“As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable.” The Royal Canadian Army, which consisted of many brave men, contributed significantly towards the victory of the Allies in World War II. They played the largest role in securing the victory for the Allies, compared to the other roles of Canadians. The Royal Canadian Army consisted of roughly 709,000 men. The army was quickly expanding, and by late 1942, the army had five divisions overseas. The reason for the firm belief that they played the largest role was because they were deployed in every theatre of war, took on the most casualties compared to any other group of Canadians, and had to take on the most dangerous missions. Firstly, the Royal Canadian Army was deployed in every theatre of war, while other Canadians, such as citizens, stayed home and …show more content…
While other Canadian groups, such as citizens, stayed at home contributing to the war effort, the army was deployed in many parts of Europe, fighting against the Germans, who were not only well trained, but also well equipped. Examples of the most dangerous missions they took on would be D-Day and the Dieppe Raid. The Dieppe Raid was a mission that ended up failing due to their loss of element of surprise against the Germans. It ended with many Canadian lives being lost (totalled at 3,367). On D-Day, of the 150,000 Allied troops deployed, about 14,000 were Canadians. They either landed or parachuted into the designated area. They encountered German defences which consisted of artillery, machine guns, mines, and booby-traps, thus they had a high chance of losing their lives. In February 1945, the Canadian First Army took part in pushing the Germans back across the Rhine. In addition, the Royal Canadian Army had to clear coastal areas North of France and capture launch sites of German rockets, in a successful attempt to end the attacks on