Canadian Forces Land Force Command

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Canadian Forces Land Force Command

Image:Canada Army Flag.png History Canadian Corps Canadian First Army Military History of Canada Structure Land Force Atlantic Area Land Force Quebec Area Land Force Central Area Land Force Western Area

Canadian Forces Land Force Command (LF) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Armed Forces. LF maintains bases across Canada and is responsible for the largest component of the Canadian Forces Reserves — the Army Reserve, often referred to as the "militia".

LF is the descendant of the Canadian Army which was the name of Canada's land forces until February 1, 1968, although this term has never really disappeared from the LF description. At the time of unification all army units were placed under Force Mobile Command (FMC) with the name being changed to Land Force Command in a 1990s reorganization of the Canadian Forces.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation 1.2 Boer War 1.3 World War One 1.4 World War Two 1.5 Post War 2 Army bases and training centres 3 Regiments of the Regular Force 3.1 Armoured 3.2 Artillery 3.3 Combat engineers 3.4 Infantry 3.5 Special forces 4 Brigades 4.1 Land Force Atlantic Area 4.2 Land Force Quebec Area 4.3 Land Force Central Area 4.4 Land Force Western Area 5 Medical Branch 5.1 Canadian Forces Medical Group 6 Equipment 6.1 Vehicles 6.2 Weapons 7 Rank Structure 8 External Links 9 Publications 10 See also

History

Image:Canadianarmy.JPG

Formation

Prior to the Confederation of Canada in 1867, the British Army provided the defence of Canada, although many Canadians served with the British in various conflicts including the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. However, after 1867, the British began to downsize their garrisons in Canada, mainly to move troops to other areas of the Empire, and also friendlier relations with the United States, Canada's immediate neighbour, and the only country capable of launching an armed invasion of the country. Accordingly, the Canadian's began to build up their own Army, although the British continued to provide naval defence through the Royal Navy.

Boer War

The first major conflict that the Canadian Army fought in was the Boer War, an armed conflict in South Africa between the British and Boer settlers. The Canadian forces missed the early period of the war and the great British defeats of Black Week. The Canadians in South Africa won much acclaim for leading the charge at the Second Battle of Paardeberg, one of the first decisive victories of the war. At the Battle of Liliefontein, three Canadians were awarded the Victoria Cross for protecting the rear of a retreating force. About 7400 Canadians, including 12 female nurses, served in South Africa. Of these, 224 died, 252 were wounded, and several were decorated with the Victoria Cross. The war remained deeply unpopular in Quebec, that viewed it a crushing a democratic minority group in many ways similar to French-Canadians. Canadian forces also participated fully in the concentration camp programmes that led to the deaths of thousands of Boer civilians.

World War One

On August 4, 1914, the United Kingdom entered WWI by declaring war on Germany. The British declaration of war automatically brought Canada into the war, as it was still part of the British Empire. The Canadian Corps was formed, and over 600,000 Canadians served with the Corps in the duration of the war. Unlike, the other major combatants, Canada had not introduced conscription to replace the massive casualties they were suffering. Pressure to introduce and enforce conscription was strong in English Canada, but the idea was deeply unpopular in Quebec, leading to the Conscription Crisis of 1917. After the war finished in 1918, several Canadian units also served in the Russian Civil War.

World War Two

Image:Canadian forces in Italy.jpg Canada declared War on Nazi Germany on September 10, 1939, following the British and French declarations of war several days before. The Canadian First Army was in overall control of Canadian land forces. The Canadian First Army participated in many of the land battles in Europe.

Canada led the failed Dieppe Raid (Operation Jubilee) on August 19, 1942, landing nearly 5,000 soldiers of the 2nd Canadian Division and 1,000 British commandos on the coast of occupied France, in the only major combined forces assault on France prior to the Normandy invasion of June 1944. Despite air support from Allied fighters and bombers and a naval fleet of 237 ships and landing barges, the raid was a disaster.

Later Canadian First Army troops took part in the Allied invasion of Italy. On June 6, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Division landed on Juno Beach in the Battle of Normandy. Troops sustained 50% casualties in their first hour of attack. By the end of D-Day, the Canadians had penetrated deeper into France than either the British or the American troops at their landing sites and while overcoming stronger resistance than any of the other beachheads except Omaha Beach.

Canada also played a role in the Pacific Theatre. Upon the request of the British Government, Canada agreed to send reinforcement to garrison Hong Kong, therefore freeing up troops for other British possessions in the Far East. The Department of National Defence sent 1975 soldiers from the Royal Rifles of Canada (from Quebec City) and the Winnipeg Grenadiers. However, the Canadian forces in Hong Kong did not have much of an impact when Japan invaded the crown colony on December 8, 1941 (see Battle of Hong Kong). Later, in 1944, the Canadian Government sent some of their Chinese-Canadian recruits into occupied Malaya as spies and trainers of the local guerrillas.

Post War

Image:Canadian soldiers afghanistan.jpg Canada had the 4th largest Army in the world following the end of World War II, leading to large cutbacks to operate in peacetime. Despite this, the Canadian Army saw action in the Korean War, forming part of the British Commonwealth Forces Korea and taking part in the Battle of Kapyong.

Prior to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Canadian Army was the only Imperial/Commonwealth nation to have provided the King's Guard in London. In the lead up, the contingent of Canadian troops sent for the coronation provided the guard during June 1953, along with an equivilent unit of the Australian Army.

The Army was amalgamated with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force on February 1, 1968. The newly formed Canadian Forces was the first combined command military force in the modern world. The Army became known as the Canadian Forces Land Command, although the term Canadian Army is still used today. Helicopter operations transfered to Air Command.

Canadian Forces also took part in the Gulf War in 1991, and later participated in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

Army bases and training centres

• CFB Edmonton, Alberta (1 CMBG, CTC Wainwright)
• CFB Suffield, Alberta
• CFB-TC Shilo, Manitoba
• LFWA TC Wainwright, Alberta
• CFB Borden, Ontario
• CFB Petawawa, Ontario (2 CMBG)
• LFCA TC Meaford, Ontario
• CFB Montreal, Quebec
• CFB Valcartier, Quebec (5 CMBG)
• CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick (CTC)
• LFAATC Det Aldershot, Kentville Nova Scotia
• CFB Trenton, Ontario Canadian Parachute Centre (CPC)

Regiments of the Regular Force

Image:PPCLI.JPG Canadian army regiments are strongly rooted in the traditions and history of the British Army. Battle honours displayed by these regiments often date back to colonial times. Many regiments originated as Canadian detachments of British parent regiments and as Canadian colonial militia, resulting in a variety of colourful and historically familiar names.

Units of the regular force are divided so that two-thirds are anglophone units and one-third are francophone.

Armoured

• The Royal Canadian Dragoons
• Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
• 12^e Régiment blindé du Canada

Artillery

• 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
• 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
• 5^e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada
• 4th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

Combat engineers

• 1st Combat Engineer Regiment
• 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment
• 4th Engineer Support Regiment
• 5^e Régiment du genie de combat

Infantry

• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions, The Royal Canadian Regiment
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
• 1^e, 2^e, et 3^e Batallions, Royal 22^e Régiment

Between 1953 and 1971, the regular Canadian infantry consisted of six regiments, each of two battalions (except the Royal 22^e Régiment, which had three). The three present regular infantry regiments were augmented by two battalions each of the Canadian Guards, the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. After 1971, the QOR and the Black Watch were returned to the militia (with their personnel distributed between the RCR and PPCLI), while the Canadian Guards was disbanded.

Special forces

• Joint Task Force 2

Brigades

Image:Leopard tank1.jpg Army forces are administered through four geographically based command areas under Land Force Command, each comprised of regular and reserve force brigades. Links from each command area below will provide details of brigade composition.
Regular Force formations are in bold face. Reserve Force units are in light face.

Land Force Atlantic Area

• Combat Training School Gagetown (CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick)
• 36 Canadian Brigade Group (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
• 37 Canadian Brigade Group (Moncton, New Brunswick)

Land Force Quebec Area

• 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (CFB Valcartier, Quebec)
• 34 Canadian Brigade Group (Montreal, Quebec)
• 35 Canadian Brigade Group (Quebec, Quebec)

Land Force Central Area

• 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (CFB Petawawa, Ontario)
• 31 Canadian Brigade Group (London, Ontario)
• 32 Canadian Brigade Group (Toronto, Ontario)
• 33 Canadian Brigade Group (Ottawa, Ontario)

Land Force Western Area

• 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (CFB Edmonton, Alberta)
• 38 Canadian Brigade Group (Regina, Saskatchewan)
• 39 Canadian Brigade Group (Vancouver, British Columbia)
• 41 Canadian Brigade Group (Calgary, Alberta)

Medical Branch

Image:Canadian Armed Forces Land Force Command badge.png In 2004 the Medical Branch of the Canadian Forces underwent a reorganization. The army reserve units, which had formerly been titled medical companies, were renamed field ambulances to match the titles of the regular units. In addition, all regular and reserve army units were removed from the brigades and placed in a new formation:

Canadian Forces Medical Group

• 1 Field Ambulance, Edmonton
• 2 Field Ambulance, Petawawa
• 5 Field Ambulance, Valcartier
• 11 Field Ambulance, Victoria
• 12 Field Ambulance, Vancouver
• 15 Field Ambulance, Edmonton
• 16 Field Ambulance, Regina
• 17 Field Ambulance, Winnipeg
• 18 Field Ambulance, Thunder Bay
• 23 Field Ambulance, Hamilton
• 25 Field Ambulance, Toronto
• 28 Field Ambulance, Ottawa
• 35 Field Ambulance, Sydney
• 51 Field Ambulance, Montreal
• 52 Field Ambulance, Sherbrooke
• 55 Field Ambulance, Quebec City

Equipment

Vehicles

• G-Wagen 4 × 4, light utility vehicle
• Mamba and Nyala mine-proof 4 × 4 armoured personnel carrier
• MLVW medium logistic vehicle, wheeled
• LSVW light support vehicle, wheeled
• HLVW heavy lift vehicle
• ROWPU (reverse-osmosis water purification unit)
• AVGP 6 × 6 armoured vehicle (general purpose)
  • Cougar (armoured fire support)
  • Grizzly (armoured personnel carrier)
  • Husky (armoured recovery)
• Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle (8 × 8)
• M113A3 tracked armoured personnel carrier
• MTVL (mobile tactical vehicle, light)
• LAV III 8 × 8 (light armoured vehicle)
• ADATS (air-defence, antitank system)
• Leopard main battle tank
• M109 self-propelled howitzer
• Bv206
• CH-146 Griffon tactical transport helicopter

Weapons

• C9 machine-gun
• C7A1 rifle/C8A1 carbine/C-7A2 rifle
• C6 machine-gun
• Browning .50 calibre heavy machine-gun
• Browning-HP 9 mm pistol
• Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW)
• C3A1 sniper rifle
• C13 fragmentation grenade
• TOW anti-tank missile
• Carl Gustav
• M72 anti-tank weapon
• 81 mm mortar
• 60 mm mortar
• ERYX short-range anti-armour weapon (heavy)
• Javelin short-range air defence missile
• LG1 Mark II 105 mm towed howitzer
• Skyguard / 35 mm twin-gun low-level air defence
• C1 close support howitzer
• C3 close support howitzer
• P225, 226 (naval boarding parties, pilots and JTF operators)

Rank Structure

Comparison of ranking structure available at Ranks and Insignia of NATO.

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF-D-	Student Officer
Image:Flag of Canada.svg Canada (Edit)	No Equivalent	Image:CA-army9.gif	Image:CA-army8.gif	Image:CA-army7.gif	Image:CA-army6.gif		Image:CA-army5.gif	Image:CA-army4.gif	Image:CA-army3.gif	Image:CA-army2.gif	Image:CA-army1a.gif	Image:CA-army1b.gif	No Equivalent	Image:CA-army0.gif
		General Général	Lieutenant General Lieutenant-général	Major General Major-général	Brigadier General Brigadier-général		Colonel Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant-colonel	Major Major	Captain Capitaine	Lieutenant Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant		Officer Cadet Eleve-Officier
1 Honorary/War time rank.

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4		OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Image:Flag of Canada.svg Canada (Edit)	Image:CA-Army-OR9a.gif		Image:CA-Army-OR9b.gif		Image:CA-Army-OR9c.gif		Image:CA-Army-OR8.gif		Image:CA-Army-OR7.gif		Image:CA-Army-OR6.gif						Image:CA-Army-OR5.gif						Image:CA-Army-OR4.gif Image:Canadacorp.jpg		Image:CA-Army-OR3.gif Image:Canadaprivate.jpg		No Insignia						No Insignia
	Command Chief Warrant Officer Adjudant-chef du commandement		Base Chief Warrant Officer Adjudant-chef base		Chief Warrant Officer Adjudant-chef		Master Warrant Officer Adjudant-maître		Warrant Officer Adjudant		Sergeant Sergent						Master Corporal Caporal-chef						Corporal Caporal		Trained Private Soldat		Private Basic						Private (Recruit) Soldat (recrue)

External Links

• Canadiansolders.com: http://www.canadiansoldiers.com

Publications

• Canadian Military Journal: http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca
• Canadian Army Journal: http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/caj/

See also

• Royal Canadian Artillery
• Canadian Armed Forces

Canadian Armed Forces	Image:Canadian Armed Forces Tri-service badge.png
Image:Canada Army Flag.png Land Force Command | Image:Canada Navy Jack.png Maritime Command | Image:Canadian Air Command flag.svg Air Command