Canada’s participation in the land war grew steadily until the Canadian Army reached a strength of half a million. At the beginning of the war in September 1939, Canada’s land forces consisted of a tiny permanent force and a larger part-time Militia. Both organizations were poorly equipped, but eager to defend their country. In December 1939 the 1st Canadian Infantry Division – the first of several Canadian formations to go to Great Britain – sailed for England to begin intensive training for the war in Europe. In June 1940, Canadian soldiers were briefly deployed to France but were removed quickly after the fall of France to German forces. Other Canadian troops were sent to Iceland where they served on garrison duties with British forces in 1940 and 1941. In Southeast Asia nearly two thousand Canadian soldiers served with the British forces defending Hong Kong from November 1941 until the garrison surrendered on Christmas Day of the same year.		The surviving Canadian troops faced a long and brutal period as prisoners of war until they were liberated in September 1945. Following the tragedy at Hong Kong, the Canadian Army participated in another heroic, yet heartbreaking, operation. Canadian, British and a small number of American troops landed at Dieppe, France on August 19, 1942. This was a disastrous operation that resulted in seventy percent of the soldiers being killed, wounded or made prisoners of war. Canadian soldiers breaching the Gothic Line in Northern Italy described it as one of the finest battles ever fought in the history of the 8th Army, 26 August, 1944. ©The Royal Canadian Regiment.