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History |
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Wars & Campaigns |
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►Boer
War
►First
World War
►►Western
Front
►►►Trench
Warfare: 1914-1916
►►►Allied
Offensive: 1916
►►►Allied
Offensives: 1917
►►►German
Offensive: 1918
►►►Advance
to Victory: 1918
►►Siberia
►Second
World War
►►War
Against Japan
►►North
Africa
►►Italian
Campaign
►►►Sicily
►►►Southern
Italy
►►►The
Sangro and Moro
►►►Battles
of the FSSF
►►►Cassino
►►►Liri
Valley
►►►Advance
to Florence
►►►Gothic
Line
►►►Winter
Lines
►►North-West
Europe
►►►Normandy
►►►Southern
France
►►►Channel
Ports
►►►Scheldt
►►►Nijmegen
Salient
►►►Rhineland
►►►Final
Phase
►Korean
War
►Cold
War
►Gulf
War |
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Operations |
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Battle Honours |
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Boer War
First World War
Western Front
Trench Warfare: 1914-1916
Allied Offensive: 1916
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►Somme, 1916 |
1
Jul-18 Nov 16 |
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►Albert |
.1-13
Jul 16 |
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►Bazentin |
.14-17
Jul 16 |
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►Pozieres |
.23
Jul-3 Sep 16 |
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►Guillemont |
.3-6
Sep 16 |
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►Ginchy |
.9
Sep 16 |
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►Flers-Courcelette |
15-22
Sep 16 |
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►Thiepval |
26-29
Sep 16 |
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►Le Transloy |
.
1-18 Oct 16 |
Allied
Offensives: 1917
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►Arras 1917 |
8
Apr-4 May 17 |
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►Vimy, 1917 |
.9-14
Apr 17 |
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►Arleux |
28-29 Apr 17 |
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►Scarpe, 1917 |
.3-4
May17 |
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►Hill 70 |
.15-25
Aug 17 |
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►Messines, 1917 |
.7-14
Jun 17 |
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►Ypres, 1917 |
..31
Jul-10 Nov 17 |
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►Pilckem |
31
Jul-2 Aug 17 |
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►Langemarck, 1917 |
.16-18
Aug 17 |
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►Menin Road |
.20-25
Sep 17 |
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►Polygon Wood |
26
Sep-3 Oct 17 |
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►Broodseinde |
.4
Oct 17 |
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►Poelcapelle |
.9
Oct 17 |
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►Passchendaele |
.12
Oct 17 |
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►Cambrai, 1917 |
20
Nov-3 Dec 17 |
German Offensive: 1918
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►Somme, 1918 |
.21
Mar-5 Apr 18 |
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►St. Quentin |
.21-23
Mar 18 |
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►Bapaume, 1918 |
.24-25
Mar 18 |
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►Rosieres |
.26-27
Mar 18 |
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►Avre |
.4
Apr 18 |
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►Lys |
.9-29
Apr 18 |
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►Estaires |
.9-11
Apr 18 |
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►Messines, 1918 |
.10-11
Apr 18 |
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►Bailleul |
.13-15
Apr 18 |
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►Kemmel |
.17-19
Apr 18 |
Advance to Victory: 1918
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►Arras, 1918 |
.26
Aug-3 Sep 18 |
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►Scarpe, 1918 |
26-30 Aug 18. |
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►Drocourt-Queant |
.2-3
Sep 18 |
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►Hindenburg Line |
.12
Sep-9 Oct 18 |
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►Canal du Nord |
.27
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►St. Quentin Canal |
.29
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►Epehy |
3-5
Oct 18 |
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►Cambrai, 1918 |
.8-9
Oct 18 |
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►Valenciennes |
.1-2
Nov 18 |
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►Sambre |
.4
Nov 18 |
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►Pursuit to Mons |
.28 Sep-11Nov |
Second World War
War Against Japan
South-East Asia
Italian Campaign
Battle of Sicily
Southern
Italy
The Sangro and Moro
Battles of the FSSF
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►Anzio |
22
Jan-22 May 44 |
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►Rome |
.22
May-4 Jun 44 |
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►Advance
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.22
May-22 Jun 44 |
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to the Tiber |
. |
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►Monte Arrestino |
25
May 44 |
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►Rocca Massima |
27
May 44 |
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►Colle Ferro |
2
Jun 44 |
Cassino
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►Cassino II |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Gustav Line |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo in
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13
May 44 |
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Teodice |
. |
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►Pignataro |
14-15 May 44 |
Liri Valley
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►Hitler Line |
18-24 May 44 |
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►Melfa Crossing |
24-25 May 44 |
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►Torrice Crossroads |
30
May 44 |
Advance to Florence
Gothic Line
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►Gothic Line |
25 Aug-22 Sep 44 |
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►Monteciccardo |
27-28 Aug 44 |
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►Point 204 (Pozzo Alto) |
31 Aug 44 |
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►Borgo Santa Maria |
1 Sep 44 |
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►Tomba di Pesaro |
1-2 Sep 44 |
Winter Lines
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►Rimini Line |
14-21 Sep 44 |
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►San Martino- |
14-18 Sep 44 |
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San Lorenzo |
. |
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►San Fortunato |
18-20 Sep 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo |
11-15 Sep 44 |
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in Salute |
. |
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►Bulgaria Village |
13-14 Sep 44 |
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►Pisciatello |
16-19 Sep 44 |
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►Savio Bridgehead |
20-23
Sep 44 |
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►Monte La Pieve |
13-19
Oct 44 |
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►Monte Spaduro |
19-24 Oct 44 |
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►Monte San Bartolo |
11-14
Nov 44 |
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►Lamone Crossing |
2-13
Dec 44 |
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►Capture of Ravenna |
3-4
Dec 44 |
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►Naviglio Canal |
12-15 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Vecchio |
16-18 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Munio |
19-21 Dec 44 |
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►Conventello- |
2-6 Jan 45 |
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Comacchio |
. |
Northwest Europe
Battle of Normandy
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►Quesnay Road |
10-11 Aug 44 |
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►St. Lambert-sur- |
19-22 Aug 44 |
Southern France
Channel Ports
The Scheldt
Nijmegen Salient
Rhineland
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►The
Reichswald |
8-13 Feb 45 |
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►Waal
Flats |
8-15 Feb 45 |
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►Moyland
Wood |
14-21 Feb 45 |
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►Goch-Calcar
Road |
19-21 Feb 45 |
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►The
Hochwald |
26
Feb- |
| . |
4
Mar 45 |
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►Veen |
6-10 Mar 45 |
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►Xanten |
8-9
Mar 45 |
Final Phase
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►The
Rhine |
23
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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►Emmerich-Hoch
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28
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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Elten |
. |
Korean War
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Domestic Missions |
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►FLQ
Crisis |
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International
Missions |
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►ICCS
Vietnam 1973
►MFO
Sinai 1986- |
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Peacekeeping |
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►UNTEA |
W. N. Guinea 1963-1964 |
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►ONUCA |
C. America
1989-1992 |
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►UNTAC |
Cambodia
1992-1993 |
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►UNMOP |
Prevlaka
1996-2001 |
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Exercises |
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United Nations Operation in the Congo
United Nations
Operation in the Congo (ONUC) was a peacekeeping mission
involving Canadians between 1960 and 1964. ONUC comes from the
French translation of the name, Opération des Nations Unies au
Congo. Thirty-four countries participated in the mission, with
a peak strength of over 20,000 personnel, and the four-year
mission had cost $ 400,000,000.1
UN Mandate
After gaining
independence from Belgium, the native army and police in the
Congo mutinied against its white officers resulting in the
breakdown of law and order. Belgium moved in 10,000 troops to
restore order, and the United Nations was asked to provide a
force to help the Congolese authorities restore order and deal
with the separatist threat of the Province of Katanga. The
operation saw several bloody battles, as well as rescue
operations, take place and 126 UN soldiers were killed with
109 other soldiers (including 2 Canadians) dying accidentally
or from natural causes.
Force Commanders
- General von
Horn, Sweden, Jul 1960 – Dec 1960
- General MacEoin,
Ireland, Janu 1961 – Mar 1962
- General Guebre,
Ethiopia, Apr 1962 – Jul 1963
- General
Christian Kaldager, Norway, Aug 1963 – Dec 1963
- General Ironsi,
Nigeria, Jan 1964 – Jun 1964
Canadian Military
Involvement
- 57 Signal
Squadron (later redesignated 57 Signal Unit, and assembled
at Kingston from members of various Royal Canadian Corps of
Signals units)
- 436 (RCAF)
Squadron (two C-119 Flying Boxcars)
- Royal 22e
Regiment (officers and men)
- Canadian Provost
Corps
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History
After Canada
"invented" the concept of peacekeeping, the Government
found their hands tied by public opinion when UN
headquarters requested Canadian forces to intervene in
the Congo. The request asked specifically for 280
French-speaking and bilingual signallers, not a common
commodity in the Canadian Army who in 1960 felt its true
purpose was training to fight the Red Army in central
Europe. According to Dr. Jack Granatstein, the Prime
Minister felt that public perception would be "How could
Canada, the creator of peacekeeping, decline a UN
request?"
-
The duty
turned out to be hazardous. Unruly Congolese soldiers
roughed up Canadian soldiers, scattered in penny
packets across the vast Congo, because they
automatically assumed that any French-speaking white
was a Belgian. At Stanleyville, Congolese troops beat
and jailed the signals detachment. Released, Captain
J.B. Pariseau, the detachment commander, invited the
local Congolese commander to dinner, told him that
bygones would be bygones, and agreed that it was all a
mistake. If there was a repetition, he added, then his
men would fight, and the Congolese would be answerable
to the Canadian Army.
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The Congo
crisis gradually turned into an area of Cold War
confrontation and developed into a war over the
resources in Katanga province. It was the first
peacekeeping war, and the Pearson government eagerly
pulled its last fifty-six servicemen from this
commitment in June 1964.2
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The total force
amounted to about 500 soldiers, including 200 signallers.
- They...served in
Leopoldville and in many small detachments spread over the
length and breadth of the Congo in support of UN forces
attempting to reestablish order. Some of the Canadian
officers also filled key positions (Chief Signals Officer
and Chief Operations Officer, to give two examples) at ONUC
headquarters, and one of these, Lieutenant Colonel J.A.
Berthiaume, became the first Canadian since the Korean War
to become an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He
was congratulated for his impressive organizational skills,
but also for his bravery and for his "initiative, linguistic
ability, and special aptitude for negotiating.3
Insignia
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Ninety days service with ONUC entitled a Canadian soldier
to the ONUC Medal, between 14 Jul 1960 and 30 Jun 1964.
The ribbon had dark blue edge stripes 5 mm wide separated
from a dark green centre by white 2mm stripes.
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Approximately 1,900
ONUC medals were issued to Canadians of 93,000 total. The
force had a peak strength of 20,000 members, including more
than 300 Canadians.
Fatalities
Two Canadians died
while serving on this mission, both from disease.
- Staff Sergeant
J.P.C. Marquis (Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps)
- Sergeant R.H.
Moore (Royal Canadian Corps of Signals)
Awards
Several soldiers
received decorations for their part in this mission.
- Brigadier J.A.
Dextraze, the UN Chief of Staff in the Congo, was made a
Commander in the Order of the British Empire for leading a
rescue operation in Jan 1964.
- Lieutenant
Colonel J.A. Berthiaume, as mentioned above, received an OBE.
- Lieutenant
J.F.T.A. Liston of the Royal 22e Régiment was made a Member
of the Order of the British Empire for rescuing a wounded
Congolese from a minefield
- Lieutenant
Colonel Paul Mayer and Sergeant J.A. Léonce received the
George Medal for rescuing priests and nuns from a hazardous
situation, the latter holding off 15 armed enemy soldiers
single-handedly while doing so.
Notes
- Marteinson,
John. We Stand on Guard: An Illustrated History of the
Canadian Army (Ovale Publications, Montreal, PQ,
1992) ISBN 2894290438 p.466
- Granatstein,
Jack Canada's Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace
(University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON, 2002) ISBN
0802046916 pp.392-393
- Marteinson,
Ibid, p.464
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