List of military equipment of the Canadian Army during the Second World War
At the beginning of the Second World War, Canada did not have an extensive manufacturing industry besides car manufacturing. Furthermore, it was only partially independent from the United Kingdom. Therefore, most of Canadian weapons and equipment during the war was imported from either Britain or the US.
Knives and bayonets
Model | From | Blade length | Comments | - | - |
Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife | 1941 | 18 cm | Various models. | - | - |
Ross bayonet | 1905 | ? | Stepped guard on early model, flat on later model. Sharpened later models were taken overseas in World War I. | - | - |
P1907 bayonet | 1907 | ? | Used on No. 1 rifle | - | - |
No. 4 MK. II bayonet | 1941 | ? | Used on No. 4 MK. I, No. 4 MK. I* and Sten MK. V | - | - |
M346 | ? | 90mm | Standard issue containing a 90mm sheeps foot blade, a 40mm stab/can opener blade, a 100mm fid/ marlin spike and a lanyard bale wire loop, based on the Case Model 6353/1905. Manufactured by Case in the USA for the Canadian Military until 1948 when production moved to Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada. Markings include "Case XX Metal Stampings" on the base of the sheeps foot blade and a C with a broad arrow inside stamped on the scales normally near the rivet holding the blades. |
Small arms
Pistols (manual and semi-automatic)
Automatic pistols and submachine guns
Rifles
Type | Base model | Maker | Rounds | Cartridge | From: | Produced | Weight | Comment |
No. 1 Mk. III & No. 1 MK. III* | Lee–Enfield | various | 10 | .303 British Mk VII | ? | 4 kg | ||
Number 4 Mk.I, No.4 MK. I* | Lee-Enfield | various | 10 | .303 British Mk VII | 1943 | ? | 4 kg | main Canadian rifle of World War II |
Pattern 14 | Enfield | Winchester, Remington | 5 | .303 British Mk VII | 1914 | 1235298 | 4.25 kg | training only |
M1917 | Enfield | Springfield Armory, others | 6 | .30-06 Springfield | 1917 | 2193429 | 4.17 kg | limited use in Canadian homeland |
Grenades and grenade launchers
This list is grossly incomplete, listing a small fraction of approximately 30 grenade varieties used by Canadians during World War II.Grenade | Launcher | Introduced | Type | Weight, g | comments |
No. 36 M MK. I | cup discharger for No. 1 rifle | 1915 | fragmentation | 765 | most common hand grenade during World War II |
No 68 AT Grenade | 1940 | HEAT | 894 | 52 mm RHA penetration | |
No. 69 grenade | 1942 | high-explosive | 383 | bakelite case | |
No. 73 grenade | 1940 | high-explosive | 2000 | 51mm RHA penetration, used mostly for demolition | |
No. 74 Sticky bomb | 1940 | HESH | ~900 | low-cost | |
No. 75 AT Hawkins Mine | 1942 | high-explosive | 1020 | most common Canadian AT weapon & demolition charge during World War II | |
No. 82 Gammon | 1943 | universal | 1140 | soft body |
Flamethrowers
Machine guns
Infantry and dual-purpose machine guns
Vehicle and aircraft machine guns
Artillery
Infantry mortars
Heavy mortars & rocket launchers
C-21 UCM -Field artillery
Anti-tank guns
Model | Caliber | Penetration 1 | Penetration 2 | Muzzle speed | Max. range | From | Produced | Weight, kg | fire rate, RPM | Comment |
QF 2-pdr | 40 mm | 37 mm @ 457 m | 27 mm @ 914 m | 792 | 1000 | 1936 | 12000 | 814 | 22 | |
QF 6-pdr | 57 mm | 88 mm @ 100 m | - | 884 | 1600 | 1941 | ? | 1140 | ? | produced in both UK and Canada |
QF 17-pdr | 76.2 mm | 130 mm @ 500 m | 119 mm @ 1000 m | 880 | 1800 | 1942 | ? | 3050 | ? | - |
Anti-tank weapons (besides anti-tank guns)
- Boys Anti-Tank Rifle
- PIAT-1943-1950s
- Clam Magnetic Mine
- Mk 5 mine
- Mk 2 mine
- Bazooka
Anti-aircraft weapons
Vehicles
Canada have produced a wide variety of combat vehicles during World War II domestically, but all primary fighting vehicles there imported because of manufacturing quality concerns.Tankettes
- not used in combatTanks
Self-propelled guns
Tank-based
Other
- M3 Half-track equipped with the M1A1 75 mm gunArmored cars
Engineering and command
- Sherman Ib recovery vehicle
Tractors & prime movers
Miscellaneous vehicles
Model | Builder | Country | Load / Comments |
AEC Matador | AEC | UK | Field Artillery Tractor |
Corbitt 6-ton 6x6 | Various | US | 6-ton |
Diamond T 4-ton 6x6 | Diamond T | US | 4-ton |
Dodge D8A | Dodge | Canada | 8cwt |
Ford GP, GPA | Ford | US | -ton 4x4, GPA amphibian |
Morris C8 | Morris-Commercial | UK | Field Artillery Tractor |
Willys MB/Ford GPW | Willys/Ford | US | "Jeep" -ton 4x4 |
C/F-8, C/F-8A CMP | Chevrolet/Ford | Canada | 8cwt |
C/F-15, C/F-15A CMP | Chevrolet/Ford | Canada | 15cwt |
C/F-30, C/F-30A CMP | Chevrolet/Ford | Canada | 30cwt |
C/F-60, C/F-60A CMP | Chevrolet/Ford | Canada | 60cwt |
C-60X 6x6 CMP | Chevrolet | Canada | three driven axles |
F-60H 6x4 CMP | Ford | Canada | three axles, rear un-driven |
C/F-GT CMP | Chevrolet/Ford | Canada | Field Artillery Tractor |
Aircraft
Although the Canadian government purchased and built thousands of military aircraft for use by the RCAF Home War Establishment and the Canadian-based units of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, under the provisions of the plan Canada was to provide the training aircraft and facilities and a very large number of Canadian airmen would be committed to go overseas to fight in Article XV squadrons formed in the Great Britain and known as 400 series squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Forty-four of these squadrons were formed and most under this agreement were equipped by the British largely from their stocks and that is why many of the types of aircraft flown in combat in great numbers by most of the RCAF squadrons engaged in the fighting are missing from the following list altogether.Fighters
Attack aircraft
Bombers
Reconnaissance aircraft
Trainers
Transports
Radars
- Night Watchman, 200-MHz, 1-kW prototype of SW radars
- SW1C - surface-warning radar for merchant ships and frigates
- SW2C - frequency changed to 215 MHz
- SW3C - miniaturization to fit on torpedo boats, plan-position indicator
- CD radar - coastal defense only
- CDX radar - improvements and export to USSR
- GL IIIC - mobile air search radar
- Type 268 – 10 GHz submarine snorkel search radar
- MEW/AS - 2.8 GHz, 300 kW submarine detection radar
- MEW/HF - air search radar
- 2 other unknown radar types used operationally
- 18 radar types developed but never used
Cartridges and shells
Uniforms, Load Bearing and Protective Equipment
Uniforms
Model/Type | Period or years in use | Manufacturer/origins |
Canadian Pattern and British Pattern | ||
Khaki Drill | ||
Battle Dress 1939-early 1970s | ||
Denison smock Used by the Airborne |
Load bearing equipment
Model/Type | Period or Years in Use | Manufacturer/Origins |
1937 Pattern Web Equipment | ||
1942 Battle Jerkin |
Head dress
Model/Type | Period or Years in Use | Manufacturer/Origins |
Glengarry | ||
Tam o'shanter | ||
Field Service Cap | ||
Beret | ||
Helmet, MK II | ||
Mk III Turtle helmet |