Show notes
In May 1945, the residents of Bay Bulls (and later, St. John’s), Newfoundland witnessed as a German submarine entered the harbour. The boat was U-190, and its crew had surrendered to vessels of the Royal Canadian Navy days before. Back on 16 April 1945, U-190 had torpedoed and sank HMCS Esquimalt, the last Canadian warship lost during the Second World War. Now, the U-boat flew under the White Ensign instead of the Nazi swastika and a Canadian naval officer had the command. Just as May 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe, it also marks the end of the Battle of the Atlantic. For nearly six long years, Canadian airmen and naval and merchant sailors kept supply lines across the Atlantic Ocean open despite the German U-boat (submarine) menace. Historian Marc Milner joins us to explore what some call “Canada’s longest battle”. He argues that Canada’s economic and military efforts in the Battle of the Atlantic were our most important contributions to victory in the Second World War. Conning tower of German submarine U-190, showing Schnorkel mast and White Ensign flying over Kriegsmarine flag (Edward W. Dinsmore / DND / LAC / PA-145577).PatreonHelp keep us on the air! Become a patron for Juno Beach and Beyond for as little as $2 per month. Make your secure contribution through Patreon.com.All proceeds support the Juno Beach Centre, Canada’s Second World War Museum in Normandy, France and allow us to continue to offer this content to listeners across Canada!Time StampsGuest BiographyMarc Milner is one of Canada’s leading naval and military historians. After completing his doctoral dissertation on the Royal Canadian Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic, he worked for the Department of National Defence on the official histories of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy. More recently, Professor Milner’s research at the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick focuses on Canada’s Battle of Normandy. We interviewed him for our very first podcast episode, Stopping the Panzers with Marc Milner, based on his 2014 book of the same title. NotesThe following links offer more information on the topics discussed in this episode:PodcastsSt. Lawrence Victory with Roger SartyStopping the Panzers with Marc MilnerEncyclopediaAdmiral L.W. MurrayGrand Admiral Karl DönitzW. L. Mackenzie KingWinston ChurchillThe Battle of the AtlanticVictory in the AtlanticThe Merchant Navy of CanadaMen and Women of the Royal Canadian NavyConvoysAnti-Submarine DetectionShip TypesRCAF Anti-Submarine Squadrons OverseasRCAF Home DefenceCreditsJuno Beach & Beyond is hosted and edited by Alex Fitzgerald-Black, the Juno Beach Centre Association’s Operations and Outreach Manager.Mackenzie King’s speech to British Parliament from the British Pathé YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SlEvclY5LE&t=48sArtillery firing sounds from the CBC News: The National YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsCSQ4uWR1YFemale veteran’s voice (Eileen Green, née Short) Courtesy of The Memory Project, Historica Canada: http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/383:eileen-green-nee-short/ Winston Churchill’s “Finest Hour” speech from Jonathan Thomas’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB5wZtV1MWMSpitfire sound effect from Jason Kirby’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgZI4tAoMN0Dramatic Interlude by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/



