Loyal Canada
From Dr Paul F. Robinson Sir: Rory O'Keeffe (Letters, 2 February) accuses Mark Steyn of 'ridiculous distortions' regarding Canada's military effort in the second world war. He then goes on to make a series of disparaging remarks which insult the Canadian contribution to the Allied victory. However, Mr Steyn's statement that the Royal Canadian Navy was the third largest in the world is not a distortion, but a historical truth.
The fact that the RCN played little or no role in the Pacific war is simply not relevant. From 1942 onwards, over half of all convoys across the Atlantic were escorted by ships of the RCN, and Canadian ships and aircraft were responsible for the destruction of numerous U-boats. The RCN never reached the high standards of the Royal Navy, but without it the Royal Navy would never have been able to win the Battle of the Atlantic. The RCN also participated in the Murmansk convoys, helped to escort the Allied invasion force in Operation Torch, and contributed more than 100 vessels to the D-Day operation. Considering that the RCN began the war with almost no ships or personnel, its contribution was remarkable.
Mr O'Keeffe seems to imply that, because the Royal Marines achieved their objectives at Dieppe and the Canadians did not, the Canadians are somehow inferior. But the Marines did not, like the Canadians, have to land on beaches which were flanked by steep cliffs, with no exit route, covered by wellprepared German positions, and deprived of adequate fire support. Had the Marines landed at Dieppe, Puys or Pourville, I doubt that they would have done any better.
From the battle of Paardeburg through to the current day — when Canadian special forces are fighting in Afghanistan — Canada has fought alongside Britain overseas, and its contribution has been out of all proportion to Canada's size and resources. Its unstinting loyalty and sacrifice deserve recognition.
Paul Robinson
(Former Canadian Forces Officer). Centre for Security Studies, University of Hull
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