postyX - November 11, 2026


How Effective Was the Canadian Military in WW2？

Why Democracy Fails and What it Gets You.

Episode Stats


Length

16 minutes

Words per minute

147.33

Word count

2,444

Sentence count

139

Harmful content

Toxicity

23

sentences flagged

Hate speech

14

sentences flagged


Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00 Hello, everybody. Hello, my maple bigots. Hello, Waythorne. How are you?
00:00:06 Happy Tuesday, everybody. The day before Remembrance Day.
00:00:10 So I thought today we'll do, we're going to talk a little bit about the veterans.
00:00:14 We're going to watch a video about how savage the Canadian soldiers were in World War II,
00:00:20 even though, you know, unfortunately, we were sent to fight against Uncle A.
00:00:24 you know we were tricked i guess our our ancestors our grandparents our great-grandparents were kind
00:00:30 of you know tricked and hoodwinked into um into doing it so this we're going to talk now about 0.91
00:00:36 the veterans okay we've had some fun we talked about housekeeping some different shit but i
00:00:40 really like i said the veterans are getting the i mean obviously tomorrow's remembrance day 0.99
00:00:44 the veterans are really getting the fucking shaft in canada and i mean they've been getting 0.93
00:00:48 it even in the u.s right for the for the most part but the u.s still takes better care of their 0.98
00:00:54 veterans. So this talks about how capable the Canadian army was in World War II, all the
00:00:59 different things Canadians did in World War II. And they did say like they, this might have been
00:01:03 in World War I, but they had the Canadians in like the trenches because I can't remember the
00:01:08 word they used for them. So we're going to watch this and then we're going to talk about some of
00:01:12 the things that our poor veterans are going through. When Canada declared war on Germany
00:01:20 on September the 10th, 1939,
00:01:23 it was making a statement.
00:01:24 Though still tied to Britain,
00:01:26 it was an independent nation
00:01:27 willing to commit to the struggle against fascism.
00:01:31 At the time, however,
00:01:32 the Canadian army was little more than symbolic,
00:01:35 with only around 4,500 regular soldiers.
00:01:38 That's about what we have now.
00:01:40 I think 4,000, 5,000 regular soldiers,
00:01:44 active duty soldiers.
00:01:45 More people need to look at our historical achievements
00:01:48 during the wars and stuff like that 0.98
00:01:50 and not let them erase our fucking history 0.97
00:01:52 and make us think that we were always this multicultural utopia 1.00
00:01:56 and we were never these mean, savage, vicious people.
00:02:02 We were always the peacekeepers.
00:02:04 It's like, no, no, no, no.
00:02:06 And we're about to come back to this.
00:02:08 They keep it up with all these invaders
00:02:10 and this is going to come back,
00:02:13 but it's not going to be in the form that they like.
00:02:14 and a militia force that was poorly trained and under-equipped,
00:02:20 it was, by most standards, insignificant.
00:02:24 Yet by 1945, Canada had fielded an army of nearly three quarters of a million men,
00:02:30 commanded a multinational field army in North West Europe,
00:02:34 and had earned a reputation as a skilful and tough fighting force.
00:02:38 But how capable was the Canadian army in World War II really?
00:02:41 The first great challenge was expansion. By late 1939, volunteers were already swelling the ranks,
00:02:50 and the 1st Canadian Infantry Division was raised and shipped to Britain. Over time,
00:02:55 more formations followed. The 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions,
00:03:00 the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, and the 5th Canadian Armoured Division.
00:03:04 By 1944, the 1st Canadian Army in Europe, under General Harry Carrera, included not
00:03:12 only Canadian units, but also British, Polish and Dutch formations.
00:03:19 But before Canada's divisions made their mark in Europe, they endured disaster in
00:03:34 Asia. In 1941, two Canadian battalions, the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers,
00:03:42 were sent to bolster the garrison of Hong Kong. When Japan attacked in December,
00:03:47 they were thrown into a hopeless defence. The Canadians fought with determination.
00:03:52 John Osborne of the Winnipeg Grenadiers famously smothered a grenade with his body,
00:03:57 earning Canada's first Victoria Cross of the war. But after...
00:04:00 Hell fucking yeah. Hell to the fucking yeah. 1.00
00:04:05 17 days, Hong Kong fell. 1.00
00:04:07 Over 500 Canadians were killed, and almost 2,000 endured years of brutal captivity.
00:04:14 In Europe, Canada's baptism...
00:04:16 But yet, we're supposed to only care about one particular group of people.
00:04:21 That supposedly was the only group that ever suffered during war or anything like that.
00:04:27 The racism of fire came with the 1942 Dieppe raid.
00:04:32 The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division bore the brunt of the assault.
00:04:36 What was meant as a reconnaissance in force turned into a bloodbath.
00:04:40 Of nearly 5,000 Canadians who landed, over 900 were killed and 2,000 taken prisoner.
00:04:47 That's insane, right? That's fucking crazy. 0.99
00:04:51 2,000 taken prisoner. 1.00
00:04:52 Units like the Royal Regiment of Canada and the Essex Scottish Regiment were decimated.
00:04:59 German defenders later admitted they had been impressed by the ferocity of the attack.
00:05:04 But Dieppe showed the dangers of underestimating German defences.
00:05:08 Do you ever think about, like I think about this a lot,
00:05:11 I think about the fact that when you look at now,
00:05:14 like if you look at a current day 17-year-old or an 18-year-old
00:05:18 and think about the fact that 60 years ago,
00:05:21 no it would have been more than 60 80 years ago these guys were were flying across the world
00:05:29 and being given a gun and basically told like that's it let's go like just imagine because
00:05:37 i think about the fact that like 17 year olds today are so immature like they don't have i
00:05:43 mean 25 year olds are like so i just think it's so wild to think now that like 80 years ago 17 0.85
00:05:50 year olds were going to fucking defend their country and like i said now they can't even get 0.96
00:05:54 themselves to fucking school it's just it's so fucking crazy the difference yet the raid provided 0.99
00:06:02 painful but invaluable lessons in amphibious planning fire support and intelligence that 0.99
00:06:07 would directly contribute to the success yeah here comes the canadians look out by 1943 the canadian
00:06:15 army was fighting in the mediterranean the first canadian infantry division and first canadian
00:06:20 Armoured Brigade landed in Sicily in July. Here, Canadians captured towns such as Asauro
00:06:30 and Leonfort in daring assaults against German paratroopers. One of the commanders who distinguished
00:06:37 himself was Major General Guy Simons, who would rise to prominence in Normandy. In Italy, Canadians
00:06:45 gained a reputation for tenacity. Nowhere was this clearer than at Ortona in December 1943.
00:06:52 The Royal 22nd Regiment, the Van Dose, and the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada fought a brutal
00:06:57 house-to-house battle against the veteran German 1st Parachute Division. Canadians pioneered the
00:07:03 mouse-holing tactic, blasting through walls with explosives. Yes, I remember that. I heard that
00:07:09 before too. They invented that tactic. There's a few different things I think the Canadians invented.
00:07:14 Maybe they'll talk about it in here.
00:07:15 ...to avoid deadly sniper fire in the streets.
00:07:19 After weeks of combat, Ortona was theirs,
00:07:23 but at a cost of over 1,300 Canadian dead.
00:07:28 German opponents later remarked that the Canadians fought with a grim determination
00:07:32 equal to their best units. 0.73
00:07:36 Hell yeah.
00:07:38 The Canadian army's defining moment came in northwest Europe.
00:07:41 On June 6th, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade stormed Juneau Beach.
00:07:51 Facing strong resistance, particularly from the 716th German Infantry Division and elements of the 21st Panzer Division,
00:07:59 the Canadians nonetheless achieved the deepest Allied penetrations on D-Day.
00:08:04 Brigadier Harry Foster, commanding 7th Brigade,
00:08:08 remarked that his men fought like veterans,
00:08:10 though most had never seen combat.
00:08:13 Casualties were high, over 1,000 on the first day.
00:08:17 But their success was undeniable.
00:08:21 In the bloody weeks of Normandy,
00:08:22 Canadians were repeatedly tasked with breaking through German defences.
00:08:27 At Carpiquet and Verrieres Ridge,
00:08:30 they faced the fanatical 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend,
00:08:34 Composed of young Nazi zealots, the fighting was ferocious.
00:08:39 Listen, Uncle A, we're sorry, wherever you are, we didn't really mean it. 0.95
00:08:43 We were misled, okay?
00:08:44 At Verrieres Ridge, Canadian losses were staggering.
00:08:48 Over 1,300 casualties in a single day.
00:08:53 Yet they held on, wearing down the Germans until later.
00:08:57 When you think about how effective the Canadians were, and I mean, even the U.S., like I said, 0.91
00:09:01 the you know the military and all the militaries that fought against the germans like you know 0.55
00:09:06 there was a few militaries that were pretty effective the french one was another one 0.79
00:09:10 and you think about how we were on the wrong fucking side and like how how much better it
00:09:16 would have been if we were fighting for the right side at that that time later offensives broke the 0.96
00:09:21 line during the falais pocket in august the canadian second and third divisions alongside
00:09:28 the Polish 1st Armoured Division, closed the gap that trapped tens of thousands of German soldiers.
00:09:35 Major David Currie of the South Alberta Regiment earned the Victoria Cross for leading his mixed
00:09:41 force in holding St. Lambert Surdivas under counter-attack, personally capturing or killing
00:09:46 over 300 Germans. His actions symbolised the Canadian contribution to sealing one of the
00:09:52 greatest encirclements of the war. Under the N sign too. Yeah, no, I agree. I'm sure what we did, 0.93
00:09:57 But, you know, I think these events and it's kind of like what I say about countries that we continually send aid to as well.
00:10:05 I feel like these things are part of civilization, as unfortunate as they are.
00:10:11 And it's kind of like how, I don't know, it's kind of how population is controlled, like nature's way of controlling population.
00:10:17 And I know that sounds terrible, but I almost feel like these events kind of always happen or they have to happen.
00:10:24 Like you can only go so long, I think.
00:10:26 And I'm getting into a different topic here, but this is also why, like I said, I don't think democracy always works, because democracy has never yet been able to avoid war or collapse, right?
00:10:39 So, you know, it's not as good as people say it is, because there's still, like I said, there's still wars.
00:10:45 I mean, arguably the U.S. started on behalf of Israel, this most recent one, and there are supposed to be a democracy.
00:10:52 perhaps the hardest campaign for canadians came in late 1944 the battle of the shelt
00:11:01 here the first canadian army from an evolutionary perspective the people who did survive you know
00:11:08 uh from world war ii you know occam's razor would say that they are the most you know
00:11:13 genetically superior lucky whatever you want to call it but they're the strongest of the bunch
00:11:19 right so those genes get passed on so it's kind of like a way of nature kind of fixing itself and
00:11:27 writing itself survival of the fittest was ordered to clear the approaches but i agree like i don't
00:11:33 think the flooded there should be any reason why we should be sending our men to die for other
00:11:37 countries war like if it has nothing to do with us directly if our you know sovereignty or whatever 0.99
00:11:42 is not being threatened directly, then I don't give a fuck. 1.00
00:11:46 Muddy dykes and German fortifications made the terrain a nightmare. 1.00
00:11:51 Units like the Canadian Scottish Regiment 0.99
00:11:54 and the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
00:11:56 fought in waist-deep water under relentless fire.
00:12:00 Casualties were severe, almost 13,000,
00:12:03 but their success opened Antwerp,
00:12:05 which became indispensable for Allied logistics.
00:12:09 Field Marshal Montgomery admitted later,
00:12:11 By 1945, the Canadian army was not only fighting but commanding multinational forces.
00:12:28 Under General Crerar, the 1st Canadian army included British, Polish and Dutch formations.
00:12:33 In the Netherlands, Canadians liberated starving civilians, earning lasting gratitude.
00:12:40 The Dutch royal family later declared,
00:12:43 Canada's army produced many distinguished commanders.
00:12:50 General Harry Crerar, though sometimes criticised for caution,
00:12:54 successfully managed one of the largest Allied field armies.
00:12:57 Guy Simons, innovative and aggressive, was praised by Montgomery
00:13:01 as one of the most effective corps commanders in northwest Europe.
00:13:05 At the divisional level, men like Major General Charles Foulkes
00:13:09 and Major General Rod Keller, though Keller was criticised for poor performance in Normandy,
00:13:15 commanded Canadian units in decisive battles.
00:13:20 Can we give a shout out to the Canadian boys? Like, come on.
00:13:24 We are made of different fucking stock here, okay? We're just made of different stuff. 0.98
00:13:30 ...earned an impressive record of bravery.
00:13:33 In Victoria, crosses were awarded to Canadians, including Currie at Falaise,
00:13:39 Frederick Tilston of the Essex Scottish at the Hochwald Forest,
00:13:44 and Smoky Smith of the Seaforth Highlanders,
00:13:46 who single-handedly destroyed a German tank and repelled an infantry attack in Italy.
00:13:54 Canada's sacrifices were immense, over 42,000 dead and 55,000 wounded in a country of just 11 million people.
00:14:02 So think about that.
00:14:03 42 000 dead is that what he said of 11 of a country in a country of 11 million people
00:14:10 so do you think all these men sacrificed their lives sacrificed some of them sacrificed their
00:14:16 you know limbs sacrificed their ability you know to live life normally do you think that they
00:14:23 sacrificed all of that so that we could be we could open the floodgates to the invaders without 0.93
00:14:28 a fight? I don't think so. I don't think so. Their army was relatively small compared to Britain,
00:14:39 the US or the Soviet Union, but consistently fought above its weight. German commanders
00:14:46 frequently acknowledged Canadian toughness. Kurt Meyer of the 12th SS called them first-class
00:14:52 soldiers who combine discipline with initiative. Allied commanders agreed. General Omar Bradley 0.55
00:15:00 described them as steady and dependable. While Montgomery said, does that not describe the
00:15:06 Canadian even to this day? Steady and dependable? I feel like that's the perfect description of your
00:15:11 average heritage Canadian. Said, the Canadian soldier is as fine a fighting man as any in the
00:15:17 world. So, how capable was the Canadian army in World War II? It began the war unprepared,
00:15:26 suffered early disasters at Hong Kong and Dieppe, but learned quickly, adapted, and by 1944 was
00:15:34 entrusted with some of the most difficult operations of the campaign. The Canadians
00:15:38 fought and defeated elite German units in Italy, Normandy and the Scheldt, and played a decisive
00:15:44 role in the liberation of Western Europe. They may not have been the largest force,
00:15:49 but their professionalism, determination, and sacrifice gave them a reputation for excellent. 1.00
00:15:55 Look at some of these fucking chads here. Like these were some good-looking young men. 0.99
00:16:01 It's far beyond their size. In the end, Canada's army was not just capable, it was indispensable.
00:16:08 So, yeah, isn't that interesting?
00:16:13 I wanted to share that because, like I said, I think a lot of people forget of the role that Canadians played and how important their role was in both wars, World War I and World War II.
00:16:24 And, you know, again, I don't think that any of the men, if they were still alive, that fought for Canada in World War II would agree that this is what they fought for.