Battle Of Hong Kong Research Paper

One of Canada’s largest military endeavors was the battle of Vimy Ridge during World War One. It was a fierce battle between Germans and Canadians. Canada was trying to take over the German controlled ridge, which ran from northwest to southwest between Lens and Arras, France. Its highest point was 145 feet above sea level, which was exceptionally helpful in battle because of the very flat landscape. Already over 200,000 men had fallen at Vimy, all desperately trying to take or defend this important and strategic ridge. As a result of its success in taking the ridge, Canada gained a lot more than just the strategic point. Canada was united as a nation, and the victory changed the way other counties viewed them. Canadians no longer

The first major event that impacted Canada’s legacy, as a whole, was the sacrificial battle of Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge was proven to be essential to the foundation of Canada as it signified the birth of a new nation and it was considered to be the greatest battle fought, in World War One. Firstly, the Battle of Vimy Ridge established Canada’s emergence as a newly born nation from under the shadow of Britain and gave a verification of Canada’s prominence on the international level. For instance, after successfully regaining the ridge, it displayed to the British superpower, that Canada are worthy of independence, that must be granted upon as a reward for a significant victory (Fonseca). As a result, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, marked the end of British soldiers commanding Canadian troops, as Canada showed tremendous resilience internationally, and also proved that we are independently, capable of leading a well-organized attack against other countries (Fonseca). This milestone was a huge accomplishment for Canadians, as eventually this was the catalyst for total autonomy of Britain (“History Now”). Secondly, the Battle of Vimy Ridge gave Canada justified independence on the international stage. As a result of winning the complicated battle, Canada was deservedly permitted to their own independent seat and signature at the peace talks after the war. This then allowed Canada, to participate in voicing their thoughts, and plans as a newly independent country. This was seen to be,

Losses like the Battle of Second Ypres where 60,000 Canadians died and Battle of the Somme where 600,000 of Allied troops were wounded had a big impact on Canada. The Canadian troops had started to doubt the British leaders. Since Canada had a lack of experience with wars they didn't have many commanding roles. This began to cause resentment but changed in 1916 when Canadians were promoted.

Canada displayed their power and abilities to the rest of the world during the normandy landings on June 6, 1944 and proved themselves as a middle power. D-Day was the day Allied forces planned an invasion to push German forces back into Germany and end World War Two. Canada contributed a lot to the Allies such as materials, ammunition, ships, etc. They had the third largest navy and fourth largest air force. “The Royal Canadian Navy sent 110 ships and 10, 000 sailors, and the Royal Canadian Air Force contributed 15 fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons. They also sent 14, 000 Canadians to fight on the beach.”(CANADA AT D-DAY, WarMuseum.ca)

When people look back and remember the First World War, they often remember the assassination of Franz-Ferdinand, the sinking of the Lusitania, or the Zimmerman telegram. Not often do they recall the role that Canada played in the war. However, Canadians were a significant factor of the Allies’ success. Although Canada only possessed two Navy warships at the time and was known for being a peaceful country, she supplied over 60,000,000 shells to the Allies’ troops and endured over 67,000 casualties and 173,000 men wounded across multiple battles. With that said, it could also be argued that internal political conflicts in Canada afflicted their overall contribution to the war. In fact,

During the course of the Second World War, Canada evolved into a powerful, resourceful nation that was needed by the Allies. Canada contributed significantly to the Allied war effort during World War II where they fought on land, water and air and assisted indirectly from the home front. On land, they fought in numerous battles and campaigns such as D-Day, Hong Kong, and the Italian campaign. However, they were also strong and resourceful when it came to air and naval forces in battle. But even outside of battle, Canada was still able to make a contribution through its civilians.

When we entered the war we were a colony of Britain, we had loyalty towards them, supported them, and were committed to defending them in the war. Later on April 9th, the battle of Vimy Ridge took place and the Canadian soldiers claimed victory. This battle ultimately marked a defining moment in Canadian history because it was the first time that Canadians fought solely as Canadians. Without this victory Canadians wouldn’t have developed feelings of nationalism towards themselves and in turn would have kept us as a colony of Britain. This battle created a sense of loyalty to Canada; Canadian citizens and soldiers started to consider themselves Canadian first. This influenced the ideals of independence and sovereignty throughout the minds of Canadian citizens. After the victory at Vimy Ridge the Paris Peace Conference was held where it marked the end of World War One. Pulling through the war Canada now considered itself an independent nation. During the Paris Peace Conference Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden insisted that Canada represented itself as a sole entity and was granted the same representation as Belgium and other smaller nations. During the negotiations Canada had its own vote and its own voice separate from Britain, creating a larger role in world affairs. This is a proud moment and should be remembered as the start of an independent Canadian nation and pursuing Canada’s national interests. It should be strongly embraced because nationalism among Canadians had changed focus to Canada

WWII was a defining moment in Canadian history, transforming a quiet country on the verge of global affairs into a crucial opponent in the 20th century's most tragic battle. Canada played a vital role in the Battle of the Atlantic and the air war over Germany, and sacrificed thousands of lives. Between 1939 and 1945 more than one million Canadian men and women served full-time in the armed services and more than 43,000 were killed (Stacey, July 15, 2013 ). In November 1944, after extreme losses in front-line units serving in Northwest Europe and Italy, Ottawa legitimized conscription, sending out 16,000 home defence men overseas (Canadian War Museum, N/A). This implement for Conscription was necessary for Canada based on the lack of Canadian volunteers, the

World War II was one of the most influential wars in history to date that lasted from 1939 - 1945 that included many of the worlds nations. World War II has shaped Canada’s economy, politics, and society drastically because the country was in a state of total war. Canada joined the Allies side, providing them with man-power and resources such as military vehicles and firearms. The war had a very significant effect on Canada as they had contributed early which made a crucial difference to the winning of the war. In this essay, I will exam how has World War II shaped Canada’s economy, politics, and society.

When w.w.1 and w.w.2 first broke out the position and national interest of Canada it was the protection of freedom and democracy against German tyranny fascism. For Canada`s role is that it was support and supply, but evolved into a fighting force to be reckoned with. The overall major support as almost 10 % of Canada`s population went to fight in these wars and a large work force was employed to manufacture all manner of supplies to support the war effort. In the end of the wars Canada`s military took on a role as peacekeepers. In the treaty of Versailles Canada did participate, but was barley recognized for what it had done to be respected more in that they did all the dirty work and they did not. The treaties and organizations of post-w.w.2

Despite successes like those in Italy and Normandy, Canadian soldiers are not as widely remembered for their service in WWII than in WWI. This could perhaps be because battles were more easily fought in WWII, or because other countries were more involved in the war than

One of the many examples of why we should be proud of Canada is the liberation of Holland. Near the end of world war two Canadian forces had the deadly and important task of liberating the Netherlands of Nazi occupation. By doing this the Canadian forces also allowed food and relief to reach the millions of people who had to suffer throughout the harsh winter with scarce food rations. The troops organized and distributed the food, fuel and other relief aid to millions of deprived people. The Dutch were and still are super appreciative towards Canada for practically saving them, till this day the Dutch and Canadians’ have a deep bond and will forever be grateful for Canada’s war efforts.

Personally, I feel the most significant battle Canada contributed, was the battle that took place in the last 100 days, as it contained three tremendous triumphs on behalf of the Canadians, which included the Canadian led offensive, the Canadians aid in capturing the Hidenburg Line, and finally, the capture of Bourlon Wood. First of all, Canada's lead in breaching through 20km of enemy land in 3 days led to a remarkable development, as it depleted the enemy's morale. Furthermore, this success brought a new found confidence for the allies' leaders. On top of the previous, a significant contribution Canada presented was the capture of part of the Hidenburg Line. This capture was noteworthy, as it would provide a reliable place for defensive

There were multiple shortages of water due to the Japanese occupation of important reservoirs, resulting in the interruption of the island’s water supplies. “Water mains were destroyed by the bombardment. The public works department struggled bravely to effect a remedy, but the enemy destroyed the pipes again and again. Two days ago there remained but one day’s supply.”[ Page 2, Garrison of 6000 Troops, Including Many Canadians, Capitulates to the Japanese] After the water supply from the main Tai Tam reservoir was interrupted, troops were subjected to a water shortage that, amplified by their exhaustion from continuous days of battle, quickly rendered them impotent against the Japanese force. Transportation of the troops on Hong Kong was inefficient, due to the absence of the 212 vehicles designated to the Canadians as a result of an incompetency on behalf of Army Headquarters. The vehicles did not arrive in time to be loaded onto the troopship, ultimately sailing to another destination and leaving the Canadians without efficient transportation. “The whole thing was disorganized confusion,” one Winnipeg Grenadier recalled. “Nobody was prepared for it. There was no communication. We didn’t have transportation. You carried everything on your back.” The vehicles left behind in Canada were greatly missed though, as the enemy had air superiority, how long they could have lasted was uncertain.”[ HONG KONG: The Inside Story of Canada’s Role in a Doomed Garrison] Heightened by the exhaustion of the troops from consecutive days of combat, and by travelling on unfamiliar, rugged Hong Kong terrain with the weight of their resources, the absence of transportation hindered the Canadians from defending Hong Kong at full strength and delayed the transportation of important reinforcements that may have prevented strategic locations from falling into Japanese occupation.

Hong Kong was taken controlled by the British government because of the following treaty the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the Treaty of Beijing in 1860 and the convention for the extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898. The colonization of Hong Kong started from the Opium War that the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had been ceded to UK in perpetuity. Because of the failure in the Second Opium War, both sides signed a treaty that the New Territories was leased 99 years by Chinese Empire to the British for 99 years. (1) Later, the Chinese government took initiative to discuss the Handover of Hong Kong with Britain government from 1982. The sovereignty of Hong Kong provoked the conflicts between China and Britain. They argued that whether the China government should take back Hong Kong or not. After negotiation, British’s Margaret Thatcher signed the formal treaty, Joint Declaration, the sovereignty of Hong Kong would transfer from British to the China on the 1st July, 1997. Under the ‘one country, two systems’, the Chinese government guaranteed that Hong Kong people would not only run as the capitalist system and its autonomy to run its own affair, but also enjoy its rule of law and high degrees of freedoms at least 50 years. ( from chris patten, p.20) However, the promise of the Chinese government looked shaky as the China crushed pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing’s Tianmen Square with tanks and automatic weapons. Many people didn’t trust the system of ‘One Country, Two