Training of Air Force Personnel: Canada's Role from WWI to WWII
Training of Air Force Personnel
Canada’s role from WWI to WWII
Introduction In the 20th-century Canada in support of its closest ally “Great Britain” participated in two world wars. These were wars with new technology, specifically the “fixed wing aircraft” which gave birth to a new battlefield “the sky”. This changed the tactics of previous wars, the airplane was capable of many duties; ranging from aerial reconnaissance to ground attack to the tactical and strategic bombing, both by day and night. Canada did not start with an Air Force, however was a major player in the battle for the sky. This synopsis will discuss the role Canada played in the training of Air Force Personnel from World War One (WWI) through World War Two (WWII). World War I WWI was known as the “Great War” or “the war to end all wars”. WWI engulfed the majority of Europe from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 and more than 70 million people mobilized for military service. WWI was triggered by the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne on 28 June 1914, in Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia/Herzegovina by Gavilo Princip a Bosnian-Serb student. On 28 July, the conflict opened with the Austro-Hungarian Invasion of Serbia, German invasion of Belgium, Luxemburg and France; and a Russian attack against Germany.1 And due to the invoking of alliances formed over the decades many of the worlds’ powers and their colonies soon joined the conflict. To better appreciate Canada’s role in the war we must understand that Canada was an emerging nation but still held many strong ties with Great Britain. Even though Canada had autonomy with regards to internal issues, Great Britain still held control when it came to international matters and therefore when Great Britain declared war on Germany, so did Canada. World War II WW II was a conflict in which many of the world’s nations participated. WWII took place from 1939 to 1945. It was generally accepted to have begun on
Canada’s role from WWI to WWII
Introduction In the 20th-century Canada in support of its closest ally “Great Britain” participated in two world wars. These were wars with new technology, specifically the “fixed wing aircraft” which gave birth to a new battlefield “the sky”. This changed the tactics of previous wars, the airplane was capable of many duties; ranging from aerial reconnaissance to ground attack to the tactical and strategic bombing, both by day and night. Canada did not start with an Air Force, however was a major player in the battle for the sky. This synopsis will discuss the role Canada played in the training of Air Force Personnel from World War One (WWI) through World War Two (WWII). World War I WWI was known as the “Great War” or “the war to end all wars”. WWI engulfed the majority of Europe from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 and more than 70 million people mobilized for military service. WWI was triggered by the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne on 28 June 1914, in Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia/Herzegovina by Gavilo Princip a Bosnian-Serb student. On 28 July, the conflict opened with the Austro-Hungarian Invasion of Serbia, German invasion of Belgium, Luxemburg and France; and a Russian attack against Germany.1 And due to the invoking of alliances formed over the decades many of the worlds’ powers and their colonies soon joined the conflict. To better appreciate Canada’s role in the war we must understand that Canada was an emerging nation but still held many strong ties with Great Britain. Even though Canada had autonomy with regards to internal issues, Great Britain still held control when it came to international matters and therefore when Great Britain declared war on Germany, so did Canada. World War II WW II was a conflict in which many of the world’s nations participated. WWII took place from 1939 to 1945. It was generally accepted to have begun on
Bibliography: Goodspeed, Lieutenant-Colonel D.J., The War in the Air, 1914-1918 ”The Armed Forces of Canada: 1867-1967, Queen’s Printers, Ottawa, 1967, pp.76-90. English Jack, “Lessons from the Great War”, Canadian Military Journal, Vol.4, No2, Summer 2003, pp. 55-62. Http://www.journel.forces.gc.ca/vo4/no2/history-histoirre-eng.asp 27 October 2001. Hall, David Ian, “Creating the 2nd Tactical Air Force RAF: Inter-Service and AngloCanadian Co-Operation in the Second World War”, Canadian Military Journal, vol.3, no. 4, Winter 2002-2003, pp. 39-45 “The Origins - Handbook for Air Force Non-Commissioned Members” National Defense, 26 October 2011, http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/v2/hst/page-eng.asp?id=526 “World War I”, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 26 October, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I “World War II”, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 26 October, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II “Military History of Canada during World War II”, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2 November, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Canada 4 Goodspeed, Lieutenant-Colonel D.J., The War in the Air, 1939-1945”The Armed Forces of Canada: 1867-1967, Queen’s Printers, Ottawa, 1967, pp. 160