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Topic spans: 1939 - 1945
1939-1945: A Soldier's War
From 1939 to 1945 Canadian soldiers, sailors and air force personnel lived and died in lands far from home. CBC Radio was one of the few links friends and family in Canada had to their loved ones abroad. Through reports from the front, dramatizations and direct greetings from soldiers, CBC revealed what life on the battlefront was like.
18 radio clips
Wounded soldiers speak
Broadcast Date: June 16, 1944
Booby traps, shrapnel, bullets, mortar fire — there are a lot of ways for Canadian soldiers to get hurt, or worse, in Normandy. Ten days after D-Day, five wounded Canadian servicemen gather in London to talk about their ordeals and the heroism of those who got them to safety. Despite their injuries (and perhaps for the benefit of the censors) their dialogue reflects high morale and an undiminished fighting spirit.Wounded soldiers speak
• Operation Overlord, now know as D-Day, was the Allied invasion of Northwestern Europe. On June 6, 1944, almost 5,000 ships — the biggest armada in history — sailed to the coast of Normandy, France and landed 156,000 men on the heavily-fortified beaches. The Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force all participated in the assault.• The British and US Armies attacked five beaches, codenamed Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah. Canadians were responsible for Juno, in the centre of the British front. About 14,000 Canadians landed in Normandy on D-Day. There were 1,074 Canadian casualties, including 359 killed.
Photo: Harold G. Aikman / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / National Archives of Canada PA-133244
Wounded soldiers speak
Medium: Radio
Program: CBC Radio News
Broadcast Date: June 16, 1944
Guest(s): Bert Bradford, Noel Canting, John McGrath, Tom Rivet, Emile Voiture
Interviewer: Jack Scott
Duration: 9:03
Photo: Harold G. Aikman / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / National Archives of Canada PA-133244
Last updated:
March 20, 2008
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18 clips in this topic . page
Radio
25:28
May 7, 1945
Victory flags are flying high, church bells are ringing, and people are celebrating in the streets. It's May 7, 1945, and the Allies have secured victory in Europe.
Radio
3:27
Dec. 30, 1941
Winston Churchill delivers an electrifying address to the Canadian Parliament during the Second World War.
Wounded soldiers speak.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: March 20, 2008.
[Page consulted on Feb. 15, 2012.]