- All throughout Canada in the 20th Century there have been numerous events, actions, and decisions that we call defining moments. Canada has been through many battles, hard-chosen decisions, and changes that have changed the way Canadians live today. The second battle of Ypres, the life on the home front in World War Two, and the invasion of D-day helped enrich Canada with their contributions to food, fashion, religion, education, business, and politics. All these moments were significant for Canada and changed the way we Canadians live today.
- "OK, we'll go!" With these words, General Elsenhower, commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces, announced the beginning of the long-awaited and -planned invasion of Europe. The Normandy beaches of northern France were selected as the site of invasion, because they were close to Britain and the invading army, supply ships, and reinforcements. A huge army gathered in the South of England. American troops numbering 1.25 million joined a similar number of British and Commonwealth troops, including 30,000 Canadians. Four thousand landing craft, 700 war ships, and 11,000 planes were ready. The Germans had 60 divisions in northern France and the Netherlands under the command of Field Marshall Rommel. In the spring of 1944, Allied bombers started attacking and destroying Nazi military sites in northern France. The idea was to soften the enemy defences. D-Day, Day of Deliverance, was fixed for June 5, 1944. But the invasion had to be postponed due to bad weather. At 2:00 a.m. on June 6, paratroopers were dropped to protect the landing forces. Seventy-five minutes later, 2000 bombers began to pound German defences on the beaches. At 5:30 a.m., the air raids were joined by the guns of the Allied warships. Then, at precisely 6:30 a.m., the first waves of Canadian, British, and American troops poured onto the beaches of France. This was Canada's largest military operation. Fourteen thousand soldiers were set to hit the beaches of France. The Royal Canadian Navy had 100 ships with 10,000 sailors in the operation. Flying overhead were 36 bomber squadrons of the RCAF. …
