Canadian Official Histories of the Second World War

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?

The Canadian Official Histories aren't quite as common in the USA (where the webmaster of Alternate Wars lives), and unfortunately; a good portion dealing with the Air and Sea Services were written quite recently, so they fall under the “50 Year Rule” for Canadian Copyright. Fortunately for us, some of these histories (specifically the RCAF's), are published for download on the Canadian Defence Ministry's Historical & Heritage Pages. I've provided links to those pages when they are available.

Additionally, there is an entire series of monographs written by the Historical Section of the Canadian Army HQ on a variety of subjects which is very uncommon, and acts as an “intermediate” glue between the higher level Official Histories and the lower levels.

Army Headquarters (AHQ) Reports, World War I

#82 Operations in Northern Russia, 1918-1919 (1959)
#83 Allied Intervention in Siberia, 1918-1919 (1959)
#84 Canadians in Mesopotamia, 1918-1919 (1959)
#85 Operations in Palestine, 1918-1919 (1959)
#86 The Eastern Mediterranean Theatre, 1915-1917 (1959)
#87 Canadian Forces in Bermuda and St. Lucia, 1914-1919 (1959)
#88 Canadian participation in Allied operations, Murman, 1918-1919 (1960)
#98 The command of the Overseas Military Forces of Canada in the United Kingdom, 1914-18 (1963)
#99 The origins of the First World War (1963)

Army Headquarters (AHQ) Reports, World War II

#1 Fixed coast artillery defences on the Pacific Coast (1944)
#2 The anti-aircraft defences of the Pacific Coast (1944)
#3 The employment of infantry in the Pacific Coast defences (Aug 39 to Dec 43) (1944)
#4 The anti-aircraft defences of the Atlantic Coast (1945)
#5 The 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion (1946)
#6 The Canadian participation in the Kiska operation (1944)
#7 The 6th Canadian Division (1946)
#8 The 7th Canadian Division (1946)
#9 Supplementary report on Canadian participation in civil affairs (1946)
#10 Operation "Jubilee" : the raid on Dieppe, 19 Aug 42 : information from German war diaries (1946)
#11 The 8th Canadian Division, 1942-1943 (1947)
#12 The personal experiences of a Canadian Civil Affairs Officer in France and Belgium June 1944 - March 1945 (1946)
#13 The personal experiences of a Canadian Civil Affairs Officer in Germany Mar 45 – Apr 46 (1946)
#14 The Sicilian Campaign (July - August 1943) : information from German sources (1947)
#15 The Canadian Women's Army Corps, 1941-1946 (1947)
#16 The Canadian Army Pacific Force 1944–45 (1947)
#17 The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in the low countries and in Germany : final operations (2 January - 18 February and 24 March - 5 May 1945) (1947)
#18 The campaign in southern Italy (September - December 1943) : information from German military documents regarding Allied operations in general and Canadian operations in particular (1947)
#19 Operation “Plunder”: The Canadian Participation in the assault across the Rhine and the expansion of the Bridgehead by 2 Canadian Corps 23/24 Mar – 1 Apr 45 (1948)
#20 The Italian Campaign (4 Jan 44 - 4 Jun 44) : information from German military documents regarding Allied operations in general and Canadian operations in particular (1948)
#21 The development of Allied Grand Strategy in the Second World War (with special reference to the defeat of Germany) (1948)
#22 The reorganization of the Canadian Militia, 1919-20 (1949)
#23 Return and leave to Canada for personnel of the Canadian Army overseas (1949)
#24 The Italian Campaign (From the fall of Rome to the evacuation of Florence) 4 Jun – 10 Aug 44. Information from German Sources (1949)
#25 Operations of 1 Canadian Corps (22 Sep 44 to 28 Oct 44) From Marocchia to the Ronco (1949)
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26 The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in France 6 June - 6 September 1944 (1949)
#27 The Italian Campaign: The Battle of Rimini and the Subsequent Advance to the River Ronco (11 Aug – 28 Oct 44) (1949)
#28 The Japanese Balloon Enterprise against North America (1949)
#29 Canadian Public Opinion on the Employment of the Army 1939-45 (1949)
#30 Army participation in measures taken by the three services for the security of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Lower River during the period of German submarine activity, 1942-45 (1949)
#31 Operations of 1st Canadian Corps – 28 Oct 44 to 27 Feb 45: The capture of Ravenna, the advance of the Seine, and the winter line (1949)
#32 The concluding phase of operations by the 1st Canadian Army (2 Apr to 5 May 45) (1949)
#33 “Z” force in Iceland : an account of the despatch of Canadian Troops to Iceland and their subsequent operations there (1949)
#34 Canadian-American co-operation in the defence of Sault Ste. Marie, 1941-1944 (1950)
#35 Allied Forces in Canada, 1940-1943 (1950)
#36 The development of the German defences in the Dieppe sector (1940 - 1942) : information from German war diaries (1950)
#37 The policy governing the finding and selection of Officers for the C.A.S.F. (later C.A.(A) (1950)
#38 Tank production in Canada (1950)
#39 Operations of 1 Cdn Corps in North-West Europe, 15 Mar - 5 May 45 (1950/51)
#40 The campaign in North-West Europe : information from German sources: part I German defence preparations in the West (1951)
#41 The German defences in the Courseulles-St. Aubin area of the Normandy coast : information from German sources (1951)
#42 Preliminary planning for operation “Overlord” (1952)
#43 Training of the 4th and 5th Canadian Armoured Divisions in the United Kingdom, October 1941-July 1944 (1951)
#44 The announcement of Canadian participation in operation "Husky" (1951)
#45 Civil affairs in the Mediterranean, June 1943 - May 1945 (1951/1954)
#46 Operations of Canadian Railway Troops, 1943-1945 (1952)
#47: The History of Bands in the Canadian Army (1952)
#48 Canada and the higher direction of the Second World War (1952)
#49 The organization of the Department of National Defence (Army), 1939-45 (1953)
#50 The campaign in North-West Europe: information from German sources: part II: invasion and Battle of Normandy (6 Jun - 22 Aug 44) (1952)
#52 Canadian policy on the employment of Canadian Military Forces in wartime, 1899-1945 (1952)
#53 Canadian Organization in theatres of operations, 1939-1945 (1952)
#54 Canadian Participation in the Operations in North-West Europe, 1944: Part 1: The assault and subsequent operations of 3 Canadian Cdn Inf Div and 2 Canadian Cdn Armd Bde 16-30 Jun 44 (Alternate Version) (1952)
#55 Operations of 1 Cdn Armd Bde in Italy, 5 Jan 44 to 11 May 44 (1952)
#56 The German Surrender, May 1945 (1952)
#57 A summary of major changes in Army Organization, 1939-1945 (1952)
#58 Canadian participation in the operations in North-West Europe, 1944 : part II : Canadian operations in July (1953)
#59 Food complaints and cooks' training, Canadian Army overseas, 1939-43 (1953)
#60 Movement and operations of 11 Cdn Inf Bde Gp, Italy, 9 Apr - 5 May 44 (1953)
#61 Policy and organization for scientific research and technical development in the Canadian Army 1939-1945 (1953)
#63 Manpower problems of the Canadian Army during the Second World War (1953)
#64 The reorganization of the Canadian Militia, 1936 (1953)
#65 Canadian participation in the operations in North-West Europe, 1944: part III : Canadian Operations, 1-23 August (1953)
#66 Training of First Cdn Army (Less 3 Cdn Inf Div and 2 Cdn Armd Bde), December 1943 - May 1944 (1954)
#67 Manpower problems of the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War (1954)
#68 "Manpower" problems of the Women's Services during the Second World War (1954)
#69 The Campaign in North-West Europe: Information from German Sources: Part III: German Defence Operations in the sphere of First Canadian Army (23 Aug - 8 Nov 44) (1954)
#70 The Canadian-American Permanent Joint Board on Defence, 1940-1945 (1954)
#71 Manpower Problems of the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War (1954)
#73 A Survey of Army Research and Development 1939-45 (1955)
#74 Offensive Air Support of First Canadian Army during Operations in North-West Europe (1955)
#75 Military cooperation within the Commonwealth 1939-1945 (1956)
#76 The Equipment of Canada’s Armed Forces during the Second World War, Problems in Procurement and Assignment (1958)
#77 The Campaign in North-West Europe, Information from German Sources. Part IV: Higher Direction of Operations from Falaise Debacle to Ardennes Offensive (20 Aug – 16 Dec 44) (1957)
#79 Saint Pierre et Miquelen during the Second World War (1959)
#80 Proposed despatch of a Canadian Force to the Falkland Islands, 1942 (1959)
#91: Some aspects of disciplinary policy in the Canadian Services, 1914-1946 (1960)
#95: Historical activities within the Canadian Army (1962)
#97: A study on Demobilization and Rehabilitation of the Canadian Armed Forces in the Second World War, 1939-1945 (1960)

Army Headquarters (AHQ) Reports, Cold War

#51 The 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade Group Feb 1951 – May 1952 (1952)
#62 Canadian Participation in the Korean War, Part I: 25 Jun 50 – 31 March 52 (1953)
#72 Canadian Participation in the Korean War, Part II: 1 Apr 52 – 31 Jul 53 (1955)
#78 Some impressions of the UNEF, 1957 to 1958 (1959) – Captain John A. Swetthenam's impressions of the United National Emergency Force (UNEF) in Egypt from 1957 to 1958.
#81 Problems affecting French speaking representation in the Post War Canadian Army (1959)
#89 The Royal Canadian Engineers in Germany, 1945-1958 (1959)
#90 Canada’s Post War Defence Policy, 1945-1950 (1961)
#92 The Canadian Rangers (1960) – How the Canadian Rangers formed as a Corps of the Reserve Militia in 1947.
#93 The Canadian Army, 1950-55: Part I : Canadian Defence Policy (1961)
#94 Canadian participation in the United Nations Emergency Force (1960/61)
#95 Canadian participation in the United Nations Emergency Force (Alt Version) (1962)
#96 The Canadian Army’s Role in Survival Operations (1962) – The history of civil defence in Canada, and the Army's role starting in 1959.

Miscellaneous Monographs

A History of Canadian Naval Aviation 1918-1962 (1965)

The Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War Series

The Canadian Army, 1939-1945: An Official Historical Summary (1948)
Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol. I: Six Years of War (1955)
Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol. II: The Canadians in Italy, 1943-1945 (1956)
Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol. III: The Victory Campaign: The Operations in Northwest Europe, 1944-45 (1960)

The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War Series

NOTES: Unfortunately, this series will not be freely available until the 2050s. You can however download it from publications.gc.ca at the links given below (good as of 2022).

The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1943-1945, Vol. II, Part 1 – No Higher Purpose (2004 → 2054) (Link to Publications.gc.ca. Page)
The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1943-1945, Vol. II, Part 2 – A Blue Water Navy (2007 → 2057) (Link to Publications.gc.ca Page)

The Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force Series

NOTE: I've included the pre-war Volume I (WWI) and Volume II (Interwar) on the list; because they're important to understanding how the RCAF was structured and how it stood in the Canadian military-political “pecking order” immediately prior to 1939. There's a lot of important historical context that a non-Canadian would miss if they started straight off with Volume III (WWII) as Air Forces from WWI to WWII were inherently political in almost every nation that created a large air arm.

The Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Vol. I: Canadian Airmen and the First World War (1980 → 2030) (Link to DND Page)
The Official History of The Royal Canadian Air Force, Vol. II: The Creation of a National Air Force (1986 → 2036) (Link to DND Page)
The Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Vol. III: The Crucible of War 1939-1945 (1994 → 2044) (Link to Publications.gc.ca Page)