1. Section 1: The Murders at Abbaye d’Ardenne

   • After the D-Day invasion of France during WWII, two Canadian regiments, North Nova Scotia Highlanders and Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, were making progress towards Buron.

   • Kurt Meyer, commander of the 25th SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment, watched from Abbaye d’Ardenne as the Canadian armoured column emerged, unaware of the German tank division and anti-tank guns positioned in a V formation.

   • Meyer ordered his tanks to hold fire until the entire column was in view, resulting in Canadian tanks being blown up and infantry captured.

   • Meyer ordered the execution of Canadian prisoners and over 40 Canadian soldiers were killed in the days following D-Day.

History

• Meyer and members of the German 12th SS Panzer Division were charged in a war crimes trial.

Section 2: Causes of the Second World War

• The Second World War stemmed from continuing German aspirations to dominate Europe and consequences of the Great War.

• The Treaty of Versailles had crippled the German economy and generated immense political and economic turmoil.

• Fascism was another cause of the war as Hitler took advantage of instability and hardship to gain control of the German government.

• Hitler embarked on an economic and military rebuilding program that led to territorial acquisitions and racial laws discriminating against Jews in Germany.

• The British and French policy of appeasement towards Hitler failed, and international diplomacy reached its height in 1938 with the Munich Agreement.

  King, “Limited Liability,” and the “Phony War”

• After Britain declared war on Germany, King was faced with the decision of whether Canada was obliged to declare war too.

• King understood that many French Canadians were against conscription and that the issue of conscription had to be avoided.

• King made it clear that it would be parliament's decision on whether Canada would go to war.

• King developed the concept of a "limited liability" war. This meant that Canada would primarily provide financial and material support to Britain, boost its navy and air force, and build up its army for home defense only.

• King's "limited liability" policy was successful in the first part of the war when the conflict was in the "phony war" phase. Many criticized his policy during this time.

• King was criticized in Ontario by Mitchell Hepburn, who passed a resolution in the Ontario legislature criticizing the government for not doing enough.

• King was attacked in Quebec for joining the war by Union Nationale Premier Maurice Duplessis, who believed that Ottawa would impose conscription, which was despised in Quebec.

History

• King defeated his opponents by essentially beating them at the ballot box.

• King called a snap federal election, which was a referendum on his policy of "limited

  liability," which the Liberals won convincingly in March 1940.

• In May 1940, Germany invaded France, ending the "phony war" phase, and King's "limited liability" policy was put to the test.

• Canadians participated in the Battle of Britain, flying planes and manning anti-aircraft battalions to repel German air force (Luftwaffe) bombing raids on London and other cities.

• Canadian troops defending Hong Kong surrendered to Japanese forces in 1941, causing political turmoil and parliamentary inquiries into the reasons for their defeat.

• In the Dieppe raid of August 1942, Canadian forces suffered heavy losses and failed to capture the town from German forces, but the operation provided valuable lessons for future invasions.

• Canadian navy played a significant role in supplying the British war effort, but faced losses to German U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic.

• Total war in World War II was different from the First World War as civilian populations were directly targeted and bombing missions resulted in high casualties and sparked historical debate over their justification.

  In 1940, Canada passed the NRMA, which required conscription for home defense only.

• In 1941, Conservative leader Arthur Meighen called for conscription for overseas service, and Defense Minister J.L. Ralston also complained about the lack of conscription.

• Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King decided to hold a plebiscite on whether the government should be "released from its promise" of only sending volunteers to overseas service.

• In 1942, a nationwide vote was held, with Quebec voting 72.9% against and every other province voting in favor of releasing the government from its pledge.

• Instead of immediately enacting conscription, King put forward Bill 80, which deleted the NRMA sections stating that conscripts could not be used for overseas service, but he did not actually institute overseas conscription.

• By 1944, the fight to liberate Europe had taken its toll on Canadian forces, and many were again calling for conscription.

History

• In September 1944, Defense Minister Ralston went to Europe to inspect the troops and returned determined to force King to put conscription in place. In a cabinet meeting, King pulled out the letter of resignation that Ralston had given him in 1942, and which King had not then accepted.

Allied Victory and King's Victory:

• Allies were on their way to victory in early 1945, with Stalingrad turning the fortunes of war against the Axis powers.

• Hitler was eventually defeated, and Canadians celebrated VE Day in May 1945, but Japan was still fighting in the Pacific.

• The US dropped atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the war finally ended in August 1945.

• The war was the costliest in history, with at least 50 million people killed and whole countries destroyed.

• King's victory was a political victory, as he weathered the conscription crisis and cemented himself as a competent and capable wartime leader, despite his controversial decisions pre-war.

• Canada's contribution to the war was immense, with over one million Canadians serving full time in the armed forces.

  Meyer's Fate:

• Kurt Meyer's division was nearly annihilated after he ordered the execution of Canadians at Abbaye d'Ardenne.

• He was captured by Belgian partisans and handed over to the Americans, then tried for war crimes in December 1945.

• Meyer was found guilty and sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

• He served only nine years and returned to civilian life in Germany, eventually becoming a beer salesman.

• Meyer's story polarized Canadians and Germans, with him being remembered as a war hero in Germany but a controversial figure in Canada.

• There are differing opinions on whether justice was served in the case of Kurt Meyer.