Wartime Production in WWII

 

Wartime Production in WWII



The Canadian contribution began early and made a crucial difference to the winning of the war. For a nation of twelve million people it was a prodigious accomplishment.
Canadian industry produced fifty thousand tanks and guncarriers.

Canadian shipyards during the war launched nearly eight thousand small craft and well over a thousand naval and cargo vessels.

Sixteen thousand aircraft - trainers, fighters and bombers - were produced in Canadian factories.

  • 9,000 boats and ships

  • 50,000 tanks and armoured gun carriers

  • 16,000 aircraft

  • 500,000 military vehicles by 1943

  • 850,000 vehicles by war's end

  • Huge amounts of munitions - bullets and shells

  • Anti-tank and field artillery

  • Naval guns

  • Small arms and automatic weapons

  • Radar sets and Electronics

  • Synthetic rubber

  • Uranium for the 'Manhattan Project'

  • and more...


Naval and Transport Vessels

By the end of the war, Canada had the fourth-largest navy in the world - 900 vessels and 106,000 men and women. 373 vessels were earmarked for convoy duty.


Tanks and Trucks

Most of the military transport used in the English Eighth Army's drive across North Africa against Rommel was Canadian-made.

By mid-1943, Canada had produced half a million MILITARY VEHICLES.


Aircraft

Hawker Hurricane


This is the aircraft of Douglas Bader, commander of the Canadian
242 Squadron during the Battle of Britain.

Of the 14231 Hurricanes built, 1451 were built in Canada.
248 were Mk XII's (with 12 x 0.303 in guns) and 150 were MkIIA's
(with 8 x 0.303 in guns). [The other 1053 planes were probably
Mark I's and II's.]

Lancaster Bomber

The Malton factory outside Toronto produced 430
LANCASTER four-engine heavy bombers.

 

The first Canadian-built Lancaster arrives in Britain
with its RCAF crew trained and ready for action.

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

The Canadian Car and Foundry Company building programme totalled 894 Curtiss SB2C Helldivers of various models (called SBW instead of SB2C when earmarked for the British Fleet Air Arm). 450 were supposed to go to the UK but only 46 did; the rest went along with other production to the US Navy instead.



SB2C Helldiver

The Canadian Fairchild Company produced an additional 300 SBF's (similar to the SB2C). 

deHavilland Mosquito

More than 1000 built in Canada. Used as bomber, fighter, reconnaisance

Canso (Catalina) flying boat  

676 built in Canada for the RCAF and the US Navy. An RCAF Canso gave the first warning of a Japanese fleet about to attack Ceylon, averting a second Pearl Harbor.

"THE SAVIOR OF CEYLON"


Handley Page Hampden bomber 

160 built in Canada. Obsolescent at the start of WWII, but still used.


Bristol Bolingbroke (long-nosed Blenheim) bomber  

# built in Canada unknown so far.


North American Harvard trainer 

2000 built in Canada


Fairchild Cornell trainer

2800 built in Canada


Avro Anson twin-engine crew trainer 

2882 built in Canada


deHavilland Tiger Moth biplane trainer 

1700 built in Canada (some possibly pre-war construction)


Fleet Finch trainer 

400 built in Canada


Noorduyn Norseman light transport 

750 built in Canada for the USAF as the C-64. The Norseman on floats was a common bushplane in Canada after WWII


Westland Lysander 

325 built in Canada. Used for army co-operation, covert operations, supply drops


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