The Valour and the Horror

CANADIAN ARMY

A Canadian infantry division was a large and complex body of men. Commanded by a major-general, its basic war establishment was some 18,376 men. The largest single group of those men were the 8418 infantrymen organised in nine infantry battalions (the eventual infantry battalion establishment was thirty-eight officers and 812 men). Each battalion had a support company, and four rifle companies. Each rifle company was made up of a company headquarters and three platoons of one officer (a lieutenant) and thirty-six men. The support company would eventually comprise a carrier platoon, a mortar platoon, a pioneer platoon, and an anti-tank platoon. Three battalions would be joined in an infantry brigade, commanded by a brigadier; an infantry division had three infantry brigades.

"The bulk of the men in a Canadian division were not infantry; they were a combination of field artillery (2122 men), Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (1296), engineers (959), medical personnel (945), Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (784), signal corps (743), anti-tank artillery (721), and others. A study done after the war by Major-General E.L.M.Burns (who was a corps commander in Italy) concluded that Canadians allocated more men to medical and other ancillary services than they needed to -- certainly more than the British did -- and that Canadian divisions had far fewer combat troops as a proportion of their total strength than did American infantry division (which contained 14,037 men)" (David Bercuson, Maple Leaf Against the Axis, 1995, p. 18, Americans fighting soldiers were 65.56 per cent of the force. German Panzergrenadier divisions contained 89.4 per cent fighting soldiers.

The fall of France left Britain without any major allies. Canada was the largest, and it became necessary to become a full partner. "Back home, Parliament passed the National Resources Mobilisation Act on 21 June, providing for universal conscription for the defence of Canada. NRMA conscripts would not be sent overseas, but could volunteer to "go active" (switch to the Canadian Active Service Force) if the desired." (David Bercuson, Maple Leaf Against the Axis, 1995, p. 29

On May 20, Ottawa announced that the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division would be sent to the U.K., and that the two divisions would form a Canadian Corps while a third infantry division was raised for overseas service. Eventually a fourth and fifth division were added, a 2nd Canadian Corps was established, and the First Canadian Army was authorised.

From June through August, 1940, nearly 78,000 Canadian men joined the Canadian Active Service Force.
Canada established the Canadian Corps in July 1940 to command its troops.
The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division arrived during the Battle of Britain.
The 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade arrived spring, 1941
The 3rd Division arrived in late July, 1941
The 5th Armoured Division arrived in November, 1941
The First Canadian Army, under McNaughton, was formulated.
The 4th Canadian Armoured Division went over in late summer and early fall, 1942
the 2nd Canadian Corps was formed in January, 1943
The 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade was formed in Britain in early 1943
(David Bercuson, Maple Leaf Against the Axis, 1995, p. 62

In 1943:
McKenzie King - PM and cabinet war committee

•  
• Col J.L. Ralston - Minister of Defence
• Lt-Gen Kenneth Stuart - Chief of General Staff
• Andrew McNaughton, Commander in Chief - First Canadian Army

   

• First Canadian Infantry Division under Major General Harry Salmon
• Chief staff Officer - Lt-Col George Kitching
• Lt-Col Geoff Walsh, chief engineer

There were 9 battalions under 4 brigadiers:

1.  
2. Bruce Matthews, divisional artillery chief
3. Howard Graham, Mayor of Trenton, commander of First Brigade, consisting of
   • Toronto 48th Highlanders,
   • the RCR, and
   • the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment (including 22-year-old Farley Mowat)
4. Chris Vokes, commander of Second Brigade comprising
   • the Princess Patricias,
   • the Edmonton Regiment, and
   • Vancouver's Seaforth Highlanders
5. Howard Penhale, commander of Third Brigade comprising
   • the Van Doos,
   • New Brunswick's Carleton and York Regiment, and
   • the West Nova Scotia Regiment

First Canadian Tank Brigade under Brigadier Bob Wyman with the Calgary Tanks, the Ontario Regiment and the Three Rivers Regiment - under Lt-Col Leslie Booth Thursday April 28, 1943 Salmon's plane crashed and he and several senior Canadian and British officers were killed. McNaughton's inspired choice to replace Salmon was Guy Granville Simonds. Simonds did not get along with Howard Graham or Lt-Col Leslie Booth

Canadian Army Regiments of World War II

Valour and Horror, Second World War, Canadian history, World War II, W.W.II