

Enigma Cipher Captured

Ontario, Canada

1941 The British captured an Enigma cipher machine and codebooks after it boarded U-110 south of Iceland.

Antwerp Port Facilities

Ontario, Canada

1945 The Allies were denied access to the port facilities at Antwerp, Belgium, and thus the ability to move equipment, supplies and men into northwestern Europe so as to push […]

Liri Valley, Italy

Ontario, Canada

Canadian tanks supported the attack on German lines in Italy's Liri Valley.

Battle of the St. Lawrence

Ontario, Canada

The Battle of the St. Lawrence began with a U-boat sinking two streamers off the Gaspé coast.

Neutral in U.S. Civil War

Ontario, Canada

Queen Victoria asked her subjects to remain neutral in the U.S. Civil War.

Trainee Navigator

Ontario, Canada

Trainee navigator Kenneth Spooner took over for an unconscious pilot, saving three lives, but crashed. He is posthumously awarded the George Cross.

Rotterdam Bombed

Ontario, Canada

1940 A German bombing raid caused massive damage in Rotterdam.

Pilot Training

Ontario, Canada

Canadian air force pilot training, in hiatus since 1918, resumed at Camp Borden, near Barrie, Ontario.

Kennedy in Ottawa

Ontario, Canada

U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited Ottawa.

HMCS Bras d’Or

Ontario, Canada

Work began on the first Canadian military hydrofoil, HMCS Bras d'Or.

Festubert, France

Ontario, Canada

Canadians launched initial attacks at Festubert, France.

Battle of Monte Cassino

Ontario, Canada

1944 May 18th: After 4 major assaults on the Monte Cassino abbey, the Germans were pushed out and forced back to the Hitler Line, by the Poles and 1st Canadian […]

Quebec Voted

Ontario, Canada

Quebec voted against negotiating sovereignty-assocation with Canada.

Meech Lake

Ontario, Canada

Lucien Bouchard resigned (May 21 - 22) from Cabinet over Meech Lake Accord constitutional amendments; subsequently formed the Bloc Québécois.

Pact of Steel

Ontario, Canada

Germany and Italy signed the Pact of Steel which created a military alliance.

S.S. Komagata Maru

Ontario, Canada

S.S. Komagata Maru arrived in Vancouver, but 352 Sikh, Muslim and Hindu refugees from India were turned away.

FLQ Separatists

Ontario, Canada

FLQ separatists bombed the U.S. consulate in Quebec City.

Corvettes in Newfoundland

Ontario, Canada

The first seven corvettes for the Newfoundland Escort Force arrived in St. John's.

Hill 467

Ontario, Canada

In Korea, six Canadian soldiers were killed and 54 wounded in an attack (May 29 - 30) on Kakhul-bong (Hill 467).

1940, June 3rd – Dunkirk Evacuation

Ontario, Canada

June 3rd, 1940 was the last night of the evacuation from Dunkirk, bringing the total number of men rescued to 220,000 British and 120,000 French and Belgians.

1944, June 6th – D-Day

Ontario, Canada

1944, June 6th: Allied paratroopers, including about 450 Canadians, parachuted from aircraft or landed in gliders behind German coastal defences on D-Day. Click on https://rememberourvets.ca/index.php/leblanc-leopold-paul-charles/

D-Day

Ontario, Canada

Allied paratroopers, including about 450 Canadians, parachuted from aircraft or landed in gliders behind German coastal defences on D-Day. Click on https://rememberourvets.ca/index.php/leblanc-leopold-paul-charles/

Nazis Win 230 Seats

Ontario, Canada

The Nazi Party won 230 of 609 seats in national elections, but Hitler refused to join a coalition.

Patton Slapped a Soldier With PTSD

Ontario, Canada

1943, August 3rd.  Charles H. Kuhl, from Indiana, suffered from battle stress. Patton slapped him across the face with his folded gloves, dragged him across the hospital tent, and literally […]

Germans Escape From Sicily

Ontario, Canada

1943, by August 17th: The Allied forces had no plan to keep Germans isolated on Sicily and over the month of August 40,000 Germans and 70,000 Italians crossed the Strait […]

Kellog-Briand Pact

Ontario, Canada

The Kellog-Briand Pact was drawn up, which renounced war as a means of settling international disputes. It was eventually signed by nearly all of the world's nations.

Gothic Line was Pierced

Ontario, Canada

1944 The Gothic Line, Italy was finally pierced at 10 PM on August 31st, Involved were: the Perth Regiment, Cape Breton Highlanders, and 8th New Brunswick Hussars.

2nd C.I.D. Takes Dieppe

Ontario, Canada

1944 The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division took control of the town of Dieppe, France from its German occupiers. "On September 3, the Canadians held a ceremony to honour the memory […]

Reoccupied Dieppe

Ontario, Canada

1944 The raid on Dieppe in August 1942 was a disaster. The Canadians reoccupied Dieppe on September 1, 1944 unopposed, "The Germangarrison troops had bugged out."

Drocourt-Quéant Line

Ontario, Canada

After a week of heavy fighting Canadian troops broke through the Drocourt-Quéant Line at Arras, France.

War on Germany

Ontario, Canada

Britain, France, Austria and New Zealand declared war on Germany.

Athenia Sunk

Ontario, Canada

1939 U-30 sank the British liner Athenia as it sailed from Glascow to Montreal.

HMCS Racoon

Ontario, Canada

HMCS Racoon was sunk by U-165 while on convoy duty near Pointe-au-Pere, Quebec, killing 37 crew on board.

Blitz On London

Ontario, Canada

1940 The London Blitz started. The Luftwaffe directed its bombing offensive at London and other major populated centres.

Bruges

Ontario, Canada

1944 The 4th Canadian Armoured Division took Bruges, Belgium, from its German occupiers.

Battle of Courcelette

Ontario, Canada

Corporal Leo Clarke led an attack to clear the enemy at the Battle of Courcelette. A counterattack was repelled by his exceptional bravery. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for […]

Battle of Lake Erie

Ontario, Canada

The Americans gained control of the upper Great Lakes after they defeated the British at the Battle of Lake Erie.

HMCS Charlottetown

Ontario, Canada

U-517 torpedoed and sank HMCS Charlottetown in the St. Lawrence River near Cap Chat, Quebec. Six of her crew were lost that day, with four later dying of wounds sustained during […]

Attacked the Western Front

Ontario, Canada

Allied forces attacked along the Western Front, regaining almost all the ground lost to the Germans during the spring and summer offensive.

Plains of Abraham

Ontario, Canada

General James Wolfe led the British in an attack against the French, led by General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm at the Plains of Abraham. Both generals died from their wounds sustained […]

Canada En-Route to the Nile

Ontario, Canada

The first overseas expedition by Canadians began as several hundred boatmen departed Canada en-route to Egypt to take part in the Nile Expedition.

Nazis in Reichstag

Ontario, Canada

With unemployment at 3 million, the Nazi Party made its first electoral breakthrough in the Reichstag elections, winning 107 seats.

1762, September 15th – Signal Hill

Ontario, Canada

September 15th,1762: The British defeated the French at Signal Hill in St. John's in the last battle of the Seven Years' War.

Nuremberg Laws

Ontario, Canada

The Nuremberg Laws were passed which deprived Jews of full German citizenship.

Operation Market Garden

Ontario, Canada

Operation Market Garden, a bold but unsuccessful Allied attempt to shorten the war, began.

7th Governor-General

Ontario, Canada

Sir John Hamilton Gordon, 7th Earl of Aberdeen, was sworn in as Canada's 7th Governor-General.

Sulva Bay

Ontario, Canada

The Newfoundland Regiment landed (September 19-20) at Sulva Bay, on the western side of the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Boulogne, France Surrendered

Ontario, Canada

1944 The last German defenders surrendered on August 20th to Le Régiment de la Chaudiere, the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, and the Nova […]

Boulogne, France

Ontario, Canada

1944 Le Régiment de la Chaudiere, the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, and the Nova Scotia Highlanders forced the German occupiers of Boulogne, France […]

Apology to Japanese-Canadians

Ontario, Canada

Four decades after the Second World War, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney issued a formal apology and announced a compensation package to interned Japanese-Canadian survivors and their families.

A King As Prime Minister

Ontario, Canada

William Lyon Mackenzie King was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second time.

‘Got Loaded’ at Quebec City

Ontario, Canada

The long process of loading men, animals and equipment into transport ships for overseas duty began at Quebec City.

Hudson Strait Expedition

Ontario, Canada

The Hudson Strait Expedition began, which led the RCAF to explore the eastern Arctic and to establish radio stations.

Munich Pact

Ontario, Canada

The Munich Pact was signed in which Britain, France and Italy agreed to the transfer of Sudetenland (northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were primarily Sudeten Germans) […]

Hitler: Expanded Military

Ontario, Canada

Hitler ordered the creation of an air force and the expansion of the army and navy.

Calais, France Captured

Ontario, Canada

1944 The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 7th Canadian Infantry brigade forced the German occupiers of Calais, France to capitulate. 7,500 Germans were taken prisoner and the damaged port […]

Calais, Franc

Ontario, Canada

1944 Calais, France capitulated to the Canadian Infantry on October 1, 1944, and "...7,500 Germans trudged to the barbed wire prisoner camps".

30K Departed to Europe

Ontario, Canada

More than 30,000 men of the Canadian Expeditionary Force departed en-route to Europe, the largest convoy ever to sail from Canada.

Arrow CF-105

Ontario, Canada

The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was unveiled at Malton, Ontario.

Polish Army Surrendered

Ontario, Canada

The Polish Army surrendered to the Germans. Germany and the Soviet Union gained full control of the country.

Operation Switchback

Ontario, Canada

1944 Operation Switchback was the name given to an offensive operation on October 6th, in the Battle of the Scheldt, by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, which involved removing German […]

Royal Proclamation of 1763

Ontario, Canada

King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which announced the new administrative structure for British North America as the Treaty of Paris went into effect, nullifying the government […]

Piper James Richardson

Ontario, Canada

Private James Richardson stood in full view of the enemy, playing his bagpipes as his company attacked Regina Trench, which inspired the men to capture their objective. He then helped […]

Carolus Torpedoed

Ontario, Canada

The merchant ship Carolus was torpedoed by U-69 and sunk. Eleven of the crew of 30 were lost.

Frog Lake Massacre

Ontario, Canada

Round the Sky, Bad Arrow, Miserable Man, Iron Body and Little Bear were tried in Battleford, Saskatchewan for their involvement in the Frog Lake Massacre. They were all found guilty […]

Brock at Queenston

Ontario, Canada

British Major-General Sir Isaac Brock was killed at the Battle of Queenston Heights.

Germany Out!

Ontario, Canada

Germany left the League of Nations.

“The Flying Seven”

Ontario, Canada

Canada's first all-female flying club, The Flying Seven, was established.

1st CID at Pecquencourt

Ontario, Canada

Troops from the 1st Canadian Division entered the village of Pecquencourt, France, and were greeted by 2,000 starving citizens.

Battle of Cook’s Mills

Ontario, Canada

The Americans defeated the British in the Battle of Cook's Mills, the penultimate engagement fought on Canadian soli during the War of 1812. The victory was short-lived, however, as the […]

German Weather Station in Labrador

Ontario, Canada

U-537 arrived at martin Bay in northern Labrador and its crew set up an automatic weather station on the shore. Codenamed "Kurt"., it was only discovered in 1977.

Bergen-op-Zoom, Netherlands

Ontario, Canada

1944 The 4th Canadian Armoured Division liberated Bergen-op-Zoom, Netherlands on October 24th, 1944. It was a costly event. The Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery contains 1,087 casualties, most of whom are […]

1918 – Barker’s Victoria Cross

Ontario, Canada

Lieutenant-Colonel William Barker shot down an enemy two-seater over France. He was seriously wounded but managed to shoot down another three enemy aircraft before crash landing near Allied lines. He […]

Empress of Britain

Ontario, Canada

Troopship Empress of Britain, already damaged by enemy fire, was torpedoed by U-32, while being towed by HMS Marauder and HMS Thames. She was the largest ship sunk by German U-boats during the Second […]

Great Depression

Ontario, Canada

The collapse of the U.S. stock market in the Wall Street Crash signaled the start of the Great Depression.