The First Canadian Army (french: 1^reArmée canadienne) was a

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, Air army, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, ...

and a formation of the Canadian Army in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in which most

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

from July 1944 until May 1945. The army was formed in early 1942, replacing the existing unnumbered Canadian Corps, 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

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 first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

. By the end of 1943 Canadian formations consisted of three

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

divisions, two armoured divisions and two independent armoured

brigade A brigade is a major tactical 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 a division. ...

s. The first commander was Lieutenant-General A. G. L. "Andy" McNaughton, who was replaced in 1944 by

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

H. D. G. "Harry" Crerar. Both had been senior Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery officers in the Canadian Corps in the Great War. 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 Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, 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 Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

'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 The 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div; french: 2e Division du Canada) is a formation of the Canadian Army in the province of Quebec, Canada. The present command was created 2013 when Land Force Quebec Area was re-designated. The main unit housed ...

led the ill-fated Dieppe Raid in 1942. Aside from this endeavour, the 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, 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, and

5th Canadian Armoured Division Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

were detached from the Army for participation in the Italian Campaign. In early 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and

2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade The 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade of the Canadian Army that saw active service during World War II. The brigade was composed of the 6th, 10th and 27th Canadian Armoured regiments and saw service in northwest Europe, lan ...

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 23 July 1944 just prior to 4th Canadian Armoured Division arriving on the Continent. 1st Canadian generals

The Army proper first went into action in the Battle of Normandy and conducted operations at

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebec ...

(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 Canadian and Polish troops, supported by a British tank brigade, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II. The operation was to capture the tactically important French town of Fala ...

) and helping close the Falaise pocket. After reaching the Seine, the objective of the first phase of Operation Overlord, the Army moved along the coast towards

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, with the Canadian 2nd Division entering Dieppe 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 led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Alli ...

along with the supporting

Operation Pheasant Operation Pheasant, also known as the Liberation of North Brabant, was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. This offensi ...

in October and early November, opening

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

for Allied shipping. The First Canadian Army held a static line along the

river Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

(Maas) from December through February, then launched Operation Veritable in early February. By this point the Army, besides the II Canadian Corps, contained nine British divisions. The

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall'', was a German defensive line built during the 1930s (started 1936) opposite the French Maginot Line. It stretched more than ; from Kleve on the border with the Netherlands, along the we ...

was broken and the Army reached the banks of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

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

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

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 Army during

Operation Goldflake Operation Goldflake was the administrative move of I Canadian Corps (in essence, 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 figh ...

and for the first time, both the

I Canadian Corps I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War. History From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I ...

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

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 The Polish 1st Armoured Division ( Polish ''1 Dywizja Pancerna'') was an armoured division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. Created in February 1942 at Duns in Scotland, it was commanded by Major General Stanisła ...

, as well as, at various times, the American 104th Infantry Division (Timberwolf), 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade,

Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, later known as the Princess Irene Brigade ( nl, Prinses Irene Brigade) was a Dutch military unit initially formed from approximately 1,500 troops, including a small gr ...

and

1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade The 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group ( cs, Československá samostatná obrněná brigáda, Slovak: Československá samostatná obrnená brigáda) was an armoured unit of expatriate Czechoslovaks organised and equipped by the ...

. 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. 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 The Royal Montreal Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Westmount, Quebec. It is part of the 2nd Canadian Division's 34 Canadian Brigade Group. Lineage File:RMR Colour.jpg, The regimental colour of Th ...

***No. 1 Army Headquarters Car Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) **

Royal Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/ The ...

***

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 The 7th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, was one of six Canadian medium regiments that saw service in Britain and continental Europe in the Second World War, the others being the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Medium Regiments. (There ...

**** 10th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery ****

15th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious ...

, (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) Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

, Canadian Armoured Corps (CAC) **1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment, CAC **No. 6

Casualty Clearing Station In the British Army and other Commonwealth militaries, a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) is a military medical facility behind the front lines that is used to treat wounded soldiers. A CCS would usually be located just beyond the range of enemy ...

, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (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 ***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 The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) (french: links=no, Corps du génie électrique et mécanique royal canadien) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CF) that provides army engineering maintenance ...

**No. 11 Provost Company,

Canadian Provost Corps The Canadian Provost Corps (C Pro C) was the military police corps of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Provost Corps was authorized on 15 June 1940. The Canadian Provost Corps was amalgamated with the police forces of the Royal Canadian Navy and ...

**No. 1 Canadian Forestry Group,

Canadian Forestry Corps The Canadian Forestry Corps (''Corps forestier canadien'' in French) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army with its own cap badge, and other insignia and traditions. The Canadian Forestry Corps was created 14 Nov 1916. The badge of th ...

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

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

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Force ...

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

1st Canadian Infantry Division (in Italy from July 1943 to February 1945) *** 5 Canadian Armoured Division patch

***

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 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 Infantry Division, it was initially composed of ...

***

3rd Canadian Infantry Division Patch (Modern Correct Pantone)

3rd Canadian Infantry Division *** 4 Canadian Armoured Division patch

4th Canadian Armoured Division ***

2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade formation patch

***

Polish 1st Armoured Division The Polish 1st Armoured Division ( Polish ''1 Dywizja Pancerna'') was an armoured division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. Created in February 1942 at Duns in Scotland, it was commanded by Major General Stanisła ...

***

15th (Scottish) Infantry Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served during the Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Territorial Army (TA) and served i ...

(January to March, 1945) *** 2nd Corps Defence Company (The Prince Edward Island Light Horse) ***Other Corps Troops ** I_Corps

I British Corps I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

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

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other being ...

(to 3 September 1944) **** Armée secrète

1st Belgian Infantry Brigade (August 10, 1944 to September 10, 1944) *** 49th Inf Brigade (Logo Polar Bears)

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division *** 51 inf div -vector

51st (Highland) Infantry Division (to 19 December 1944) *** British 33rd Armoured Brigade - Tactical Formation Sign

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

104th Infantry Division (United States) (mid October to early November, 1944) ** XXX Corps 1944-1945 shoulder flash

XXX British Corps (January to March, 1945 for Operation Veritable) *** Guards_armoured

Guards Armoured Division *** 43 inf div -vector

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

52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowl ...

***

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 service ...

***

elements of 79th Armoured Division *** 4th Mechanized

4th Armoured Brigade *** 6 armd brig -vector

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 1944 to 7 November 1944)

References

External links