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Canadian Forces Land Force Command

 

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Canadian Forces Land Force Command


 
 

Land Force Command (LFC) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian ForcesCanadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , abbreviated as CF are the combined armed forces of Canada....
.

LFC maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada and is also responsible for the largest component of the Primary ReserveCanadian Forces Primary Reserve Summary

The Primary Reserve is Canada's military reserve force and is the largest of four components to the Canadian Forces reserves...
, the Army Reserve, which is often referred to informally by its historic name, the "militia". The Chief of Land Staff is Lieutenant-General Andrew LeslieAndrew Leslie

Lieutenant-General Andrew Brooke Leslie OMM, CD is the Chief of the Land Staff and Commander Land Forces Command of the Can...
.

LFC is the descendant of the Canadian Army which was the name of Canada's land forces from 1940 until February 1, 1968. At the time of unification all army units were placed under Mobile Command (MC), later changed to Force Mobile Command (FMC) in 1975 when tactical air units were assigned to newly-created Air CommandCanadian Forces Air Command

Canadian Forces Air Command is the air force element of the Canadian Forces....
. The name was changed from FMC to Land Force Command in a 1997 reorganization of the Canadian Forces.

History

Following unification of the three armed services in 1968, Mobile Command became in effect the "Canadian Army" though the term "army" did not find favour until the 1980s when it became once again unofficially used to refer to Canada's land forces, both Regular and Reserve. The early organization of Mobile Command included tactical ground attack fixed and rotary wing aircraft, in addition to ground forces, and was akin to the integrated warfare approach of the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the U.S....
. In a 1975 reorganization of the Canadian Forces, Air CommandCanadian Forces Air Command

Canadian Forces Air Command is the air force element of the Canadian Forces....
 was created and all air assets were reassigned to that organization. Mobile Command was renamed Force Mobile Command and became an exclusive ground force. In 1997, Force Mobile Command was officially redesignated Land Force Command of the Canadian Forces.

Army bases and training centres

  • CFB Edmonton, Alberta
  • CFB Suffield, AlbertaCFB Suffield

    Canadian Forces Base Suffield, is the largest Canadian Forces Base and the largest commonwealth military training base....
  • CFB-TC Shilo, ManitobaCFB Shilo

    Canadian Forces Base Shilo is an Operations and Training base of the Canadian Armed Forces located 35 km east of Brandon, Ma...
  • LFWA TC Wainwright, AlbertaCFB Wainwright

    Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, commonly referred to as CFB Wainwright is a Canadian Forces Base located adjacent to ...
  • CFB Kingston, OntarioCFB Kingston

    Canadian Forces Base Kingston is a Canadian Forces Base located in Kingston, Ontario....
  • CFB BordenCFB Borden

    Canadian Forces Base Borden is a Canadian Forces Base located in Borden, Ontario....
    , Ontario
  • CFB Petawawa, OntarioCFB Petawawa

    Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, commonly referred to as CFB Petawawa, is a Canadian Forces Base located in Petawawa, On...
     (2 CMBG)
  • LFCATC MeafordLFCATC Meaford

    Land Force Central Area Training Centre Meaford is a Canadian Forces Training Centre located in Grey County, near the town o...
    , Ontario
  • CFB MontrealCFB Montreal

    Canadian Forces Base Montreal is a Canadian Forces Base located in Montreal, Quebec....
    , Quebec
  • CFB Valcartier, QuebecCFB Valcartier

    Canadian Forces Base Valcartier is located 25 km west of Quebec City....
     (5 CMBG)
  • CFB Gagetown, New BrunswickCFB Gagetown

    Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, also referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base located in southweste...
     (CTC)
  • LFAATC Det Aldershot, Kentville Nova Scotia
  • CFB Trenton, OntarioCFB Trenton

    Canadian Forces Base Trenton, also referred to as CFB Trenton, 8 Wing Trenton or Trenton Airport, , is a C...
    , Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare CentreCanadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre

    The Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre is a Canadian Forces training facility located at CFB Trenton in Trenton, O...
     (formerly CPC)
  • Four Mile Point Live Firing Range - Niagara-on-the-Lake, OntarioNiagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

    Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada....
  • Connaught Range and Primary Training Center

Regiments

See:List of units of the Canadian ArmyList of units of the Canadian Army

The following is a current list of regiments of the Canadian Land Forces Command as of 2006....


Canadian infantry and armoured regimental traditions are strongly rooted in the traditions and history of the British ArmyBritish Army Summary

The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces....
. Many regiments were patterned after regiments of the British Army, and a system of official "alliances", or affiliations, was created to perpetuate a sense of shared history. Other regiments developed independently, resulting in a mixture of both colourful and historically familiar names. Other traditions such as Battle Honours and Colours have been maintained by Canadian regiments as well. Approximately two thirds of the Regular Force is composed of anglophoneFacts About Anglophone

An anglophone is someone who speaks English natively or by adoption....
 units, while one third is francophoneFrancophone

A Francophone is a person who is able to speak the French language....
.

Regular Force

See:List of units of the Canadian ArmyList of units of the Canadian Army

The following is a current list of regiments of the Canadian Land Forces Command as of 2006....

Armoured
Regular Force units include:
  • The Royal Canadian DragoonsThe Royal Canadian Dragoons

    The Royal Canadian Dragoons is an armoured regiment of the Canadian Army....
     - CFB PetawawaFacts About CFB Petawawa

    Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, commonly referred to as CFB Petawawa, is a Canadian Forces Base located in Petawawa, On...
    , OntarioOntario Overview

    Ontario is the most populous and second-largest in area of Canada's ten provinces....
  • Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)

    Lord Strathcona's Horse is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces....
     - CFB EdmontonCFB Edmonton

    Canadian Forces Base Edmonton is a Canadian Military base located in Edmonton, Alberta....
    , AlbertaAlberta

    Alberta is one of Canada's provinces....
  • 12e Régiment blindé du Canada12e Régiment blindé du Canada

    The 12e Rgiment blind du Canada is a Canadian Forces armoured regiment based in CFB Valcartier, on the outskirts of Quebec C...
     - CFB ValcartierCFB Valcartier

    Canadian Forces Base Valcartier is located 25 km west of Quebec City....
     and Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières

    Trois-Rivires may refer to:* Trois-Rivires, Quebec...
    , QuebecQuebec

    Quebec, or Qubec in French, In 1898, the Canadian Parliament passed the first Quebec Boundary Extension Act that expan...


Artillery
Canada's regular field artillery has traditionally been called the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. Canada currently has four Regular Force regiments:
  • 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse ArtilleryRoyal Canadian Horse Artillery

    The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is the name given to the regular field artillery units of the Canadian Army....
  • 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
  • 5e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada
  • 4th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

Combat engineers
  • 1 Combat Engineer Regiment - CFB EdmontonCFB Edmonton

    Canadian Forces Base Edmonton is a Canadian Military base located in Edmonton, Alberta....
    , AlbertaAlberta

    Alberta is one of Canada's provinces....
  • 2 Combat Engineer Regiment2 Combat Engineer Regiment

    2 Combat Engineer Regiment is a regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers....
     - CFB PetawawaCFB Petawawa

    Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, commonly referred to as CFB Petawawa, is a Canadian Forces Base located in Petawawa, On...
    , OntarioOntario

    Ontario is the most populous and second-largest in area of Canada's ten provinces....
  • 4 Engineer Support Regiment4 Engineer Support Regiment

    4 Engineer Support Regiment is a Regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers located at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick....
     - CFB GagetownCFB Gagetown

    Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, also referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base located in southweste...
    , New BrunswickNew Brunswick

    New Brunswick , is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces, and the only officially bilingual province in the country....
  • 5e Régiment du genie de combat)5 Combat Engineer Regiment

    5 Rgiment du Genie de Combat is a regular force regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers....
     - CFB ValcartierCFB Valcartier

    Canadian Forces Base Valcartier is located 25 km west of Quebec City....
    , QuebecQuebec

    Quebec, or Qubec in French, In 1898, the Canadian Parliament passed the first Quebec Boundary Extension Act that expan...


Infantry
Regular Force infantry regiments and battalions of the Canadian Army are:
  1. The Royal Canadian RegimentThe Royal Canadian Regiment Overview

    The Royal Canadian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces....

    • 1st Battalion - Mechanized Infantry
    • 2nd Battalion - Mechanized Infantry
    • 3rd Battalion - Light Infantry + Parachute Company
  2. Princess Patricia's Canadian Light InfantryPrincess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

    Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is an infantry regiment in the Canadian Forces...

    • 1st Battalion - Mechanized Infantry
    • 2nd Battalion - Mechanized Infantry
    • 3rd Battalion - Light Infantry + Parachute Company
  3. Royal 22e RégimentRoyal 22e Régiment

    The Royal 22e R?giment is an infantry regiment and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces....

    • 1er Bataillon - Mechanized Infantry
    • 2e Bataillon - Mechanized Infantry
    • 3e Bataillon - Light Infantry + Parachute Company



Between 1953 and 1971, the regular Canadian infantry consisted of seven regiments, each of two battalions (except the Royal 22e Régiment, which had three, and the Canadian Airborne Regiment, which was divided into three "commandos"). The three present regular infantry regiments were augmented by three further regiments each of two battalions:


After 1971, the regular force battalions of the QOR and the Black Watch were dissolved (their Militia battalions remained in Toronto and Montreal, respectively) with their personnel distributed between the RCR and PPCLI, while the Canadian Guards were disbanded. The Canadian Airborne Regiment was disbanded in 1995.

Reserve Force

See:List of units of the Canadian ArmyList of units of the Canadian Army

The following is a current list of regiments of the Canadian Land Forces Command as of 2006....

Structure

Commanders, Mobile Command

  • Lieutenant-General (later GeneralGeneral

    A General is an officer of high military rank....
    ) Jean Victor AllardJean Victor Allard

    General Jean Victor Allard, CC , CBE , GOQ , DSO , ED , CD was the first French-Canadian to become a Chief of the Defence S...
     1965-1966
  • Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General

    Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries....
     J.J. Paradis August 1977-1980/1984
  • Lieutenant-General Charles H. BelzileCharles H. Belzile

    Lieutenant-General Charles H. Belzile, CM, CMM, CD was a Canadian soldier and a former head of the Canadian Army....
     1980/1984-
  • Lieutenant-General James A. Fox July, 1986-1989

Chiefs of Land Staff

  • Lieutenant-General (later GeneralGeneral

    A General is an officer of high military rank....
    ) Rick HillierRick Hillier

    in 1975 with a [[Bachelor...
     2003-2005
  • Lieutenant General Marc CaronMarc Caron

    Lieutenant-General Joseph Henri Paul Marc Caron CMM MSM CD is a Canadian infantry soldier, and currently Chief of the Land S...
     2005-2006
  • Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General

    Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries....
     Andrew LeslieAndrew Leslie

    Lieutenant-General Andrew Brooke Leslie OMM, CD is the Chief of the Land Staff and Commander Land Forces Command of the Can...
     2006-present

Equipment

Vehicles


Weapons

Other equipment

Historic equipment (World War II)

Trucks
Armoured carriers and armoured tractors
Tanks
Training tanks
Self-propelled artillery
Engineering vehicles
Artillery
Field artillery
Anti-tank guns
Anti-aircraft guns
Black powder rifles, carbines and pistols
Service rifles and carbines

.303 rifles
Service pistols
Approved private purchase and secondary side-arms
Submachine guns
Machine guns, light machine guns and miscellaneous weapons
Infantry anti-tank weapons
Grenades, mines and other explosives
Infantry mortars
Bayonets and combat knives

Combat knives
Ammunition

Uniforms, load bearing and protective equipment

Uniforms

See also: BattledressBattledress

Battledress is a general term for the military uniform worn into combat, as opposed to 'display' dress and formal uniforms w...
, Uniforms of the Canadian ForcesUniforms of the Canadian Forces

Prior to unification in 1968, the uniforms of the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force were simil...


Load bearing equipment

Head dress

Protective equipment

Rank structure

Comparison of ranking structure available at Ranks and insignia of NATORanks and insignia of NATO

Ranks and insignia of NATO are combined military insignia used by the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisa...
. Not shown are the various appointment badges for specialist positions such as master gunner, drum major, etc. Many ranks are associated with specific appointments; for example a regimental sergeant majorRegimental Sergeant Major

Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by Warrant Officers Class 1 in the British Army, Royal Marines and many Com...
 is usually a chief warrant officer. The title of master corporal also, technically, refers to an appointment and not a rank. Some ranks may have different names depending on the customary tradition of certain army corps, and may not appear here.

Battles involving the Canadian army

The Canadian Army has participated in the following campaigns as a combatant:

  • Second Boer WarSecond Boer War

    The Second Boer War, also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoo...
  • First World War
    • Vimy Ridge
    • Passchendaele
    • Second Battle of YpresSecond Battle of Ypres

      The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used chemical weapons on a large scale on the Western Front in World W...
    • Western Front
    • Siberian Expedition
  • Second World War
    • Battle of Hong KongBattle of Hong Kong

      The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II....
    • Dieppe RaidDieppe Raid

      The Dieppe Raid, also known as The Battle of Dieppe or Operation Jubilee, during World War II, was an Allied att...
    • Sicily and ItalyBattle of Italy

      The Battle of Italy can refer to:...
    • Battle of OrtonaBattle of Ortona

      The Battle of Ortona was a small yet extremely fierce battle fought between German Fallschirmjger, and assaulting Canadians ...
    • Northwest Europe
      • Juno BeachJuno Beach

        Juno Beach was one of the landing sites for Allied invaders on the coast of Normandy during D-Day, the invasion of Normandy ...
      • Operation Market GardenOperation Market Garden

        Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation in World War II....
      • Battle of NormandyBattle of Normandy

        The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between Nazi Germany in Western Europe and the invading Allied forces as part of ...
      • Battle of the ScheldtBattle of the Scheldt

        The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations which took place in northern Belgium and south-western Netherl...
      • RhinelandRhineland

        The Rhineland is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany....
      • Battle of GroningenBattle of Groningen

        The Battle of Groningen took place during the final month of the Second World War, from April 13th to April 16th 1945 in the...
  • Korean WarKorean War

    The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and ended with a truce on July 27, 1953 ....
  • Gulf WarGulf War

    The Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of approximately 20 nations led by the United States and mand...
  • War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
    • Operation AnacondaOperation Anaconda

      In early March 2002 the United States military, along with allied Afghan military forces, conducted a large operation to destroy a...
    • Operation ApolloOperation APOLLO

      Operation APOLLO was the codename for an operation conducted by Canadian Forces in support of the United States in its milit...
    • Operation Mountain ThrustFacts About Operation Mountain Thrust

      Operation Mountain Thrust is a US-led operation in the Afghanistan campaign, with more then 2,300 U.S....
    • Operation MedusaOperation Medusa

      Operation Medusa was an offensive by major elements of the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan National Army....
    • Battle of PanjwaiiBattle of Panjwaii

      The Battle of Panjwaii was a battle fought during two periods in the summer of 2006, primarily involving Canadian and Afghan...
    • Operation Falcon's SummitOperation Falcon Summit

      Operation Falcon Summit was a Canadian-led operation in the Battle of Panjwaii and on a larger scale, the 2001-present War ...
    • Siege of SanginSiege of Sangin

      The Siege of Sangin lasted between June 2006 and April 2007, during which time Taliban insurgents besieged the district cent...
    • Operation AchillesOperation Achilles

      Operation Achilles was a NATO operation, part of the War in Afghanistan war in Afghanistan....
    • Operation HooverOperation Hoover

      Operation Hoover was a Canadian-led offensive against the Taliban in the Kandahar Province district of Zhari....


Publications

  • Canadian Military Journal: http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca
  • Canadian Army Journal: http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/caj/

See also

  • History of the Canadian ArmyHistory of the Canadian Army

    The Canadian Army as such only existed under that name from November 1940 to February 1968....
  • Canadian ForcesCanadian Forces

    The Canadian Forces , abbreviated as CF are the combined armed forces of Canada....
  • Canadian Special Operations Forces CommandCanadian Special Operations Forces Command

    Canadian Special Operations Forces Command is responsible for all special forces operations that will be capable of respondi...
  • Regimental nicknames of the Canadian ForcesFacts About Regimental nicknames of the Canadian Forces

    Many regiments have over the years earned nicknames; some laudatory, some derogatory, but all colourful....
  • army.caArmy.ca

    Army.ca is an online database of information about the Canadian Army....
  • Intelligence Branch (Canadian Forces)Intelligence Branch (Canadian Forces)

    The Intelligence Branch is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces....
  • Permanent Active MilitiaPermanent Active Militia

    The Permanent Active Militia was the proper name of Canada's full-time professional land forces from the 1800s to 1940 when ...
  • Non-Permanent Active MilitiaNon-Permanent Active Militia

    The Non-Permanent Active Militia was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from the time of Confederation ...


External links

  • - Official website of the Canadian Army
  • - Army.caArmy.ca

    Army.ca is an online database of information about the Canadian Army....
     a web forum and interactive wiki dealing with both current and historical issues related to the Canadian Army.
  • by J.R. Grodzinski