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{{Short description|Infantry division of the Canadian Army (
{{For|the full history of the division|2nd Canadian Division}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox military unit
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|anniversaries=
}}
The [[2nd Canadian Division]], an [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|division]] of the [[Canadian Army]], was mobilized for war service on 1{{nbsp}}September 1939 at the outset of [[World War II]]. Adopting the designation of the '''2nd Canadian
Having performed well in training exercises during 1941 and early 1942, elements of the 2nd Division were selected as the main force for [[Dieppe Raid|Operation Jubilee]], a large-scale [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious raid]] on the port of Dieppe in German-occupied France. On 19{{nbsp}}August 1942, with air and naval gunfire support, the division's [[4th Canadian Infantry Brigade|4th]] and [[6th Canadian Infantry Brigade|6th Infantry Brigade]]s assaulted Dieppe's beaches. The Germans were well prepared and, despite being reinforced, the Canadians sustained heavy losses and had to be evacuated, with fewer than half their number returning to the United Kingdom.
Following a period of reconstruction and retraining from 1942 to 1944, the division joined [[II Canadian Corps]] as part of the [[Second Army (United Kingdom)|British Second Army]] for the [[invasion of Normandy|Allied invasion of Normandy]]. The division was redesignated as '''2nd Canadian Infantry Division''' in January 1943. The 2nd Division saw significant action from 20{{nbsp}}July to 21{{nbsp}}August in the battles for [[Battle for Caen|Caen]] and [[Falaise Pocket|Falaise]]. Joining the newly activated headquarters of the [[First Canadian Army]] in the assault on northwestern Europe, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division played a significant role in the retaking of the [[Channel Ports]], the [[Battle of the Scheldt]], and the liberation of the Netherlands. The division was deactivated shortly after the end of the war.
==Formation, garrison duties and organization (1939–1940)==
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At the start of the Second World War, the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) was initially composed of two [[Division (military)|divisions]]; the [[1st Canadian Division|1st]] and 2nd Canadian Infantry Divisions, both raised on 1{{nbsp}}September 1939.<ref>Bercuson, p. 27</ref> The fighting power of this force lay in its constituent infantry brigades, of which each division had three. These were in turn composed of three [[rifle]] and one [[machine gun]] [[battalion]], with additional divisional [[artillery]] and [[Military engineer|engineer]] units in support.<ref name="Bercuson279">Bercuson, p. 279</ref>
Formed under the command of Major-General [[Victor Odlum]], a highly distinguished veteran of the First World War, with an authorized strength of between 13,000 and 17,000 personnel,<ref>Stacey 1955, p. 75</ref> the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, like its sister formation, was originally organized along regional lines. Its [[4th Canadian Infantry Brigade|4th Brigade]] was composed of regiments from [[Ontario]], the [[5th Canadian Infantry Brigade|5th Brigade]] of regiments from [[Quebec]], and [[6th Canadian Infantry Brigade|6th Brigade]] of regiments from [[Western Canada]].<ref>Stacey 1955, p. 43</ref> These were the same infantry brigades—although their constituent battalions were different—that had formed part of the 2nd Canadian Division during its service on the Western Front as part of the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]] during the First World War.<ref>Chartrand, p. 12</ref>
It was over a year before the 2nd Division came together as a cohesive unit and, during the interim period between formation and arrival in the United Kingdom, many changes to its organization were made. The first brigade concentrations took place in May and June 1940, until which time all units had trained in their own garrisons. The 4th Brigade assembled at [[Camp Borden]] in Ontario, the 5th at [[Valcartier|Valcartier Camp]] in Quebec, and the 6th at [[CFB Shilo|Camp Shilo]] in [[Manitoba]].<ref name="Bercuson29">Bercuson, p. 29</ref> The divisional artillery was concentrated at artillery training centres at [[CFB Petawawa|Camp Petawawa]] in Ontario, and at Shilo.<ref>Stacey 1955, p. 39</ref><ref>Byers pp. xvii & 81</ref>
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The 2nd Division's structure was altered in early 1940, reducing its number of machine-gun battalions from three to one.<ref>Copp, p. 20</ref> The Camerons and the Chaudières (now a rifle battalion) were reassigned to the newly mobilized [[3rd Canadian Infantry Division]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.army.dnd.ca/rdechaud/qg-hq/historique-history-eng.aspx?action=view&id=historique-history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222004625/http://www.army.dnd.ca/rdechaud/qg-hq/historique-history-eng.aspx?action=view&id=historique-history|title=Chaudière Regimental History |access-date=5 December 2008 |publisher=Le Régiment de la Chaudière|archive-date=22 February 2012}}</ref> and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were sent to Jamaica for garrison duty, after which they returned to Canada then redeployed to Hong Kong, where they were captured when it [[Battle of Hong Kong|fell to the Japanese]] on 25{{nbsp}}December 1941.<ref>Willmott & Keegan, p. 57</ref>
In May 1940, The Black Watch were moved from Valcartier to Newfoundland, and in June, the 2nd Division was earmarked for garrison duty by the forces of the [[British Commonwealth]],<ref>Copp, p. 15</ref> with the Royal Regiment of Canada and ''Les Fusiliers Mont Royal'' arriving in Iceland later that month.<ref>Copp, p. 16</ref> However, at the request of [[Winston Churchill]], the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British prime minister]], these deployments were cut short,
As a result, most of the 2nd Division's units were sent to the United Kingdom in August 1940, although the Iceland garrison remained in place until 31{{nbsp}}October.<ref name="Bercuson29"/> The absence of the ''Mont Royal''s allowed Odlum to reassign the Calgary Highlanders to the 5th Brigade in September, in an attempt to ethnically mix the brigades of the division.<ref>Copp, p. 19</ref> By late December 1940, the 2nd Canadian Division was joined with the 1st to form the [[I Canadian Corps|Canadian Corps]] (later renamed to I Canadian Corps).<ref>Canadian Army Historical Section, p. 34</ref>
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}}
Throughout 1943, the 2nd Division focused on rebuilding its ranks, having lost close to half its strength at Dieppe. In April 1943, Major-General [[Guy Simonds]]—the first officer to command the division who had not served in the [[World War I|Great War]]—assumed command of the division, taking over from Roberts,<ref>Stacey 1955, p. 249</ref> before handing over the following month to Major-General [[E. L. M.
==Battle of Normandy==
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[[File:The Campaign in North-west Europe 1944-45 B14681.jpg|thumb|right|[[M4 Sherman|Sherman tanks]] of the [[10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse)]] with infantry of the [[Royal Regiment of Canada]] massing in preparation for the assault on Goch, 17 February 1945]]
[[Operation Veritable]] was designed to bring the 21st Army Group to the west bank of the [[Rhine River]], the last natural obstacle before entering Germany.<ref name="JunoBeachVictory">{{cite web |url=http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-rhi-e.htm |title= Juno Beach
The operational plan's second phase called for the 2nd and 3rd Divisions to take the Hochwald Forest. Following its capture, the 4th Canadian Armoured would sweep through the Hochwald Gap towards [[Wesel]],<ref>Bercuson, p. 265</ref> followed by the 2nd Division "leap-frogging" towards Xanten. [[Operation Blockbuster]] was scheduled for 27{{nbsp}}February, but despite initial gains, stubborn German resistance prolonged the battle for six days.<ref name="JunoBeachVictory"/><ref name="Zuehlke171">Zuehlke, p. 171</ref> It was not until 3{{nbsp}}March that the forest was cleared—during the intense close-quarter fighting, Major [[Frederick Albert Tilston|Frederick Tilston]] of the Essex Scottish Regiment won a [[Victoria Cross]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/citations/tilston |title=Major Frederick Tilston, Victoria Cross |access-date=15 August 2008 |publisher=Veteran Affairs Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919220339/http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history%2Fsecondwar%2Fcitations%2Ftilston |archive-date=19 September 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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{{See also|Battle of Groningen}}
As Canadian forces had incurred heavy casualties in clearing a path to the Rhine, the 2nd Division was excluded from the massive crossing operation that took place on 23{{nbsp}}March 1945, instead crossing unopposed a week later after a bridgehead had been secured.<ref>Bercuson, p. 267</ref> After a brief detour through German territory, the First Canadian Army—now unified with the arrival of [[I Canadian Corps]] from [[Italian campaign (World War II)|the Italian Front]]—prepared to assault German positions in the Netherlands. The 2nd Division moved northwards towards [[Groningen (city)|Groningen]].<ref>Copp, p. 196</ref> In the nine days preceding their attack, German resistance had been light and uncoordinated,<ref>Copp, p. 197</ref> but opposition stiffened as the assault progressed, leading to heavy losses among the battalions of the 5th Brigade.<ref>Copp, p. 200</ref> By 13{{nbsp}}April, the division had been shifted eastward to guard the flanks of a British assault on [[Bremen]],<ref>Copp, p. 202</ref> and the following day I{{nbsp}}Canadian Corps [[Liberation of Arnhem|liberated Arnhem]]. On 2{{nbsp}}May, the 2nd Division took [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]], solidifying Canadian positions throughout the Netherlands.<ref>Zuehlke, p. 173</ref> German and Canadian forces declared a ceasefire on 5{{nbsp}}May,<ref name="Copp205">Copp, p. 205</ref> and all fighting came to an end with the [[Victory in Europe Day|surrender of German forces in Western Europe]] on 7{{nbsp}}May 1945.<ref name="Zuehlke172"/> In October 1945, after four months in the Netherlands, General Order 52/46 officially disbanded the headquarters of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division.<ref name="Copp205"/> By December, the entirety of the division had been stood down and returned to Canada.<ref>Copp, p. 206</ref> The division suffered heavy casualties through 1944 and 1945; according to Bercuson it had the "highest casualty ratio in the Canadian Army – from the time it returned to combat in early July 1944 until the end of the war".<ref>Bercuson p. 74.</ref>
==Commanding officers==
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* {{cite book |last=Hart |first=Stephen A. |title=Operation Totalize 1944 |year=2016 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford |isbn=978-147281-288-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Rottman |first=Gordon |title=Victory 1945: Western Allied Troops in Northwest Europe |year=2015 |series=Elite # 209 |publisher=Osprey |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-47280-949-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Stacey |first=C. P. |year=1964 |series=Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War |volume=III |title=The Victory Campaign |publisher=Queen's Printer |location=Ottawa |oclc=874034911 |url=http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/oh-ho/detail-eng.asp?BfBookLang=1&BfId=29 |access-date=15 December 2014 |archive-date=14 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090714064359/http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/oh-ho/detail-eng.asp?BfBookLang=1&BfId=29 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last=Stacey |first=C. P. |year=1955 |series=Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War |volume=I |title=Six Years of War |publisher=Queen's Printer |location=Ottawa |oclc=317692673 |url=http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/oh-ho/detail-eng.asp?BfBookLang=1&BfId=27 |access-date=15 December 2014 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401004200/http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/oh-ho/detail-eng.asp?BfBookLang=1&BfId=27 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last=Stacey |first=C.P. |year=1948 |title=The Canadian Army 1939–1945: An Official Historical Summary |series=Official History of the Canadian Army
* {{cite book| first=Simon|last=Trew| author2=Badsey, Stephen| series=Battle Zone Normandy| title=Battle for Caen|publisher=Faber and Faber| year=2004| isbn=0-7509-3010-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Willmott |first1=H.P. |last2=Keegan |first2=John |author-link2=John Keegan |orig-year=1999 |year=2002 |title=The Second World War in the Far East |publisher=Cassell |location=London |isbn=978-0-30435-247-0 }}
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