TOTAL WAR
UNIT 2
LESSON 3
War in the Air
At the outbreak of WWI, Canada had no planes
or pilots;
Most men who wanted to fly would join the
British Royal Air Force;
By 1918, about 25,000 Canadians served in the
Royal Air Force;
Service was as pilots, observers or mechanics;
War in the Air
Were first used for reconnaissance missions
(determining enemy positions & artillery);
Later developed as bombers and fighters;
Planes would take photos of enemy positions to
aid the aim of artillery on ground, later would
bomb positions and attempt to disrupt supply
lines;
War in the Air
Canadian airmen for established themselves a
reputation for effectiveness and accuracy;
Someone who had shot down five enemy aircraft
was termed an “ace;”
Of the top 27 „aces‟ in the Royal Air Force, 10
were Canadians;
Included among them were Billy Bishop,
William Barker, Ray Collishaw and Donald
MacLaren;
War in the Air
BILLY WILLIAM
BISHOP BARKER
RAY DONALD
COLLISHAW MACLAREN
War at Sea
At the beginning of the war, Canada had no real
navy and only 350 naval personnel with 250
reserves;
The two ships and two submarines were used
from the British Navy;
Early main activities were in port in Halifax,
coastal protection and shipping movement and
port inspection;
War at Sea
By 1918, the Royal Canadian Navy had 112
ships that were involved with shipping and
convoy escort;
Also responsible for minesweeping, patrolling
the St. Lawrence and maintaining harbour
entrances;
The RCN had grown to over 5500 members;
Shipbuilding for the Royal Navy saw 700 small
naval vessels built in Canada;
War at Sea
HMCS NIOBE
HMCS RAINBOW
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS, 1917
Initial response to the war declaration was enthusiasm
by all members of Canada;
By the end of 1916, there were more casualties than
were men enlisting in the armed forces;
Criticisms were made against Quebec that the effort and
enlistment was lowest there;
Quebeckers were upset at the lack of recognition for the
22nd Battalion, an entirely French battalion;
(the “Van Doos”)
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS, 1917
HENRI
BOURASSA
Most vocal opponent of
conscription in Quebec;
Owned the French paper
Le Devoir;
Wanted Canadian
independence from
Britain, but without
obligations to the Crown;
CONSCRIPTION CRISIS, 1917
June 1917 – Military Service Bill
– All males between 18 and 45 eligible for service;
– Exemptions:
Conscientious objectors;
Persons in essential war productions;
Persons with specialized qualifications;
Persons where military service caused special hardships;
THE HOME FRONT
At the beginning of war Canada did not have
many factories and were mostly agricultural;
By 1917, there were 600 factories, employing
over 300,000; almost 35,000 of those employees
were women;
By 1918 there were also shipbuilding
department;
Natural resources were also important –
especially metals;
THE HOME FRONT
Contributions from everyone were expected;
– The Patriotic Fund
– Savings Bonds
– Victory Bonds
– Thrift Stamps
– Canadian Red Cross
– Help in local agricultural regions
– Volunteer in support groups (Boy Scouts)
THE HOME FRONT - PROPAGANDA
Primary sources of information came from the
press and the government;
Government had tight constraints over the
information in the Press because of the
possibility of sensitive information being leaked;
Information was “sanitized” (censored) prior to
printing to control what the public read;
THE HOME FRONT - PROPAGANDA
Early propaganda identified the glamour of war,
promoting the heroic and patriotic;
Because the occurrences and realities of war were
distorted by the media, the people on the home front
never understood the soldiers experiences;
Newspapers openly shamed those who did not enlist;
Newspaper stories identified atrocities and stereotypes
in order to demonize the Alliance;
Most of the stories were untrue, but served to encourage
those at home and on the front lines;
HALIFAX EXPLOSION
December 6, 1917 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
The French munitions ship, Mont Blanc, was full
of over 3000 tonnes of munitions supplies and
explosives;
The Norwegian steam ship, the Imo, also entered
the harbour;
The two collide and a fire on the Mont Blanc
starts as a result;
HALIFAX EXPLOSION
The crew of the Mont Blanc abandoned ship as
soon as possible, knowing what was to happen;
The people in the city of Halifax did not know
what was on the ship and what was about to
happen;
The blast was felt in Truro, NS, Prince Edward
Island and Sydney, NS
HALIFAX EXPLOSION
The largest non-military explosion in history,
until Hiroshima;
A huge wave swept across the harbour
destroying almost all of the buildings or setting
them on fire;
Over 1,900 people were killed or would die;
(likley more than 3,000 killed or injured)
Glass fragments flew all over the city – many
people are blinded by glass;
HALIFAX EXPLOSION
The damages are registered within a 16 mile
radius from the harbour;
Many people are now homeless and injured;
The night of the blast was also one of the worst
blizzard in years;
Aid was sent from other cities in the Maritimes
and from some Northeastern American towns
and naval ships;
HALIFAX EXPLOSION
Watch the following video on the Halifax
Explosion:
Why was this event so disastrous for the
Canadians and the war effort?
WOMEN AT WAR
The war changed the roles of women in
Canadian society;
No longer on the sidelines, they began to work
in factories and within branches of the armed
forces;
Also played an important role in recruiting men
to the armed forces;
Women worked in volunteer organizations;
WOMEN AT WAR
Red Cross:
– Knitting socks, rolling bandages, packing food
parcels;
Canadian Field Comforts Commission:
– Distributing gifts and supplies sent to soldiers;
Canadian Army Medical Corps:
– Nursing Sisters (actually got paid the same rate as
officers) over 3,000 women in this position;
Hospital ward
(Helen Lauder Fowlds personal
records)
WOMEN AT WAR - RECORDS
Filming for medical records
WOMEN AT WAR
By 1916, there was a developing labour shortage in
Canada in the factories as more men were encouraged
to enlist;
Women, most of whom were unmarried, worked in
munitions factories;
Working hours were the same as for men, as women
learned trades within the factory;
Pay was still lower than that of men ($.23 to $.45 per
hour);
Women‟s labour was seen as “a temporary act of
patriotism;”
WOMEN AT WAR
Found employment in agriculture as fruit pickers
and harvesters, although not as readily accepted
into the workforce;
Civil service (government) work was found by
about 5,000 to 6,000 women;
– Streetcar and train conductors;
– Office workers;
U.S. ENTERS – RUSSIA LEAVES
1917 would be a very important year in the
course of the war;
Although the Americans were remaining out of
the European conflict, they were pro-Allies
because of the stories of civilian deaths,
invasions of neutral areas and other
propaganda;
Financial and production help was also
provided from American industry and
government;
U.S. ENTERS – RUSSIA LEAVES
Germany wanted to distract the US from the war in
Europe, so they sent a telegram to Mexico‟s
government stating support if they decided to invade
the US – Zimmerman Telegram;
The US was still concerned about their ships after the
sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, and the unrestricted
warfare on ships trading with the Triple Entente;
The US declared war in April 1917, under the
instruction of President Woodrow Wilson;
Germany wanted to end the war quickly before the
Americans could mobilize;
U.S. ENTERS – RUSSIA LEAVES
1917 would be a very important year in the
course of the war;
Although the Americans were remaining out of
the European conflict, they were pro-Allies
because of the stories of civilian deaths,
invasions of neutral areas and other
propaganda;
Financial and production help was also
provided from American industry and
government;
U.S. ENTERS – RUSSIA LEAVES
Russian troops on the Eastern Front were
poorly equipped and poorly trained, compared
to the professional German army;
Czar Nicholas II was seen to be a weak leader
and was detached from the fighting at the
front;
After the initial losses to the Germans, the
soldiers‟ morale dropped and resentment
toward the Royal Family and their privileged
friends increased;
U.S. ENTERS – RUSSIA LEAVES
By 1917, Russian soldiers and sailors mutinied
and refused to fight, their slogan became
“Land, Bread and Peace;”
The Germans saw an opportunity and even
helped to transport a Communist leader,
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) from
Switzerland;
Once in Russia he rallied the people and
overthrew the government in the Bolshevik
Revolution;
U.S. ENTERS – RUSSIA LEAVES
Once in power in Russia, Lenin negotiated a
peace treaty with Germany (Treaty of Brest-
Litovsk) and pulled Russia out of the fighting;
The Germans quickly moved their troops to the
Western Front;
By this time over 500,000 Americans had landed
in Europe and by November 1918 it was obvious
to the Germans that they could no longer hold
their lines against the Allies;
AFTERMATH
By the end of the war over 8 million soldiers
had dies and 20 million more lived with the
wounds, shell shock, gassed lungs, lost limbs
and sight or hearing loss;
30 nations had participated in the fighting;
The largest nations involved in the war would
decide the future for Germany – Britain,
France and the US, with Italian participation;
Canada would be their own signing member –
for the first time.
ENDING OF
WORLD WAR ONE
Lesson 4
AT WAR’S END
When war began, the Canadian government
began making efforts to assure that soldiers
would be reintegrated at war‟s end;
In 1915 set up the Military Hospitals
Commission;
In 1917 and 1918 government set up the
Department of Soldiers‟ Civil
Re-establishment (now known as Veterans
Affairs Canada);
SOLDIER DEMOBILIZATION
Government wanted to rehabilitate soldiers into
civilian life;
When each soldier returned their weapons and
equipment, the Government provided each
returning soldier with
– $35 for civilian clothes,
– discharge papers,
– transport warrant,
– a War Service Gratuity of $240 (on average);
SOLDIER DEMOBILIZATION
Government also encouraged private business to
hire veterans;
They gave veterans preference in civil service
positions;
Military Hospitals Commission provided care
for injured or disabled soldiers, as well as
provided vocational training for those who could
not return to their pre-war employment;
SOLDIER DEMOBILIZATION
Disability pensions were made available for
soldiers;
Veterans were also eligible for free medical
treatment for one year;
70,000 soldiers returned from war disabled;
– Of those disabled, 3,500 were amputees,
– 2,000 were insane (including shell shocked),
– 127 were blind
SOLDIER DEMOBILIZATION
Soldier Land Settlement Act was introduced to
enable veterans to qualify for free land and low
interest loans for farming;
Veterans who had some experience and were
able bodied could borrow up to $7,500 to set up
a farm;
By the end of 1920, over 61,000 soldiers applied
for this program;
SOLDIER DEMOBILIZATION
Some veterans were bitter toward their return to the
home front, as they felt that the rewards were not
sufficient for their sacrifice;
– Jobs that were held before the war were no longer available;
– Doctors and lawyers may no longer have a practice;
– Businessmen may not have had any business to return to;
– The pay of the servicemen did not keep pace with the wages
of home front workers;
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
There were 32 countries represented at
Versailles for the peace talks at the end of the
war;
Canada received a separate seat (from Britain)
because of its contributions;
The main players were Britain, France, the
United States with Germany;
France was determined to crush Germany in this
process;
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
France was the greatest advocate of the “war
of attrition,” because of Germany‟s attacks;
French wanted to punish Germany for the
damage done to property and people;
Make sure that Germany was never again in a
position to attack France;
This attitude was shared by many of the
European nations most affected by the war,
and would become a main motivator in
discussions;
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
There were 440 articles in the Treaty that
covered many aspects of life for Germans and
their defeated allies;
The articles covered such things as returning
works of art, military events and creation of
new nations;
US President, Woodrow Wilson proposed
Fourteen Points for settlement, as well as the
creation of the League of Nations for settling
international disputes;
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
GERMANY:
– Lost pre-war overseas colonies;
– Confiscated all overseas properties (gov‟t or private);
– Pre-war trade agreements were voided;
– French territory (A-L) was returned;
– Forbidden to fortify the Franco-German border;
– Restricted size of navy (no subs) and army;
– No military air force;
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
OTHER ALLIANCE MEMBERS:
– Austria-Hungary was broken up into independent
states (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia,
Yugoslavia);
– Austria was independent, but reduced in size;
– Russian empire was broken up to prevent the spread
of Communism (Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and
Latvia);
– Balkan States maintained independence;
TREATY OF VERSAILLES - Terms
Some key terms can be identified that would
generate deep resentment in Germany:
– Article 45 – loss of the Saar Coal Basin to France
for 15 years;
– Article 231 – “War Guilt Clause” required
Germany to accept responsibility for the cause and
suffering of the war;
– Article 232 – Reparation Payments required
Germany to pay for all wartime damages (to Allied
nations);
– Occupation Army was to be maintained west of the
Rhine River for 15 years to ensure compliance;
NEW EUROPE
WWI had altered the balance of power between
Europe and the New World, decimating
Europe‟s economic power and increasing that of
the US and Canada;
Many issues were created by the Treaty and the
War that would cause more problems later in the
century – both economic and political.
NEW EUROPE
Problems would arise because of national
bitterness by those defeated at the end of the
war;
Economic problems after the demobilization of
many countries;
Increase in international tensions;
League of Nations was ineffectual for a number
of reasons, one of which was that the US refused
to join its ranks;
LESSONS FROM WWI?
Modernization of warfare
Rapid economic success and industrialization
Rights for women
National independence
Creation of some National Social Services
They shall not grow old, as we grow old;
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn;
At the going down of the sun,
and in the morning,
We will remember them