Pacific Command was 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 ...

created during the

Second World War 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 ...

to strengthen and administer home defence facilities on Canada's Pacific Coast against possible Japanese attack. A second major function was to train reinforcements to be sent to the Canadian divisions in Europe. Pacific Command combined the pre-war Military District No. 11 (

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and the

Yukon Territory Yukon () is a territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s westernmost territory and the smallest ...

) with Military District No. 13 (

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

and the

District of Mackenzie The District of Mackenzie was a regional administrative district of Canada's Northwest Territories. The district consisted of the portion of the Northwest Territories directly north of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan on Canada's main ...

of the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

). The command headquarters was initially housed in Esquimalt Fortress near Victoria, but on 30 November 1942 it was moved to the Old Hotel Vancouver in downtown

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. After the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

entered the war in December 1941, Canada and the U.S. coordinated their defence of the west coast of North America. Thus Pacific Command operated in close cooperation with

Western Defense Command Western Defense Command (WDC) was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the United States Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast region of the United States during Wo ...

to the south and with Alaska Defense Command to the north. The troops of Pacific Command were concentrated in the three strategic coastal centres: * Victoria-Esquimalt, the capital of

and the location of Canada's Pacific naval base and headquarters * Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia, Canada's largest port on the Pacific, and the Pacific terminus of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...

, the second Pacific terminus of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

(in addition to Vancouver) By the middle of the war a significant proportion of the troops of Pacific Command were conscripts under the '' National Resources Mobilization Act'' (NRMA) adopted in June 1940. This act precluded the use of conscripts in overseas operations. However, a

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

held in April 1942 released the Canadian government from this restriction (see the

Conscription Crisis of 1944 The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service for men in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but not as politically damaging. ...

). Even after the plebiscite, the government was reluctant to send conscripts into combat outside of North America. The Terrace Mutiny occurred in November 1944 among troops of Pacific Command when it was learned that the government of Prime Minister

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

had decided to start sending conscripts to Europe to reinforce depleted combat units. In August 1943 troops of Pacific Command participated in Operation Cottage, in the final stages of the

Aleutian Islands campaign The Aleutian Islands campaign () was a military campaign fought between 3 June 1942 and 15 August 1943 on and around the Aleutian Islands in the American theater (World War II), American Theater of World War II during the Pacific War. It was t ...

. However, that campaign ended without a shot being fired at the enemy when it was discovered that the Japanese occupiers of

Kiska Kiska (, ) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is required to visit it. The island has ...

had already evacuated the island. The only "enemy" the Pacific Command troops inflicted upon physically were American forces, after a Canadian soldier mistakenly shot at American lines, causing a sporadic

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy or hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while ...

incident between the two forces that left 28 Americans and four Canadians dead, with 50 others injured. Apart from one incident when shelled the lighthouse at Estevan Point on 20 June 1942, and the arrival of ineffectual

fire balloon An incendiary balloon (or balloon bomb) is a balloon inflated with a lighter-than-air gas such as hot air, hydrogen, or helium, that has a bomb, incendiary device, or Molotov cocktail attached. The balloon is carried by the prevailing winds to ...

s launched from Japan between November 1944 and April 1945, the feared military threat from Japan never materialized. The two home defence infantry divisions attached to Pacific Command were thus broken up and their personnel were redistributed to other formations. General Order Number 21/1946, dated 28 January 1946, effective 23 January 1946 authorized five commands, among which was the new Western Command, which appears to have absorbed the area of the former Pacific Command.{{Cite web , title=Domestic Military Organization 1900-1999 , url=https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/organization/districts.htm , access-date=2025-01-26 , website=www.canadiansoldiers.com

Composition

*Victoria and Esquimalt Fortress ** 31st (Alberta) Reconnaissance Regiment, CAC ** 5th (B.C.) Coast Regiment, RCA **27th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA **21st Field Regiment, RCA **3rd Battalion, The Regina Rifle Regiment ** 1st Battalion, Le Régiment de Hull *Vancouver Defences ** 15th (Vancouver) Coast Regiment, RCA **28th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA **1st Battalion, The Royal Rifles of Canada **1st Battalion, The Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) *Prince Rupert Defences **17th (North British Columbia) Coast Regiment, RCA **29th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA **34th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA (at

Annette Island Annette Island or Tàakw.àani (Tlingit) is an island in the Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is at . It is about long and about wide. The land area i ...

, Alaska) **One battery of the 22nd Field Regiment, RCA **1st Battalion, The Midland Regiment (Northumberland and Durham) **1st Battalion, The Winnipeg Grenadiers **Two companies of 1st Battalion, King's Own Rifles of Canada *30th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RCA (Vancouver Island) *

Pacific Coast Militia Rangers The Canadian Rangers () are a sub-component of the Canadian Army, Canadian Army Reserve under Canadian Armed Forces reserves that provides a limited military presence in regions of Canada where stationing conventional Army units would not be pr ...

* Pacific Command Water Transport Company, R.C.A.S.C. *19th Infantry Brigade, Command Reserve ( Vernon) *

6th Canadian Infantry Division The 6th Canadian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Canadian Army, formed in 1942 during the Second World War. It was attached to Pacific Command. The division had a brigade sent to the Aleutian Islands Campaign, particularly at ...

(Vancouver Island), Mar. 1942 - Dec. 1944 **Divisional troops based in Esquimalt ** 13th Infantry Brigade (

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...

) **18th Infantry Brigade (

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

) *

8th Canadian Infantry Division The 8th Canadian Infantry Division was a military formation of the Canadian Army that served within Pacific Command in Western Canada during World War II. The Division units were raised on 18 March 1942 and the HQ was raised on 12 May 1942 at P ...

(Northern British Columbia), Mar. 1942 - Oct. 1943 **Divisional troops based in Prince George **14th Infantry Brigade (

Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

) **16th Infantry Brigade (Prince George)

Commanders

The following three generals served as General Officers Commander-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Pacific Command: * Major-General Ronald Alexander, 30 October 1940 – 30 June 1942 * Major-General George Pearkes, 2 September 1942 – 15 February 1945 * Major-General Franklin Worthington, 1 April 1945 – 26 January 1946

References

* Stacey, C.P. ''The Canadian Army 1939-1945'' (Queen's Printer, 1948) * Law, Clive M. ''Distinguishing Patches'' (

Service Publications Service Publications was established in 1995 by Clive M. Law (1954-2017), an author and historian as well as former officer of the Governor General's Foot Guards. The company is devoted to the publication of books and periodicals regarding Canadian ...

, Ottawa, 2002) Army units and formations of Canada in World War II Canadian World War II commands Military units and formations disestablished in 1946

Composition

Commanders

See also

References