Atlantic Command was a formation of the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) 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 acr ...
created during the
Second World War
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 ...
to strengthen and administer home defence facilities on Canada's Atlantic Coast.
A second major function was to train reinforcements to be sent to
the
Canadian divisions in Europe. Most of those soldiers received and
trained with their personal weapons in
Camp Debert
Canadian Forces Station Debert (also CFS Debert) was a Canadian Forces station located in Debert, Nova Scotia. It was most recently used during the Cold War as a communications facility and was home to a " Regional Emergency Government Headquart ...
before being
transported by train to
Halifax where they embarked on
troop ships that took them to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
.
Atlantic Command combined the pre-war
Military District No. 6 (
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
and
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native En ...
) with Military District No. 7 (
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...
) and
Military District No. 5 (the eastern part of the Province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
bordering the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
, image = Baie de la Tour.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Gulf of St. Lawrence from Anticosti National Park, Quebec
, image_bathymetry = Golfe Saint-Laurent Depths fr.svg
, alt_bathymetry = Bathymetry ...
).
Extending the existing military cooperation among Canada, the
Dominion of Newfoundland
Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was established on 26 September 1907, and confirmed by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Wes ...
and 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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, Atlantic Command also controlled Canadian personnel stationed in Newfoundland.
Composition
*Halifax Fortress
**
1st (Halifax) Coast Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA)
The 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, is a Canadian Army reserve artillery regiment. It is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at 73 Hobson Lake Drive. The unit consists of two batteries, 51st and 84th Field Batteries (87th Fiel ...
**21st Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA
**
Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment german: Ich Dien, lit=I serve la, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit, lit=No one provokes me with impunity
, march = Quick: " The Highland Laddie"
, battles = Fenian RaidsFirst World WarSecond World War
, battl ...
**2nd Battalion,
Black Watch (R.H.R.) of Canada (attached from 7th Cdn Inf Div)
*
Saint John Defences
**
3rd (New Brunswick) Coast Regiment, RCA
The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA () is a Canadian Army Reserve artillery regiment based in Saint John, New Brunswick. It is part of the 5th Canadian Division's 37 Canadian Brigade Group.
The Loyal Company of Artillery of the City of Sain ...
**22nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA
**
Le Régiment de Chateauguay (Militia)
**
Prince Edward Island Highlanders
*
Sydney and
Canso Defences
**16th Coast Regiment, RCA
**23rd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA
**
Les Fusiliers du St. Laurent (less two companies)
**
2nd/10th Dragoons
The 2nd/10th Dragoons (short-form: 2/10 D) (in its last incarnation, the 57th Field Artillery Regiment nd/10th Dragoons Royal Canadian Artillery or 57 FD REGT RCA) was a militia regiment of the Canadian Army, based in the Niagara, Wentworth, an ...
C.I.C (attached from 7th Cdn Inf Div)
*
Shelburne Defences
**104th Coast Battery, RCA
**One company of Les Fusiliers du St. Laurent
*
Gaspé Defences
**105th Coast Battery, RCA
**One company of Les Fusiliers du St. Laurent
*
Goose Bay Defences
**108th Coast Battery, RCA
**
New Brunswick Rangers
*Newfoundland (based in
St. John's)
**25th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA
**26th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA
**103rd Coast Battery, RCA
**106th Coast Battery, RCA
**
Le Régiment de Joliette
**
Pictou Highlanders
**
Lincoln and Welland Regiment
, colors =
, identification_symbol_2 =
, identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan
, identification_symbol_4 =
, identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation
, march = "The Lincolnshi ...
(until May 1943)
**
Le Régiment de St. Hyacinthe (from May 1943)
*
7th Canadian Infantry Division, Mar. 1942 - Oct. 1943
**Divisional troops based at Camp Debert, Nova Scotia
**15th Infantry Brigade (based at Camp Debert)
**17th Infantry Brigade (based at
Camp Sussex, New Brunswick)
**20th Infantry Brigade (based at Camp Debert)
Commanders
The following two generals served as
General Officer Commanding in Chief Atlantic Command:
* Major-General
William Henry Pferinger Elkins
Major General William Henry Pferinger Elkins, (13 June 1883–1964) was a Canadian soldier. He was a commandant of the RMC.
Education
624 Major General William Henry Pferinger Elkins was born on 13 June 1883 at Sherbrooke, Quebec. He graduate ...
, Aug. 1, 1940 to July 15, 1943
* Major-General
L. F. Page, July 16, 1943, to Aug. 26, 1944
See also
*
Pacific Command (Canadian Army), corresponding command on the Pacific Coast
*
5th Canadian Division
The 5th Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of most army units in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador; as well as some unit ...
, the present-day formation in the
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Ai ...
*
Canadian Northwest Atlantic Command, Allied naval command responsible for guarding the North Atlantic shipping lanes during the
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blocka ...
References
{{Reflist
* Stacey, C.P. ''The Canadian Army 1939-1945'' (Queen's Printer, 1948)
*
Law, Clive M. ''Distinguishing Patches'' (
Service Publications, Ottawa, 2002)
Canadian World War II commands
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945