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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 40 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Canadian Military
Juno. All landings on D-day were highly successful, except the US landing at Omaha beach. 3000 casualties were expected for Canadians on Juno beach, but only 1500 resulted (still plenty). Within 3 hours of the landing at Normandy, Canadians managed to get off the beach and into the countryside. By the end of the day the Regina Rifle Regiment and the Queen's Own Rifles were further inland than any other Allies.
| Two Canadian squadrons, the 242 RCAF and 401 RCAF, were involved in the Battle of Britain. What was the name of the German operation to invade Great Britain? | Canadian Military History
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Operation Sealion . The invasion of Britain by Germany could only have occurred if the English Channel could be commanded by Germans. However, the British Navy was too strong, so Germany decided to attack Britain from the air. The Battle of Britain was won by Britain through the use of radar, 30,000 civilian observers, and an extremely sophisticated, well co-ordinated British airforce response system.
| May 1917 saw the introduction of conscription in Canada. What is the name of this piece of legislation? | Canadian Military History
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Military Service Act. The Military Service Act caused riots in Montreal. Draft exemptions included married men, religious objectors, and those involved in essential economic activities. By the end of WWI 100,000 men were drafted but only 24,000 made it to the trenches (draft-dodging was rampant).
Ypres. The 1st Canadian Division was assigned a sector at Ypres. The battle began on April 22, 1915. Coinciding with Canada's first battle in the war was Germany's first use of gas. The chlorine gas set off by German troops wiped out most of the French portion of the line. Canadian troops pushed in and closed the gap of almost 6 km left by the fleeing French troops, thereby saving the Ypres salient.
| The infamous Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defense under PM Borden, introduced what weapon into the Canadian military (with disastrous consequences for Canadian soldiers during WWI)? | Canadian Military History
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Ross rifle. The Ross rifle was very accurate, however it was extremely fragile and poorly made. The straight-pull bolt was delicate, and any grime or dust that got into it caused jamming. Dirt and dust were impossible to avoid in the trenches. Eventually the Ross rifle was pulled and replaced with British Lee-Enfield rifles, the same ones issued to the British troops.
1885. The Riel Rebellion in 1885 is both politically and militarily important to Canada's history because it was the first Canadian military engagement with no British help.
Canada. Fighting occured in the northern US, and even New Orleans. However, the majority of fighting was on Canadian soil, and plenty of action occurred on the Great Lakes. Of course ... the winner was Great Britain.
| In the 1650s, the 5 Nations Iroquois group went on the offensive, raiding French settlements. The type of warfare used by the Native groups was called what by the French? | Canadian Military History
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la petite guerre. La petite guerre, or guerilla warfare, involved the use of small raiding parties rather than large-scale armies. The French adopted these strategies themselves, finding them extremely effective in the dense forest surrounding the settlements in New France.
| In 1608 Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec. This strategic location controlled the St. Lawrence seaway. At the time of Champlain's arrival, conflict between what two Native groups was occurring in the area? | Canadian Military History
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Algonkians and Iroquois. Champlain was interested in trade, so he formed an alliance with the Algonkian speakers on the north side of the St. Lawrence. The Algonkians, in return, asked for French assistance in their war with the Iroquois on the south side of the river.
revenge. Iroquois went to war to avenge a death (eye-for-an-eye). Slaves were often taken to replace the lost members of the group. Once Europeans arrived on the scene, the patterns of, and reasons for, native wars changed. Native groups were recruited by the French and English to fight in European battles, guns and horses changed inter-native wars, and there were many Native and European wars (although more prevalent in the US than Canada).
| In the non-commissioned ranks, above the rank of Sergeant/Petty Officer 2nd Class, chevrons are no longer used to denote rank. The Queen's crown is used to represent a Warrant Officer/Petty Officer 1st Class, and the crown in a laurel wreath for Master Warrant Officer/Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class. What is used for Chief Warrant Officer/Chief Petty Officer 1st Class? | Canadian Military Ranks
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The Canadian Coat of Arms. An armorial description of Canada's Coat of Arms may be found at http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/arm1_e.cfm
Corporal. Bombadier is abbreviated (Bdr).
Gunner. Kind of appropriate, wouldn't you say? Gunner is abbreviated (Gnr).
| Occasionally, the soldiers of a specific trade are allowed a different name for a given rank. What are Privates in an Armoured regiment called? | Canadian Military Ranks
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Trooper. Trooper is abbreviated (Tpr).
Commander. Capitaine de vaisseau (Captv) = Captain(N) (Capt(N)),
Capitaine de frégate (Captf) = Commander (Cdr),
Capitaine de corvette (Captc) = Lieutenant-Commander (LCdr),
Lieutenant de vaisseau (Ltv) = Lieutenant(N) (Lt(N)).
Leading Seaman. Private recruit (Pte(R)) = Ordinary Seaman (OS),
Private trained (Pte(T)) - Able Seaman (AB),
Corporal (Cpl) = Leading Seaman (LS),
Master Corporal (MCpl) = Master Seaman (MS).
Ordinary Seaman. Matelot de troisième classe (Mat3) = Ordinary Seaman (OS),
Matelot de deuxième classe (Mat2) = Able Seaman (AB),
Matelot de première classe (Mat1) = Leading Seaman (LS),
Matelot-chef (Matc) = Master Seaman (MS).
Brigadier-General. The following Flag/General officers are ordered in rank from lowest to highest:
Commodore (Cmdre) = Brigadier-General (BGen),
Rear-Admiral (RAdm) = Major-General (MGen),
Vice-Admiral (VAdm) = Lieutenant-General (LGen),
Admiral (Adm) = General (Gen).
Master Warrant Officer. Warrant Officer (WO) = Adjudant (Adj),
Master Warrant Officer (MWO) = Adjudant-maître (Adjum),
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) = Adjudant-chef (Adjuc),
Master Sergeant is not a rank in the Canadian military.
Petty Officer 2nd class. There are actually only two classes of Petty Officer: Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1) is equivalent to the rank of Warrant Officer (WO), while Petty Officer 2nd Class (PO2) is the same as Sergeant (Sgt). Generally, both ranks are simply referred to as "PO" when addressing them.
C7A2. The C7 is a redesigned M16 with all the bad parts taken out or improved. Better gas regulator, fully auto and collapsable stock to list a few.
| The military likes its beer. Who was awarded the contract to supply troops in India with booze? | Canadian Military
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Alexander Keith. Alexander Keith figured out how to keep the bubbles in his ale during the long voyage to India. Thus... India Pale Ale
| Which fighter/interceptor was scrapped by the Diefenbaker government? | Canadian Military
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Avro Arrow. The Avro Arrow was far ahead of its time but was sadly scrapped, ostensibly for budget reasons, in 1959. It is said that the real reason was political i.e. pressure from the Americans.
Halifax. Also the Capital of Nova Scotia, it was founded by the British and made famous by Alexander Keith.
| Where did the Canadian Corps fight as one formation for the first time? | Canadian Military
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Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge, which occurred during the First World War, is a defining point in Canadian History. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Divisions met in the middle and crushed the Germans on the ridge. The British and French armies were unable to drive the Germans out after months of fighting and the Canadians pushed out the enemy in four days of intense fighting and artillery fire.
2 PPCLI. The 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was awarded the citation during the Korean conflict.
Chief of Defence Staff. The CDS is the only 4-star (actually maple leafs - of course!) general in the forces.
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