Burial at sea of an RCN sailor killed in HMCS Assiniboine during an action in which the Canadian destroyer sank the German submarine U-210

The Canadian Armed Forces: Casualties

42,042 men and women of Canada's armed forces died during the war : 22,917 in the Canadian Army, 17,101 in the RCAF and 2,024 in the RCN. 54,414 were wounded and 8,995 taken prisoner.

There were awful losses at Hong Kong, December 1941, and at Dieppe in August 1942, but the Canadian Army did not feel the sustained pressure of casualties until 1944 when the hard-slogging advances north up the Italian peninsula and in the Normandy beachhead led to far greater infantry casualties than were ever anticipated. By late 1944, many infantry companies, normally each over a hundred strong, were down to thirty riflemen. These heavy army casualties were a major factor in the government decision to send conscripts overseas ( see Conscription ).

Large numbers of Canadians were lost in the bomber offensive against Germany. Particularly in the air battles of the Ruhr, 1943, and in the battle of Berlin during the winter of 1943-1944, RCAF aircrew were lost at a rate faster than the training system could replace them in the short term. These heavy losses were only stemmed when Bomber Command, preparing for the Normandy Campaign, moved to closer targets in occupied France, meaning shorter flights and fewer German defences.

Related Newspaper Articles

English Articles

• Canadian Army Infantry Losses Reported Heavy
  The Hamilton Spectator, 06/11/1944
   
• Canada Bomber Group Suffered Heavy Losses
  The Globe And Mail, 06/07/1945
   

French Articles

• 21 marins disparus dans le torpillage du 'Saguenay'
  Le Devoir, 10/12/1940
   
• "Bilan de 16 mois de guerre - 1 million de morts, 2 à 3 millions de blessés, etc."
  Le Devoir, 31/12/1940
   
• "1,114 aviateurs morts ou disparus"
  Le Devoir, 13/12/1941
   
• Mort à Hong Kong
  Le Devoir, 02/05/1942
   
• 661 soldats morts depuis le début de la guerre
  Le Devoir, 22/05/1942
   
• 814 Canadiens victimes à Dieppe
  Le Devoir, 29/08/1942
   
• "Les victimes canadiennes à Dieppe. Leur nombre se chiffre à 3,350..."
  Le Devoir, 15/09/1942
   
• Pertes de l'armée et de l'aviation outre-mer
  Le Devoir, 05/07/1944
   
• "Les pertes dans l'arnée canadienne. Elles se chiffraient à 21, 689 au 1er mai"
  Le Devoir, 19/07/1944
   
• Les pertes des forces armées canadienne
  Le Devoir, 21/08/1944
   
• Les pertes de l'armée canadienne outre-mer
  Le Devoir, 08/09/1944
   
• "Nouvelles de la guerre. La corvette canadienne "Alberni" a coulé"
  Le Devoir, 12/09/1944
   
• Pertes de l'armée et de l'aviation
  Le Devoir, 16/09/1944
   
• "Les pertes militaires s'élèvent à 51,038"
  Le Devoir, 20/09/1944
   
• Hommage aux morts des "Black Watch"
  Le Devoir, 25/09/1944
   
• Des chiffres au sujet du 1er corps canadien
  Le Devoir, 23/04/1945
   
• Le naufrage du "Skeena"
  Le Devoir, 16/05/1945
   
• Enquête sur les aviateurs disparus
  Le Devoir, 08/06/1945
   
• Pertes du C.A.R.C.
  Le Devoir, 26/06/1945
   
• Les pertes canadiennes dans la guerre
  Le Devoir, 27/06/1945