First Canadian Army

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The First Canadian Army was a major Allied ground unit in the Second World War. Originally formed in 1942 under Lieutenant-General Andrew McNaughton, it first had two corps made up from 5 divisions and an tank brigade. While it had been intended to be the headquarters for all Canadian ground forces in Europe, a division under it participated in the Dieppe Raid, one corps was sent to the Italian theater of operations, and the actual Canadian troops at the Battle of Normandy consisted of a corps under the Canadian army headquarters.

Dieppe[edit]

Two brigades of the 2nd Canadian Division served in the Dieppe Raid, and took terrible casualties. The raid, however, taught vital lessons about amphibious warfare.

Italy[edit]

For it to be a full-sized field army going into the Battle of Normandy, other Allied troops were assigned to the headquarters, now commanded by LTG Henry Crerar, who had commanded I Canadian Corps in Italy. It made up the left flank of the 21st Army Group under GEN Bernard Montgomery, later Field Marshal Viscount of Alamein.

Normandy[edit]

The operational unit in the Normandy landing was II Canadian Corps. The Army headquarters became operational on July 23, following the June 6 landing, and after the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division had completed its conversion from an infantry division. As an army, it fought in the Falaise Gap.

Exploitation[edit]

The Army fought at the Battle of the Scheldt in Belgium and the Netherlands, under Crerar's tactical command. Canadian troops returned from Italy, and the Army was a principally Canadian force in the Rhineland campaign.

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