Marivic Alves; Block 1-4

WWII Historical Significance Activity

The D-Day invasion of the beaches in Normandy, France was the most
historically significant event of World War II. Canadians took part as the first wave
of the attack; they had to progress past the Germans concrete barriers, the barbed
wire and other obstructions. Their aim was to make their way inshore. With the
stormy weather being a factor in the Germans unpreparedness for the attack, the
Allies battled hard to proceed through the land. This event satisfied Canadians
interests for a successful attack against the German forces, as it was the largest
battle that the Allies had won. D-Day had a profound impact as it opened up another
front for Germany to focus its attacks, leading to its downfall and victory for the
Allies. Without D-Day having been so successful, Germany would have been able to
fight the Soviet Union to a greater extent, possibly eliminating the Soviets from
further participating in the war and being unable to aid the Allies. D-Day had an
extensive impact not only on Canadian soldiers, but American and British soldiers as
well and the countries of France, Belgium and Germany. This event had a lasting
impact on Canada since the casualty rate was moderately high, but lower than
expected. This meant that Canada had more able soldiers than anticipated, allowing
it to perform better in the war and have more war veterans when the conflict ended.
Also, this event forced Germany into smaller territory and, eventually, back into its
own country. France and Belgium were liberated from German forces, freeing their
people and bringing peace back. Germany s territory decreased, signaling the
beginning of the end of the war. If D-Day wasnt as rehearsed and planned as it was,
Germany would still have been territorially in control of France and Belgium and
placing fear in their citizens. And, to this day, the countries of France and Belgium
are free from the German forces as a result of the D-Day invasion. The Fall of Hong
Kong was not as historically significant because Canada did not win against Japan.
Its only importance was the fact that it was the first battle that Canadian soldiers
participated in and that all the soldiers were either killed or taken prisoner, facts
that arent as profound in impact as D-Day. With the Dieppe raid being a failure and
many Canadian soldiers having been killed, it was not as historically significant. Its
only purpose was to serve as a trial run and enable the Allies to organize an invasion
based on what was learned from Dieppe. Though the Battle of the Atlantic allowed
Britain to fight alongside Canada, USA and the Soviet Union, it did not have a
widespread impact. It only affected Britain as it depended entirely on food and
supplies from Canada and the United States. The RCAFs bombing of Germany did
not have a long-lasting impact as the RCAF only lost members, but did not prevent
Germany from supplying its soldiers in the war. Also, the Italian Campaign only
impacted Italians and Canadian soldiers, compared to D-Day where many were
affected. And while Canadians were hailed as heroes for liberating Holland from
German forces, its impact was not as profound as that of the D-Day invasion that
severely impaired Germany from effectively fighting with the opening of two fronts.