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WWII: An Overview in Moving PicturesWWII: An Overview in Moving PicturesMany Voices, Many StoriesMany Voices, Many StoriesThe Home FrontCritical PerspectivesCritical PerspectivesSee Everything, Hear EverythingSee Everything, Hear Everything
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In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944
 

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Excerpt  (1:10) 1992, director: Brian McKenna
The first Canadians to enlist in 1939 were motivated by economic hardship as much as by patriotism. The armed services offered paid employment at a time of widespread poverty and unemployment. About 55,000 volunteered in the first month of the war. In Quebec, where WWI conscription had met with bitter opposition, most were opposed to drafting servicemen for overseas combat.
On June 6, 1944, a combined force of American, British and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. The Allied invasion of occupied France was a turning point in the war against Hitler's Germany. From a tactical view, Canada's role was limited; strategically, it was pivotal. Canada's infantry and armored regiments were thrown against Germany's elite troops and tank divisions. The price they paid was enormous.

More info on this film in NFB catalogue »»

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Film excerpts
1 | 2
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Excerpt (5:30)
Unwanted Soldiers
1999, director: Jari Osborne
694166
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Excerpt (1:10)
In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944
1992, director: Brian McKenna
The first Canadians to enlist in 1939 were motivated by...
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CLose
Excerpt (3:22)
Mackenzie King and the Conscription Crisis
1991, director: Erna Buffie
In 1944 the Canadian government finally implemented overseas...
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Excerpt (3:18)
Mackenzie King and the Conscription Crisis
1991, director: Erna Buffie
In 1940 Mackenzie King implemented a soft form of...
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