At no point during World War II did the continent of North America become an active theatre of war. This means that no actual war was taking place in North America itself. Canada could not, however, let itself go undefended against potential attack from Axis powers. The largest threat to Canadian interests that the Axis realistically posed was to its shipping. German U-boats (submarines) terrorized North Atlantic waters, sinking supply ships.
Home defence was the primary objective of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1935 until the beginning of World War II in 1939. The RCAF had 23 squadrons and only 6 were to be sent to war, while the other 17 remained to protect North America. While events in Europe quickly convinced Canada that more forces were needed overseas by 1941, home defence continued to be a high priority for the Canadian government.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) operated in three areas overseas: Northwest Europe, the Mediterannean and Southeast Asia. By far most of its activity took place in Northwest Europe, where RCAF aircrews took on a variety of roles: day fighters, night fighters, bombers, intruders, transport, pathfinding, laying mines, escorting ships and taking on U-boats in the Atlantic, among others.
, March 1945. ','Photo courtesy of Cliff Rhind', '#FFCC33'))
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