The Canadian Army in the Second World War, theatre by theatre

Hong Kong

The first Canadian soldiers to fight in the war were 1,975 men of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada. They reached Hong Kong on 16 November 1941. Japan attacked on 8 December, and the colony surrendered on Christmas Day. According to the Canadian War Museum, 290 Canadians were killed in action and 493 wounded. About 260 more died as prisoners of war.

On the table: lightly equipped Commonwealth infantry with little support, against Japanese infantry on steep, built-up ground. It's a defensive, losing fight, so it suits a "hold as long as you can" scenario more than a balanced game.

Dieppe

Operation Jubilee was a raid on the French port of Dieppe. 4,963 Canadians of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division embarked, alongside about 1,000 British Commandos and 50 US Rangers. Veterans Affairs Canada records 916 Canadians killed and 1,946 taken prisoner. Only 2,210 returned to England, many of them wounded.

The 14th Army Tank Regiment (Calgary Regiment) landed Churchill tanks. It was the first Canadian tank regiment to go into action, and Dieppe was the Churchill's first battle.

On the table: an assault on a defended beach and seafront. Many tanks were stopped on the shingle or by the seawall, and that obstacle is the centre of the scenario.

Sicily and Italy

The 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade landed in Sicily on 10 July 1943, then fought up the Italian mainland. Veterans Affairs Canada records 92,757 Canadians who served in the Italian theatre, with 25,264 casualties, more than 5,900 of them fatal.

The best-known Canadian action is Ortona, 20-28 December 1943. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, supported by tanks of the Three Rivers Regiment, fought the German 1st Parachute Division house by house. The Canadians blew holes through the walls between houses rather than use the streets, a tactic called "mouse-holing". The Canadian Encyclopedia credits it to Captain Bill Longhurst. Nearby, Captain Paul Triquet won the Victoria Cross at Casa Berardi. The December fighting cost the Canadians 2,605 casualties, 502 of them killed.

Later actions included the Hitler Line in May 1944 and the Gothic Line from August 1944. In early 1945, I Canadian Corps moved to North-West Europe to rejoin First Canadian Army.

On the table: Italy gives you dense towns, olive groves, river lines and terraced hills. The opponents are often German paratroopers or panzergrenadiers. Sherman and Universal Carrier support fits, and so do the 25-pounder field guns of the artillery.

Normandy

On D-Day about 14,000 Canadians of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade landed on Juno Beach, an 8 km front taking in Saint-Aubin, Bernières, Courseulles and Graye. More than 450 men of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion jumped inland. 359 Canadians were killed that day. Over the whole campaign, more than 90,000 Canadians saw action in Normandy, more than 5,000 died, and more than 13,000 were wounded (Veterans Affairs Canada).

After the beachhead came the fighting around Caen, Verrières Ridge, and Operations Totalize and Tractable south toward Falaise. In Operation Totalize (August 1944), Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds' II Canadian Corps carried infantry forward in converted Priest self-propelled guns. These became the "Kangaroo" armoured personnel carriers. The campaign closed with the Falaise Gap. At St-Lambert-sur-Dives, Major David Currie of the South Alberta Regiment won the Victoria Cross for holding the village from 18 to 20 August 1944.

On the table: bocage and wheat fields, stone farms, and German armour including Panthers and Tigers. Canadian armour was mostly Shermans, some with the 17-pounder (Firefly). Kangaroos and carriers suit the infantry.

The Scheldt and the Netherlands

First Canadian Army under General Harry Crerar was the main Allied force that opened the Scheldt estuary, so the port of Antwerp could be used. Besides II Canadian Corps (2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions, 4th Armoured Division), the army included I British Corps and the 1st Polish Armoured Division. The Battle of the Scheldt (1 October - 8 November 1944) cost First Canadian Army 12,873 casualties, 6,367 of them Canadian. The first convoy reached Antwerp on 28 November.

About 175,000 Canadians took part in the campaign to liberate the Netherlands, and more than 7,600 died. In spring 1945, I Canadian Corps freed the western Netherlands, where civilians were starving in the "Hunger Winter". German forces in the Netherlands surrendered on 5 May 1945, and V-E Day followed on 8 May.

On the table: flooded polders, dykes as raised roads and firing lines, canals, and small brick towns. Movement is channelled, so a carrier or Kangaroo that can't leave the dyke road becomes a real problem for its player.