The First Canadian Army () was a

field army A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air army, Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and ...

and a formation of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in which most Canadian elements serving in

North-West Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The term is used in geographic, history, and military contexts. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northwestern ...

were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 until May 1945. It was Canada's first and, so far, only field army. The army was formed in early 1942, replacing the existing unnumbered

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 19 ...

, as the growing contribution of Canadian forces to serve with the British Army in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

necessitated an expansion to two

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

. By the end of 1943 Canadian formations consisted of three

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

divisions, two armoured divisions and two independent armoured

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s. The first commander was

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

A. G. L. "Andy" McNaughton, who was replaced in 1944 by

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

H. D. G. "Harry" Crerar. Both had been senior Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery officers in the

in World War I. Allied formations of other nationalities were added to the First Canadian Army to keep it at full strength.Harris, Stephen
"First Canadian Army"
The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation. Retrieved on: 2011-12-23 The First Canadian Army's strength was 177,000 all ranks at the end of 1942. One year later it had grown to 242,000. On 31 May 1944, shortly before the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

, Canadian troops in Europe numbered 251,000 of which 75,000 had left First Canadian Army to serve on the Italian Front.

History

When the First Canadian Army was formed overseas in 1942, Lieutenant-General

Andrew McNaughton General (Canada), General Andrew George Latta McNaughton (25 February 1887 – 11 July 1966) was a Canadian Electrical engineering, electrical engineer, scientist, army officer, Minister (government), cabinet minister, and diplomat. Before th ...

's aim was to keep Canada's contributions to the British Army together to lead the cross-channel assault on northwest Europe. Two brigades of the 2nd Canadian Division led the ill-fated

Dieppe Raid Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a ...

in 1942. Aside from this endeavour, the field army did not see combat until July 1943. In 1943, because the Canadian government wanted Canadian troops to see action immediately, the

1st Canadian Infantry Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed a ...

, 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, and 5th Canadian Armoured Division were detached from the field army for participation in the Italian Campaign. In early 1944, the

3rd Canadian Infantry Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Northwestern Ontario including the ...

and 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade were also detached to British I Corps to participate in the assault phase of the

. II Canadian Corps became operational in Normandy in early July 1944, as the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division landed. The First Canadian Army headquarters did not itself arrive in Normandy until mid-July, becoming operational on 23 July 1944 just before

4th Canadian Armoured Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

arriving on the Continent. 1st Canadian generals

During

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

, the First Canadian Army was under the control of the British

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established ...

. The Army proper first went into action in the Battle of Normandy and conducted operations at Falaise (e.g.

Operation Totalize Operation Totalize (also spelled Operation Totalise in recent British sources) was an offensive launched by Allied troops in the First Canadian Army during the later stages of Operation Overlord, from 8 to 9 August 1944. The intention was to bre ...

Operation Tractable Operation Tractable was the final attack conducted by Canada in World War II, Canadian and Polish contribution to World War II, Polish troops, supported by a British tank brigade, during the Operation Overlord, Battle of Normandy during World W ...

) and helping close the

Falaise pocket The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket (; 12–21 August 1944) was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, c ...

. After reaching the Seine, the objective of the first phase of Operation Overlord, the field army moved along the coast towards

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, with the Canadian 2nd Division entering

Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...

at the beginning of September. The First Army, under acting command of Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds (from 28 September 1944 to 7 November 1944), fought the critical

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations to open up the Scheldt river between Antwerp and the North Sea for shipping, so that Antwerp's port could be used to supply the Allies in north-west Europe. The oper ...

along with the supporting Operation Pheasant in October and early November, opening

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

for Allied shipping. The First Canadian Army held a static line along the river Meuse (Maas) from December through February, then launched

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allies of World War II, Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the World War II, Second ...

in early February. By this point, the field army, besides the II Canadian Corps, contained nine British divisions. The

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall (= western bulwark)'', was a German defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than from Kleve on the border with the ...

was broken and the field army reached the banks of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

in early March. In the final weeks of the war in Europe, the First Army cleared the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

of German forces. By this time the First Division and Fifth (Armoured) Division as well as First Armoured Brigade and the 1st Cdn AGRA had returned to the field army during

Operation Goldflake Operation Goldflake was the administrative move of I Canadian Corps (in essence, almost all Canadian combatant units) and the British 5th Infantry Division from Italy to Northwestern Europe during the Second World War. British-led forces had been ...

, and for the first time, both the I 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 for the British Army 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 Corps, and the 1st Polish Armoured Division, as well as, at various times, the American 104th Infantry Division (Timberwolf), 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade, Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade and

1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade The 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group () was an armoured unit of expatriate Czechoslovaks organised and equipped by the United Kingdom during the Second World War in 1943. The brigade landed in Normandy in August 1944 and was gi ...

. 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. The 'Maple Leaf Route' was the designation of the army's

main supply route A main supply route (MSR) is the route or routes designated within an area of operations upon which the bulk of traffic flows in support of military operations and humanitarian operations. MSR is a term that is also used in insurgency and irregul ...

. The route was usually divided into Maple Leaf Up and Maple Leaf Down, designating traffic to and away from the front, respectively.

Order of battle

Second World War 1939–1945 * First Canadian Army formation patch

First Canadian Army **Headquarters ***First Canadian Army Defence Battalion - Lorne Scots (until April 1944) & Royal Montreal Regiment ***No. 1 Army Headquarters Car Company,

Royal Canadian Army Service Corps The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) was an administrative and transport corps of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Army Service Corps was established in the Non-Permanent Active Militia in 1901 and in the Permanent Active Militia in 19 ...

(RCASC) **

Royal Canadian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery () is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Army. History Many of the units and batteries of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery are older than the Dominion of Canada itself. The first arti ...

***

Royal Canadian Artillery FCA formation patch

No. 1 Army Group, R.C.A.(1st Cdn AGRA) ****11th Army Field Regiment **** 1st Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery **** 2nd Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery **** 5th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery **** 56th Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery (from Mar 1945) *** Royal Canadian Artillery FCA formation patch

No. 2 Army Group, R.C.A.(2nd Cdn AGRA) ****19th Army Field Regiment **** 3rd Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery **** 4th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery **** 7th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery **** 10th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery **** 15th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery, (disb Dec 44) **** 1st Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery ****2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Mobile) ****1st Rocket Battery ****1st Radar Battery **"F" Squadron, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment), Canadian Armoured Corps (CAC) ** 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron, CAC (August to October 1944) **No. 6 Casualty Clearing Station,

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. History The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (oth ...

(RCAMC) **Nos. 4, 5, 6 & 7 Field Transfusion Units, RCAMC **Nos. 9, 10 & 11 Field Dressing Stations, RCAMC **No. 14 Field Hygiene Section, RCAMC **units of the Canadian Dental Corps (CDC) **Nos. 81 & 82 Artillery Companies, RCASC **Nos. 35 & 36 Army Troops Composite Companies, RCASC **Nos. 41, 45, 47, 63 & 64 Army Transport Companies, RCASC **Nos. 1 & 2 Motor Ambulance Convoys, RCASC ** Royal Canadian Engineers First Cdn Army formation patch

Royal Canadian Engineers First Cdn Army formation patch

Royal Canadian Engineers The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; ) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE; ). The mission of the Canadia ...

***First Canadian Army Troops Engineers ****10th Field Park Company ****5th, 20th & 23rd Field Companies ***2nd Canadian Army Troops Engineers ****11th Field Park Company ****32nd, 33rd & 34th Field Companies ***No. 1 Workshop and Park Company ***1st Field (Air) Survey Company ***2nd Field Survey Company ***3rd Field (Reproduction) Company **First Army Signals, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS) **1st Air Support Signals Unit **Nos. 1, 2 & 3 Special Wireless Sections **First Army Troops Workshop, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers **No. 11 Provost Company, Canadian Provost Corps **No. 1 Canadian Forestry Group,

Canadian Forestry Corps The Canadian Forestry Corps () was an Corps#Administrative, administrative corps of the Canadian Army with its own cap badge and other insignia and traditions. The Canadian Forestry Corps was created 14 November 1916. The badge of the Canadian ...

**No. 1 Army Base Post Office, Canadian Postal Corps ** I Canadian Corps formation patch

I Canadian Corps (April 1942 to November 1943; February to July 1945) ***(attached to the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was a field army of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed as the Western Army on 10 September 1941, in Egypt, before being renamed the Army of the Nile and then the Eighth Army on 26 September. It was cr ...

in Italy from November 1943 to February 1945) *** 1 Canadian Infantry Division patch

(in Italy from July 1943 to February 1945) *** 5 Canadian Armoured Division patch

5th Canadian Armoured Division ***

1st Canadian Armoured Brigade formation patch

1st Canadian Armoured Brigade *** 1st Corps Defence Company (Lorne Scots) ***Other Corps Troops ** II Canadian Corps formation patch

II Canadian Corps (January 15, 1943, to June 25, 1945) *** 2nd Canadian Division formation patch

2nd Canadian Infantry Division The 2nd Canadian Division, an infantry Division (military), division of the Canadian Army, was mobilized for war service on 1September 1939 at the outset of World War II. Adopting the designation of the 2nd Canadian Division, it was initially c ...

***

2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade formation patch

2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade *** Polish 1st Armoured Division *** 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (January to March, 1945) *** 2nd Corps Defence Company (The Prince Edward Island Light Horse) ***Other Corps Troops ** I_Corps

I British Corps (August 1, 1944, to April 1, 1945) *** UK 6th Airborne Division Patch

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who m ...

(to 3 September 1944) **** 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade (August 10 to September 10, 1944) *** 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division *** 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (to 19 December 1944) *** British 33rd Armoured Brigade - Tactical Formation Sign

British 33rd Armoured Brigade - Tactical Formation Sign

33rd Armoured Brigade (to September 1944) *** 104TrngDivLdrTrngSSI

104th Infantry Division (United States) The 104th Infantry Division was an infantry division (military), division of the United States Army. Today, it is known as the 104th Training Division (Leader Training) and based at Fort Lewis (Washington), Fort Lewis, Washington, as a trainin ...

(mid October to early November, 1944) ** XXX Corps 1944-1945 shoulder flash

XXX British Corps (January to March, 1945 for

) ***

Guards Armoured Division *** 43 inf div -vector

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division *** 52 inf div -vector

52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division *** 53 inf div -vector

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw servic ...

***

elements of

79th Armoured Division The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Major-General Percy ...

***

4th Armoured Brigade *** 6th Guards Armoured Brigade ***

8th Armoured Brigade *** 34th_armoured_brigade

34th Armoured Brigade

Commanders

(Commander, early 1942 – 21 December 1943) * Kenneth Stuart (Acting Commander, 21 December 1943 – 20 March 1944) * Harry Crerar (Commander, 20 March 1944 – summer 1945) * Guy Simonds (Acting Commander from 28 September to 7 November 1944)

References

External links