Popeye Kamper's Entertainment

Thumbs up for all the allied forces during WWII !!! I'm am so grateful to ALL the allies during WWII, but in particular to the Canadians! If all those brave men and women wouldn't have been there, then I wouldn't have been born in may 1945 just a few days after the liberation of Holland !! So THANK YOU GUYS!!! Here's my tribute to you!!! A QUOTE: "Canada declared war on Germany in September 1939. Canada declared war on Germany on 10 September. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King promised that only volunteers would serve overseas..Canada was unprepared for war. The regular army of 4500 men, augmented by 51,000 partly-trained reservists, possessed virtually no modern equipment. The air force had fewer than 20 modern combat aircraft while the navys combat potential consisted of only six destroyers, the smallest class of ocean-going warships. It was a modest beginning. Between 1939 and 1945, the Royal Canadian Air Force enlisted 232,000 men and 17,000 women and operated 86 squadrons, including 47 overseas. Canadians flew bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, transport, and other missions around the world. Tens of thousands of Canadian air crew also served with Britains Royal Air Force and Canadian fighter aircraft participated in the epic Battle of Britain in 1940. For the rest of the war, Canadian fighter-bombers attacked coastal areas in German-occupied Europe while Canadian heavy bombers struck at targets much further inland. In addition, Canadian maritime patrol bombers based in Canada, Newfoundland, Iceland and Britain fought German submarines. By 1945, the R.C.A.F. had grown to be the worlds fourth- largest air force. More than 17,000 Canadian airmen perished during the war. Canada was a full partner in the success of the Allied landings in Normandy (D- Day). Determined to end four years of often-brutal German occupation, on 6 June 1944, Allied forces invaded Western Europe along an 80-kilometre front in Normandy, France. Of the nearly 150,000 Allied troops who landed or parachuted into the invasion area, 14,000 were Canadians. They assaulted a beachfront code-named Juno, while Canadian paratroopers landed just east of the assault beaches. Although the Allies encountered German defences bristling with artillery, machine guns, mines, and booby-traps, the invasion was a success. Other Canadians helped achieve this victory. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 ships and 10,000 sailors in support of the landings while the R.C.A.F. had helped prepare the invasion by bombing targets inland. On D- Day and during the ensuing campaign, 15 R.C.A.F. fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons helped control the skies over Normandy and attacked enemy targets. On D-Day, Canadians suffered 1074 casualties, including 359 killed. Canada played a strong role in defeating the Axis powers. The price of victory was high: approximately 23,000 Canadians laid down their lives serving in the army, 17,000 in the air force, 2000 in the navy and 1600 in the merchant navy. Another 54,000 Canadians were wounded and thousands would be physically impaired or psychologically scarred for life. Over 700 Newfoundlanders also died during the war. ------------------------------ Proud To Be Canadian!" Images found on: http://www.militaryimages.net

Posted by Popeye Kamper on May 8, 2010 at 9:14 AM

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