Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Canada And The Air Force Wwi And Wwii

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 1 September 1939, with the invasion of Poland by Germany, and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and most of the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth. 2 WWII was not specific to Europe. Other battlefields included Africa and the Asian Pacific.

To fully understand how Canada became involved in WWII, we must remember after WWI Great Britain was winding down control over the colonies. By implementing the Statute of Westminster on 11 December 1931 Canada was granted the freedom to make its own decisions with regards to foreign policy. Because of Canada’s ties with Great Britain, on 10 September 1939 Canada declared war on Germany and on Italy on 11 June 1940 and Japan on 7 December 1941. Analysis During WWI Canada did not have aviation assets; Canadians who chose to fly during the war did so with the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) or the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAF). However, this did not stop Canada from having a role in the training of Air Force personnel. British flying forces viewed Canada as rich for recruiting. Originally recruitment was aimed towards people with a pilot’s license or those willing to attend a civil aviation school at their own expense. However, due to the low output of these private aviation schools and the increased need for pilots, navigators and ground crews, the RFC established flying schools and training location where recruits could learn all the aspects of aerial warfare. Initially these schools were run by the RFC but by the end of the war the majority of instructors and personnel were Canadian.

It should also be noted, when the United States joined the war, an agreement was signed allowing American squadrons to train in Canada during the summer and fall and the RFC to move its training to Texas for the winter. At the outset of WWII Canada and other commonwealth nations (United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia) met in Ottawa on 17 December 1939 to sign the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (B.C.A.T.P.). This agreement set in motion one of Canada’s principal roles during the war; to provide Air Force personnel with the training they needed. Canada established training schools for aerial warfare, ranging from flight training to gunnery and bombing to navigation and communications. The first of these schools were scheduled to be opened at the end of spring in 1940, and all were to be operational within two years.3 In order to achieve the B.C.A.T.P.’s aim, sites had to be selected, infrastructure constructed, equipment acquired; and the recruitment of professionals. Canada showed great success in the training of Air Force personnel, as by the end of 1943 the number of trained aircrews exceeded the immediate overseas need. As we have discussed, while Canada had an important role in the training of Air Force personnel in WWI, with its role increasing in WWII. Since Canada did not have an Air Force during WWI, there was a lack of knowledge and resources available to train Air Force personnel, therefore when Canada got involved in the training of Air Force personnel she had to rely on the expertise of the RFC to train Canada in aerial warfare.

As a result of the lessons learned during WWI, Canada took control and was quick to putinplace the requirements of the B.C.A.P.T. for training Air Force personnel in the different facets of aerial warfare. This is clearly indicated by comparing the number of Air Force personnel trained in Canada during both world wars. Canada only able to train 3,135 Canadian pilots and 137 Canadian observers during WWI, whereas during WWII the number of multinational Air Force personnel trained during WWII was 131,553 aircrew, including almost 50,000 pilots, 18,500 wireless operator-air gunners and 15,900 navigators4. excellent Conclusion Canada did not officially establish its own Air Force until after the end of WWI. However in WWI and WWII Canada was instrumental in training of Air Force personnel. Canada was in a position where there were no direct threat to its borders; it was able to provide support in ways that could not have been imagined by other nations. Canada was a steadfast contributor to the training of Air Force Personnel. Without Canada’s willingness to commit resources into the training of pilots and other air crew the wars’ may have ended differently. In the end it can safely be said, Canada trained the world to fly in combat!