The
First Canadian Army was the senior Canadian operational formation in Europe during the Second World War.
The Army was formed in early 1942, replacing the existing unnumbered
Canadian CorpsThe unnumbered Canadian Corps was the first corps-level military formation established by the Canadian Army during World War II. A four-division Canadian Corps had existed during the First World War...
, as the growing number of Canadian forces in the United Kingdom necessitated an expansion to two
corpsA Corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
. By the end of 1943 Canadian formations in the UK consisted of three infantry divisions, two armoured divisions, and two independent armoured brigades.
The
First Canadian Army was the senior Canadian operational formation in Europe during the Second World War.
The Army was formed in early 1942, replacing the existing unnumbered
Canadian CorpsThe unnumbered Canadian Corps was the first corps-level military formation established by the Canadian Army during World War II. A four-division Canadian Corps had existed during the First World War...
, as the growing number of Canadian forces in the United Kingdom necessitated an expansion to two
corpsA Corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
. By the end of 1943 Canadian formations in the UK consisted of three infantry divisions, two armoured divisions, and two independent armoured brigades. The first commander was General
A.G.L. "Andy" McNaughtonGeneral Andrew George Latta McNaughton, CH, CB, CMG, DSO, CD, PC was a Canadian army officer, politician and diplomat.- Early life :...
, who was replaced in 1944 by General H. D. G. "Harry" Crerar. Both had been senior artillery officers in the
Canadian CorpsFor other uses of Canadian Corps, see Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December...
in the First World War.
Two brigades of the 2nd Division led the ill-fated
Dieppe RaidThe Dieppe Raid, also known as The Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM in the morning and by 9:00 AM...
in 1942. Aside from this endeavour, the Army did not see combat until July 1943. In 1943, the
1st Canadian Infantry DivisionThe 1st Canadian Infantry Division was a formation mobilized on 1 September, 1939 for service in the Second World War. The division was also reactivated twice during the Cold War....
,
1st Canadian Armoured BrigadeThe 1st Canadian Tank Brigade was formed on 4 February 1941. The Ontario Regiment and The Three Rivers Regiment were transferred from the incomplete 1st Canadian Armoured Division to provide the nucleus of 1st Canadian Tank Brigade in February 1941. In March, The Calgary Regiment joined the new...
, and
5th Canadian (Armoured) Division5th Canadian Division was a Canadian division during World War II. Following its redesignation from '1st Canadian Armoured Division', the bulk proceeded overseas in one main convoy, arriving in the UK at the end of November 1941....
were detached from the Army for participation in the
Italian CampaignThe Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the invasion of...
. In early 1944, the
3rd Canadian Infantry Division- History :The formation of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division was authorized on 17 May 1940. There was then a considerable delay until the brigade and divisional headquarters were formed on September 5, and the first divisional commander was appointed on October 26.While the division’s components...
and 2nd Armoured Brigade were also detached to
British I CorpsI Corps was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in World War I until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps...
to participate in the assault phase of the Normandy landings.
II Canadian CorpsII Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I Corps and I Canadian Corps , comprised the First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe during World War II.Authorization for the formation of the Corps headquarters became effective in England on...
became operational in Normandy in early July 1944, as the
2nd Canadian Infantry DivisionThe 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the First Canadian Army, mobilized on 1 September 1939 during the Second World War. Initially composed of volunteers within brigades established along regional lines, a halt in recruitment in the early months of the war caused a delay...
landed. The First Canadian Army headquarters did not itself arrive in Normandy until mid-July, becoming operational 23 July 1944 just prior to
4th Canadian (Armoured) DivisionThe 4th Canadian Division was created by conversion of 4th Canadian Infantry Division at the beginning of 1942 in Canada. The division proceeded overseas in 1942, with its two main convoys reaching the United Kingdom in August and October....
arriving on the Continent.
The Army proper first went into action in the
Battle of NormandyOperation Overlord was the code name for the invasion of western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation began on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy Landings when an airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault...
and conducted operations at
FalaiseFalaise is the name of several communes in France:* Falaise, Ardennes,* Falaise, Calvados** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War.* La Falaise, in the Yvelines département* An escarpment in Quebec City...
(e.g. Operation Totalize,
Operation TractableOperation Tractable was the final Canadian–Polish offensive to take place during the Battle of Normandy. Its aim was to capture the strategically important town of Falaise and subsequently the towns of Trun and Chambois...
) and helping close the
Falaise pocketThe battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12–21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
. After reaching the Seine, the objective of the first phase of Operation Overlord, the Army moved along the coast towards
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, with the Canadian 2nd Division entering Dieppe at the beginning of September. The critical
Battle of the ScheldtThe Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations of the First Canadian Army, led by Lieutenant General Guy Simonds. The battle took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands during World War II from October 2, 1944 to November 8, 1944By September, 1944, it had become...
in October and November opened
Antwerp||-||-||-||}Antwerp is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp province in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions. Antwerp's total population is 472,071 and its total area is , giving a population density of 2,308 inhabitants per km²...
to Allied shipping.
The First Canadian Army held a static line along the river Meuse (Maas) from December through February, then launched
Operation VeritableOperation Veritable was a Second World War pincer movement conducted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group to clear and occupy the land between the Rhine and Maas rivers. It took place between 8 February and 11 March, 1945. It was a part of General Dwight Eisenhower's "broad front"...
in early February, cracking the Siegfried Line and reaching the banks of the
RhineThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
in early March.
In the final weeks of the war in Europe, the First Army cleared the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
of German forces. By this time the First Division and Fifth (Armoured) Division as well as First Armoured Brigade had returned to the Army during
Operation GoldflakeOperation Goldflake was the administrative move of I Canadian Corps from Italy to North-West Europe during the Second World War....
and for the first time, both the
I Canadian CorpsI Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during World War II. From December 24, 1940 until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps...
and II Canadian Corps fought under the same Army commander.
Makeup
The
First Canadian Army was international in character. The size of Canada's military contribution on its own would likely not have justified the creation of a separate army-level command in North-West Europe, especially over the period when I Canadian Corps was away gaining valuable combat experience in Italy. However, both McNaughton and Crerar, backed up by the Canadian government, were successful in their lobbying to create a Canadian-led army enlarged with contributions from other Allied countries. In addition to II Canadian Corps (which included the Canadian formations under command described above), other formations under command included the
British I CorpsI Corps was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in World War I until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps...
, and the 1st Polish Armoured Division, as well as, at various times, American,
BelgianThe Belgian 1st Infantry Brigade, also known by the name of its commander, Jean-Baptiste Piron, as the Brigade Piron, is a unit of Belgium and Luxembourg which participated in the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of Belgium and the Netherlands alongside the Allied armies during the Second...
,
DutchDuring the Second World War the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade was a military unit initially formed from approximately 1500 Dutch troops, including a small group guarding German POWs, who arrived in the United Kingdom in May 1940 following the collapse of the Netherlands...
and Czechoslovak troops. The First Canadian Army in North-West Europe during the final phases of the war comprised the largest field army ever under the control of a Canadian general. Ration strength of the army ranged from approximately 105,000 to 175,000 Canadian soldiers to anywhere from 200,000 to over 450,000 when including the soldiers from other nations.
Order of Battle
- HQ
- First Canadian Army Defence Company (Lorne Scots)
- I Canadian Corps
I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during World War II. From December 24, 1940 until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps...
(attached to the British Eighth Army in Italy from November 1943 to February 1945)
- 1st Canadian Infantry Division
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was a formation mobilized on 1 September, 1939 for service in the Second World War. The division was also reactivated twice during the Cold War....
(in Italy from July 1943 to February 1945)
- 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division
5th Canadian Division was a Canadian division during World War II. Following its redesignation from '1st Canadian Armoured Division', the bulk proceeded overseas in one main convoy, arriving in the UK at the end of November 1941....
- 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade
The 1st Canadian Tank Brigade was formed on 4 February 1941. The Ontario Regiment and The Three Rivers Regiment were transferred from the incomplete 1st Canadian Armoured Division to provide the nucleus of 1st Canadian Tank Brigade in February 1941. In March, The Calgary Regiment joined the new...
- 1st Canadian Corps Defence Company (Lorne Scots)
- II Canadian Corps
II Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I Corps and I Canadian Corps , comprised the First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe during World War II.Authorization for the formation of the Corps headquarters became effective in England on...
(January 15, 1943 to June 25, 1945)
- 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the First Canadian Army, mobilized on 1 September 1939 during the Second World War. Initially composed of volunteers within brigades established along regional lines, a halt in recruitment in the early months of the war caused a delay...
- 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
- History :The formation of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division was authorized on 17 May 1940. There was then a considerable delay until the brigade and divisional headquarters were formed on September 5, and the first divisional commander was appointed on October 26.While the division’s components...
- 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division
The 4th Canadian Division was created by conversion of 4th Canadian Infantry Division at the beginning of 1942 in Canada. The division proceeded overseas in 1942, with its two main convoys reaching the United Kingdom in August and October....
- Polish 1st Armoured Division
The Polish 1st Armoured Division was an Allied military unit during World War II, created in February 1942 at Duns in Scotland. At its peak it numbered approximately 16,000 soldiers...
- 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade
- 2nd Canadian Corps Defence Company (Lorne Scots)
- 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (January to March, 1945)
- I (British) Corps (August 1, 1944 to April 1, 1945)
- 6th Airborne Division (to 3 September 1944)
- 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade
The Belgian 1st Infantry Brigade, also known by the name of its commander, Jean-Baptiste Piron, as the Brigade Piron, is a unit of Belgium and Luxembourg which participated in the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of Belgium and the Netherlands alongside the Allied armies during the Second...
(August 10, 1944 to September 10, 1944)
- 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division
- 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (to 19 December 1944)
- 33rd Armoured Brigade
- Normandy :The 33rd Armoured Brigade was a Second World War British Army independent brigade formed in the UK on 17 March 1944 by re-designating of the 33rd Tank Brigade. The brigade took part in the Normandy campaign and landed on Gold Beach on 6 June 1944...
(to September 1944)
- U.S. 104th "Timberwolf" Infantry Division (mid October to early November, 1944)
- XXX (British) Corps (January to March, 1945 for Operation Veritable
Operation Veritable was a Second World War pincer movement conducted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group to clear and occupy the land between the Rhine and Maas rivers. It took place between 8 February and 11 March, 1945. It was a part of General Dwight Eisenhower's "broad front"...
)
- Guards Armoured Division
- 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
The 43rd Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division first formed in 1908. It was reformed in 1920 as part of the rebuilding of the Territorial Army, and raised a second line duplicate, 45th Division, on the doubling of the Territorial Army in 1939.- History :The Division was a...
- 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division
The 50th Infantry Division was a 1st Line Territorial Army division during the Second World War. The two Ts in its insignia represent the two boundaries to its recruitment area, the rivers Tyne and Tees...
- 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division
- 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division
- elements of 79th Armoured Division
- 4th Armoured Brigade
- 6th Guards Armoured Brigade
The 6th Guards Tank Brigade was formed in 1941 as the 6th Guards Armoured Brigade when Great Britain was under the threat of invasion and more armoured formations were required, permission was granted from King George VI and the Colonels of the Regiments involved and over the summer of 1941, the...
- 8th Armoured Brigade
- 34th Armoured Brigade
Commanders
- Andrew McNaughton
General Andrew George Latta McNaughton, CH, CB, CMG, DSO, CD, PC was a Canadian army officer, politician and diplomat.- Early life :...
(Commander, early 1942 - 21 December 1943)
- Kenneth Stuart
Lieutenant-General Kenneth Stuart CB DSO MC was a Canadian soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Army from 24 December1941 until 27 December1943....
(Acting Commander, 21 December 1943 - 20 March 1944)
- Harry Crerar
General Henry Duncan Graham "Harry" Crerar CH, CB, DSO, KStJ, CD, PC was a Canadian general and the country's "leading field commander" in World War II.-Early years:...
(Commander, 20 March 1944 - summer 1945)
- Guy Simonds
Lieutenant General Guy Granville Simonds, CC, CB, CBE, DSO, CD was a Canadian Army officer who commanded the II Canadian Corps during World War II. He served as acting commander of the First Canadian Army, leading the Allied forces to victory in the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944...
(Acting Commander in 28 September 1944 to 7 November, 1944)
External links