This week marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. This war was a genuine world war, involving as it did participants from around the world. For Canada and Europe, the war started in the fall of 1939. In Africa, Asia the start dates were […]
Battle of the Atlantic
7 posts
The editorial piece by Eric Lerhe in the Canadian Naval Review [“Time for a Canadian Pacific Pivot?”] raises a real dichotomy between what is no doubt desirable and what is possible, or, in today’s financial climate, remotely likely. True, our Canadian export and marketing strategy is becoming very much altered […]
*Moderator’s Note: This statement was made on 3 May 2012, in Ottawa. "Dedication of The Royal Canadian Navy Monument" “Thank you very much, [Minister of National Defence] Peter [MacKay], for that kind introduction and thank you also for your ongoing leadership as Minister of National Defence. Speaker Kinsella and fellow […]
Using the term ‘Battle’ for the protracted struggle in the Atlantic during the Second World War diminishes the importance of this important series of campaigns that spanned the entire war. I prefer to call is The Atlantic War, as a counter to the often used term The Pacific War. As […]
To commemorate the Canadian Naval Centennial, and to provoke debate on our navy’s history, I have compiled a list of twenty-five significant moments that capture what I consider to be the major events and trends of the past 100 years. Some are facts, the importance of which can be disputed, […]
*Moderator's Note: This article was original published in The Nova Scotian on 01 May 2011. On 16 April, I had the opportunity to speak with a number of veterans at the Battle of Atlantic Annual Admiral Desmond Piers Dinner. Before the dinner, the veterans held a sombre ceremony to commemorate […]
The size of Canada’s offshore areas of maritime responsibility and the vast distances of our airspace and sea approaches make a blue water navy fundamental to our security and sovereignty as a nation. Canada has the longest coastline of any country. The offshore Exclusive Economic Zone through which our (and […]