User:Thiccccccy/US Invasion of Canada (WW1)
The US invasion of Canada was the first US offensive after their entry to WW1 on the 8th of March, 1918. An initial force of 9 divisions, led by General John Pershing, took the lacklustre 1st (Canadian) Reserve Army by surprise, capturing the cities of Toronto and Fredericton by the end of April 1918. However, Canadian defences were quickly improved, leading to a narrow corridor from Halifax to Ottawa being protected. Canadian units in Western Europe made preparations to return to Canada as soon as news of the invasion reached the front, and they were to be joined by 4 divisions of the newly formed “9th Army” of the United Kingdom.
East
By August 1918, the Canadian Expeditionary Force returned to Canada, and helped reinforce the Halifax-Ottawa corridor, which was being heavily pressured by 7 of the 13 US divisions in the East. 2 British divisions, the 67th and 81st infantry divisions, arrived in Halifax in December, but the entry of the Netherlands into the war, and the temporary collapse of the Belgian Front, prevented any further reinforcements from being sent to Canada. US forces began sieging Ottawa in January 1919, but made little progress due to the Canadian Winter. By June, however, the Canadian capital would fall, and the US campaign would become significantly easier.
West
In the West, the US 2nd Army sieged the city of Vancouver in May 1918, but the city held on as more soldiers were recruited and trained. The Canadian 2nd Reserve Army grew to 3 divisions from 1, and punched far above its weight, partially due to Canadian fervour, and US apathy and isolationist worldview. Due to the smaller Canadian force, the West would quickly develop into skirmishes and guerrilla warfare.
Fall of Canada
In July 1919, US naval forces defeated the Royal Navy in the 1st Battle of Bermuda, and supplies were temporarily stopped from entering Canada. The British and Canadian divisions, low on supplies, and almost starving, were crushed in the Battle of Quebec City (29-31 September 1919) by the US 1st and 3rd Armies, now at a combined size of 23 divisions (350,000) against the Commonwealth’s 11 divisions (130,000). The fall of Quebec led to a domino effect as the Canadian front line continued to weaken. Ottawa surrendered in November, and Montreal in January 1920. With the fall of most major Canadian population centres, the Canadian government would officially surrender, though fighting would continue until April 1922, as saboteurs and militias would continue fighting the U.S. occupation.
The port of Halifax surrendered in July 1921. Vancouver in September. Calgary in December. The last settlement of note to be captured by American forces was Churchill in March 1922, but the end of the invasion would not be called until April.
Notable events
- 1st Battle of Toronto (March 1918) - Canadian Victory
- 2nd Battle of Toronto (April 1918) - US Victory
- Battle of Fredericton (April 1918) - US Victory
- 1st New Brunswick Offensive (April-September 1918) - Stalemate
- Siege of Vancouver (May 1918 - September 1921) - US Victory
- 1st White House Fire (November 1918) - US Defeat
- 2nd White House Fire (November 1918) - US Defeat
- Siege of Ottawa (January-November 1919) - US Victory
- 1st Battle of Bermuda (July 1919) - US Victory
- 2nd New Brunswick Offensive (August 1919 - January 1920) - US Victory
- 2nd Battle of Bermuda (December 1919) - Commonwealth Victory
- Battle of Montreal (January 1920) - US Victory
- 3rd White House Fire (August 1920) - US Defeat
- Siege of Halifax (August 1920 - July 1921) - US Victory
- 2nd Battle of Calgary (December 1921) - US Victory
- Fall of Churchill (March 1922) - US Victory
- 4th White House Fire (April 1922) - Canadian Victory
| US Invasion of Canada | |||||||
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| Part of WW1 Allies | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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United States (France) |
Dominion of Canada United Kingdom (German Empire) | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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United States of America (Army) -1st Army (9 - 13 divisions) -2nd Army (4 - 7 divisions) -3rd Army (6 - 10 divisions) United States of America (Navy & Airforce) -3 dreadnought battleships -4 pre-dreadnoughts -1 fleet carrier (26 aircraft) -27 cruisers -36 destroyers -40 aircraft France -1 dreadnought battleship -1 seaplane carrier (6 aircraft) -7 cruisers -12 destroyers |
Dominion of Canada -1st Reserve Army (3 - 4 divisions) -2nd Reserve Army (1 -3 divisions) -3rd Army (5 divisions) -Canadian Flying Corp (52 aircraft) United Kingdom -9th Army (2 divisions) Joint Royal Naval Taskforce (Canada) -4 dreadnought battleships -3 pre-dreadnoughts -2 fleet carriers -1 seaplane carrier -17 cruisers -38 destroyers | ||||||