DURING World War II, Canada enlisted 280,000 men and women in its air forces, 330,000 in its army forces, and 106,000 in its naval forces. (Figures from Pierre Berton's Marching As To War) Most of these were deployed to Europe, where Canada had been at war since 1939. As a member of the Commonwealth, the Canadian forces were largely (but not entirely) directed by British authorities. As the British command was rightfully more concerned about the European theater than the Pacific one, that's where British and Commonwealth forces were largely based. Thanks to the insistence of Mackenzie King, there were distinctly Canadian units and actions (think of Juno Beach during the invasion of Normandy, and No. 6 Group of Bomber Command).

While Canadians were primarily deployed to Europe, there were notable contributions to the Pacific as well. Just before the start of hostilities, Canada sent two trained battalions (consisting of 1,975 men and supplies) to Hong Kong. The result was disastrous. The battalions were poorly led, poorly equipped and inadequately trained. Hong Kong was indefensible, and after its surrender on Christmas Day, the Canadians endured extraordinary suffering in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps for the following four years. The Hong Kong debacle sparked inquiries and political controversy for years.

As the war got underway, Canada served a logistically important role in the Pacific. Construction of the Alaska Highway provided the first road link between the Lower 48 U.S. states and Alaska. Construction of the CANOL pipeline promised a steady supply of petroleum from wells in Norman Wells and other parts of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Both the pipeline and highway made little impact on the war effort, however.

Of more (and critical) importance was the $60 million Northwest Staging Route, a chain of airfields from Montana, through Canada, to Alaska, that delivered 6,430 Lend-Lease aircraft to the Soviet Union. Another 600 or so aircraft were bound for American use in the Aleutians campaign.

In that campaign, the Canadian forces took their largest role in the Pacific. After the Japanese invasions of Attu and Kiska, American aircraft poured into the Aleutians from across Alaska. To fill the gap and protect Alaska was the Royal Canadian Air Force, which flew fighters and bombers to Alaskan airstrips. The Royal Canadian Navy offered its coastal bases for American use, and it patrolled Alaska's coast with three merchant cruisers, seven corvettes and smaller patrol craft drafted into service. The RCN's activities extended up and down its Pacific coast, as Japanese submarines nosed into isolated bays and inlets, sparking fear that an invasion or attack would follow the Aleutians attack.

This fear seemed to be realized on June 20, 1942, when the I-26 sank a Canadian lumber hauler and bombarded a telegraph station on Vancouver Island. The I-26 then proceeded down the coast, attacking Astoria, Oregon and Fort Stevens at the mouth of the Columbia River.

When the time came to retake the Aleutians, the Americans relied on their own forces to invade Attu. Casualties were high, and when it was time to invade Kiska, the commanders involved mustered an even bigger invasion force. Of the 34,426 combat troops, 5,300 were part of the 13th Royal Canadian Infantry Brigade. This brigade, led by Maj. Gen. George Randolph Pearkes, included the Rocky Mountain Rangers, the Winnipeg Grenadiers, Canadian Fusiliers and Le Regiment de Hull, a French-speaking unit from Quebec.

Also participating was Col. Robert Frederick's 1st Special Service Force, a joint Canadian-American unit. Though that unit had its non-baptism of fire at Kiska, it went on to "heroic action" (according to Garfield's Thousand-Mile War) in Italy and France. Ultimately, half of the unit died or went missing in combat.

Because the Japanese had evacuated Kiska, its recapture was a largely bloodless thing. Some Americans and Canadians were killed by booby traps left by the Japanese, some died from exposure, and still more were killed by friendly fire. It was a debacle, but a minor one. Four Canadians died, and four were wounded.

It's important to note that Canadian participation in the Aleutians campaign was somewhat controversial. Among Pearkes' force were soldiers conscripted as home-defense militia. To participate in Alaska, there had to be a special action from Ottawa, and it wasn't a popular one. After Kiska, those militia were returned home, and they didn't leave Canada again.

If you're interested in learning more, you might try Bill Corfield's Silent Victory: The Canadian Fusiliers in the Japanese War or Griffin's First Steps to Tokyo: The Royal Canadian Air Force in the Aleutians as well as the books I've mentioned above.