Stacey Colonel C - The Canadian Army at War - Canadas Battle in Normandy - the Canadian Armys Share in the Operations 6 June: 1 September 1944

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Text originally published in 1956 under the same title.

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Although in most cases we have retained the Authors original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern readers benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

The Canadian Army at War

Canada's Battle in Normandy

The Canadian Army's Share in the Operations, 6 June 1 September 1944

By

Colonel C.P. Stacey, O.B.E. Director, Historical Section, General Staff

With a Foreword by

Lieutenant-General C. Foulkes, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O. Chief of the General Staff, Canada

Published by Authority of the Minister of National Defense

Printed by the King's Printer at Ottawa, Canada 1946

This booklet is based upon a preliminary examination of official records.

The illustrations consist mainly of paintings by Official War Artists of the Canadian Army and photographs by Canadian Army Overseas Film and Photo Units.

In this brief account of operations involving many thousands of men it has not been possible to make specific reference to every unit engaged, let alone to every individual officer or man who distinguished himself by acts of gallantry. A few such officers and men are mentioned, in order simply that their deeds may stand as types of many; had space permitted, the number might have been increased by many hundreds.

Contents

This booklet is the third in a series published by the Department of National Defense with the object of giving the Canadian people authentic historical information concerning the contribution of their Army to victory in the recent war.

The earlier booklets, The Canadians in Britain 1939-1944 and From Pachino to Ortona dealt respectively with the years of waiting in the United Kingdom and with the opening phase of Canadian operations in the Mediterranean Theatre. The present volume tells the story of the Canadian Army's part in the initial and all-important stage of the great final campaign in North-West Europe. The operations in Normandy produced perhaps the most remarkable and significant victory in modern history; and in that victory Canadian forces played a very distinguished part.

It is not intended to extend this series of booklets further. Instead, the Department of National Defence proposed to publish at the earliest possible time a comprehensive one-volume Official Historical Sketch which will afford a brief but accurate account of the work of the Canadian Army in all theatres throughout the war. The Official History proper, which it is hoped may be produced in about five years, is planned to consist of four volumes and will give a more detailed account of the events on the basis of a complete examination of all available sources of information.

Charles Faulkes

Lieutenant-General,

Chief of the General Staff.

.. For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd

With one appearing hair, that will not follow

These cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?

KING HENRY V.

The decisive battle in North-West France in the summer of 1944 was fought and won by gallant men from many nations. Britain, the United States, and Canada contributed the largest components; but Poland provided a fine division, the French Forces of the Interior and subsequently French regular forces played essential roles, and Belgium, the Netherlands and Czechoslovakia all did their part. The victory won by the selfless cooperation of the men who made up these international forces is the property of no one nation; it is the monument of brave soldiers who died in different uniforms for one cause.

If this was a joint triumph of many nations, it was also a victory shared by the three fighting services. Sea, land, and air, they worked together for the defeat of the enemy so unselfishly and unceasingly that it would be difficult to say where the credit due to one element ended and that due to another began. All were courageous, all were skilful, all were bold; and together they achieved one of the greatest victories in the history of warfare and left all civilization their debtors.

In this campaign to which so many races and services contributed, the Canadian Army played a part of some significance. It is of that particular part that these pages tell.

A PERSONAL MESSAGE from LT-GEN H.D.G. CRERAR, C.B., D.S.O., GOC-in-C, FIRST CDN ARMY

It is not possible for me to speak to each one of you, but by means of this personal message, I want all ranks of the Canadian Army to know what is in my mind, as the hour approaches when we go forward into battle.

I have completed confidence in our ability to meet the tests which lie ahead. We are excellently trained and equipped. The quality of both senior and junior leadership is of the highest. As Canadians, we inherit military characteristics which were feared by the enemy in the last Great War. They will be still more feared before this war terminates.

The Canadian formations in the assault landing will have a vital part to play. The plans, the preparations, the methods and the technique, which will be employed, are based on knowledge and experience, bought and paid for by 2 Canadian Division at DIEPPE. The contribution of that hazardous operation cannot be over-estimated. It will prove to have been the essential prelude to our forthcoming and final success.

We enter into this decisive phase of the war with full faith in our cause, with calm confidence in our abilities and with grim determination to finish quickly and unmistakably this job we came overseas to do.

As in 1918, the Canadians, in Italy and in North West Europe, will hit the enemy again and again, until at some not distant time, the converging Allied Armies link together and we will be rejoined, in Victory, with our comrades of 1 Canadian Corps.

/Signature/ (H.D.G. Crerar) Lt-Gen

To be read to all troops.

He must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil.

On the sixth day of June, 1944, five divisions of Allied troops from three different nations landed on the German-held coast of Lower Normandy, and three other divisions, in which the same nations were all represented, came down upon this region from the air. This was the beginning of what may well be called the most momentous military enterprise in modern history; for these eight divisions were only the vanguard of a tremendous armament, and the events of that day led directly to another day, eleven months later, which saw the unconditional surrender of the once proud armies that had subjugated Western Europe for Adolf Hitler.