I've created a pdf story of my father in the Canadian Army from 1940 to 1945, he was in the Lake Superior Regiment. The link to the PDF is Alexander Paul Kalyniuk (Kalynuk) in the Canadian Army 1940 to 1945
I wanted to share his Canadian Army service story with his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and friends before I too as gone.
Hopefully the link above will be permanent to the PDF in the meantime, I'll cut and paste his story below.
Alexander
Paul Kalynuk in the Canadian Army
Lake
Superior Regiment - Regimental No. H.46193
Date of Birth: November 5, 1915
Service
Date: Enlistment July 9, 1940. Honorable
discharge December 12, 1945
The 1930’s had prairie
families dealing with the Great Depression, the Dirty Thirties the term for these
years because of the frequent dust storms. Alexander Kalynuk was twenty-four ½
years old at the time and living on the family farm with his parents Paul and Katie
Kalyniuk. There were no jobs, and his parents’ small family farm had to support
his parents and his younger brother and sisters.
The second world war started
on September 3, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared
war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Canada being a member of the British
Commonwealth declared war on Germany on September 10 to support Great Britain. During
the fall and winter of 1939, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from the UK
began landing in France and by May 1940 the BEF amounted to 390,000 men in
France.
Canada began mobilizing troops
in Canada during the fall of 1939 to help Britain and the view of the day would
be that the great British Empire along with France would defeat Hitler and the
German Nazi’s long before the Canadian troops would make it to England and
France. Alexander knew that joining the Canadian army would give a chance to
earn some money, maybe buy a farm of his own some day and start a family.
Alexander’s older sister
Nellie had married Peter Santa and the Santas were living in Port Arthur,
Ontario later renamed Thunder Bay. Nellie told Alexander that when Alexander
joined the army that he ask at the manning depot that he be assigned to the
Lake Superior Regiment based out of Port Arthur. The Lake Superior was a light
mechanized regiment with jeeps and motorcycles and small tracked personnel
carriers and Nellie thought a mechanized unit would involve less marching for
her brother because Nellie thought Alexander had “flat feet” and less marching
would be easier on her younger brother’s feet.
Alexander Kalyniuk and Mike
Katchin arrived at the army recruiting office in Brandon Manitoba on July 9th,
1940. Alexander said he wanted to join the Lake Superior Regiment. His pal,
Mike Katchin said he had no preference which unit he joined so Mike Katchin was
assigned to the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Alexander was assigned to the Lake
Superiors and headed off to Thunder Bay. Mike Katchin with the Winnipeg
Grenadiers were sent in October 1941 to defend the British Colony of Hong Kong
against the Japanese army. The British Army was defeated by Christmas 1941 and
Mike Katchin was sent to Japanese POW (prisoner of war) camp. Mike was lucky to
survive four years in the Japanese POW camp.
The declaration paragraph on
Alexander’s Canadian Active Service Form Attestation Paper stated that Alexander
had to serve for the entirety of the conflict or the minimum of one year.
Alexander and Mike were probably thinking they would be done with the army in a
year.
Figure 1 - Attestation Form
Declaration
Alexander was granted harvest leave from August 31 to
September 16, 1940, and travelled by train to Angusville to help put on the family
farm with the harvest.
Figure 2 - the Lake Superior Regiment
crest, Fearless in the Face of Danger is the regiment motto.
On October 10, 1940, the Lake Superior Regiment would travel
to Camp Borden Ontario for extensive training.
October 10th was a wet day with a light drizzle
falling but the sendoff at the train station was a warm one. Huge crowds lined
the sidewalks as the troops marched down the street headed by the band dressed
in scarlet tunics. They boarded the coaches to cheers along with many tears.
Figure 3 - the Lake Superior Regiment
marching to the Port Arthur train station.
The Regiment arrived in Border, Ontario shortly after noon
on October 11, 1940. The troops were escorted to the new quarters, a series of
tar-papered huts, bare of any furnishings. Beds, mattresses, and blankets had
to be drawn from stores and by nightfall the men settled in.
Alexander was assigned the job
as driver or better known in the British army term as a batman.
Figure 5 - Principal duty listed as batman.
The chart below shows the
organization of the Regiment at the company level. The Regiment was divided
into five units, Headquarters company, A company, B company, C company and D or
Support company. A company normally consisted of 118 enlisted man and officers
but the size at times could range from 100 to 250 personnel. A support company
in the Canadian Army was organized as in the chart below. Platoons would be the
units sent out to engage in combat. Alexander assigned to C company and later assigned
to “Support” company.
Figure 6- organization of a Support
Company in the Canadian Army WWII
Alexander would assign a portion of his pay, $15.00 to his
mother Katie each month, a sizeable sum when Alexander was paid a dollar a day
in the army.
On April 28th, 1941, the Regiment received
orders to head for Ottawa. The purpose of the move to Ottawa was to prepare the
men to function as an honor guard during the visit by the President of the
United States. President Roosevelt was unable to make the trip to Ottawa and by
May 12 the regiment told they would be on the move again. On May 28, the
regiment set off on a five-day, hundred-mile march to the train station at Vaudreuil, Quebec, just outside of Montreal. At
Vaudreuil, the men boarded the waiting CNR railway coaches that would take them
to Aldershot Nova Scotia. The train arrived at Aldershot on June 5, 1941, and
the Regiment joined the 11th Brigade.
Alexander received a performance review on May 17, 1941, shown
below.
Figure 7 – May 17, 1941, performance
review of Alexander Kalynuk
Figure 8 - location of Aldershot, Nova
Scotia
On June 18, 1941, the Lake Superior Regiment was sent to
St. John New Brunswick to be a part of Canada’s costal defense force to guard
the St. John harbor.
August 13, 1941, saw the regiment sent to Debert, Nova
Scotia with other units of the 11th Brigade.
February 6, 1942, saw the regiment returning to St. John,
New Brunswick as a defense force to guard against any German U-Boat attacks
within the harbor.
The Winnipeg Free Press would publish this small photo
(shown below) of Alexander on April 11, 1942.
Figure 9- April 11, 1942, Winnipeg
Free Press note on Alexander Kalynuk
Alexander was sent on a motorcycle driver training course
on April 20, 1942
The Lake Superior Regiment returned to Debert, Nova Scotia
on June 23, 1942.
Alexander was awarded a Good Conduct Badge on July 9, 1942,
and was qualified as a Driver Class III on July 24, 1942.
On August 20, 1942, the Canadian 4th Armored
Division which included the Lake Superior Regiment boarded the converted ocean
liner, the HMS Strathmore to head across the Atlantic Ocean to the UK. While at
sea on August 19, 1942, the Canadian troops aboard the HMS Strathmore heard the
news of the disastrous Dieppe raid resulting in severe losses to Canadian units
that participated on the Dieppe raid.
Figure 10 - HMS Strathmore
On September 1, 1942, the HMS Strathmore docked at the
Trade Warf at Glasgow Scotland and the Regiment disembarked and boarded the
train that would take them to Farnham station, located sixty kilometers
southwest of London.
Figure 11- location of Farnham and
Aldershot
At Farnham, the troops were housed in metal Quonset huts.
Figure 12 - a typical WWII era Quonset hut.
Now that the Lake Superior Regiment was in the UK, daily combat
training would begin.
Figure 13- Alexander Kalynuk in the UK
1942
Performance reviews were done in November 1942, a summary
of Alex’s review is shown below.
Figure 14 - summary of November 17, 1942,
Alexander Kalynuk performance review.
Alexander Kalynuk would continue as a Driver – Batman and now
assigned as batman to Lieutenants Malach and Pruves in Support Company in
February 1943.
Support Company of an Infantry Unit was an
afterthought of the British Army after two years of unsuccessful fighting in
France and in the desert. In these campaigns the infantry officers kept requesting
heavier close support that was then provided in the army. At the beginning a
small Mortar Platoon and a Pioneer Platoon were in what was
then Headquarters Company. Many trials were made both in combat and in
training. In the fall of 1942 what we know as Support Company was added to the
strength of an infantry battalion. It contained, in miniature, a replica
of all arms, Mortars and Anti-Tank to represent
Artillery; Carriers to represent Armored Cars. Later Browning machine
guns were added to give tremendous fire power and Pioneers to cover off the
Engineers. Flame throwers were added and did terrible execution. An Ack Ack
Platoon only stayed for a brief time. Each platoon was made completely
self-supporting and self-contained for ammunition and rations.
The Lake Superior Regiment continued to be part of the 4th
Canadian Armored Division.
The armored element of the 4th Canadian Armored Division consisted of the 4th
Canadian Armored Brigade which consisted of:
The
Lake Superior Regiment (Motor Battalion) 1st Battalion.
21st Canadian Armored Regiment (Governor General's Foot Guards) (Sherman V
& Firefly VC)
22nd Canadian Armored Regiment (The Canadian Grenadier Guards) (Sherman V &
Firefly VC)
28th Canadian Armored Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment) (Sherman V &
Firefly VC)
After training in
in the UK for almost two years, by 1944 thoughts of the invasion of France were
on everyone’s mind.
D-Day, the Allied
invasion of Europe was on June 6, 1944. The 4th Canadian Armored
Division of which the Lake Superior Regiment was a part of did not go ashore on
D-Day, the 4th Canadian Armored Division was held back in reserve.
In the early morning hours of July 19th, 1944,
the Lake Superior Regiment broke camp and headed to the docks at Tilbury, UK,
located SE of London on the Thames River.
Figure 15 - Location of Tilbury, UK
At Tilbury, the Regiment then boarded three ships, The
Houston City, the Fort Rae, and the Fort Assiniboine for the trip across the
English Channel.
Figure 16 - the Canadian merchant ship the
Fort Assiniboine
On July 26th, the Regiment disembarked at
Normandy on Juno Beach near Graye-sur-Mer France.
Figure 17 - map of D-Day landing sites.
The first combat action for the Lake Superior Regiment
(LSR) was on August 4, 1944, when they attacked the German army at La Hogue,
the attack failed and the LSR’s regrouped.
On August 8, the LSR’s took part in the battle for the
Falaise Pocket or the Falaise Gap. The Germany Army was almost surrounded at
Falaise and had to retreat eastward via a small corridor. A substantial portion
of the German Army based in Normandy was killed. The lone road out of Falaise
for the German Army was called the “Corridor of Death.” Google “Battle of
Falaise” for more information on this historic battle.
Figure 18- map of the Lake Superior
Regiment route in France and Belgium
After the Falaise battle the regiment would turn northward
and fight through northern France arriving in Bergues Belgium on September 10th.
Added to his duties as a batman, Alexander was tasked as a
messenger, delivering dispatches via a motorcycle. The photo below is what a
typical Canadian army motorcycle ride would look like.
Figure 19 – typical Canadian Army
motorcycle messenger.
The Lake Superior Regiment entered Holland in October 1944
and reaches the Maas River by December. The Regiment was thinking about
Christmas celebrations, then on December 20th the regiment abruptly
received orders to move to Hertogenbosh. The German army launched a major
offensive into the Ardennes Forest in Belgium against the American Army with
the purpose of the Germans capturing the port of Antwerp. This failed German
offensive was names the “Battle of the Bulge. The Lake Superior Regiment moved
to Hertogenbosch shore up the Allied positions should the German army break out
of the Ardennes Forest.
Figure 20 - soldiers of the Lake
Superior Regiment at Hertogenbosch
Christmas Day 1944 was quiet for the Regiment with a few
men on watch duty. Christmas dinner featured roast turkey and roast beef. A few
local Dutch chickens were thrown in to supplement the turkey. Desert consisted
of pudding, mince tarts, cakes, and a bottle of English beer. Each man received
a Christmas parcel donated by the Knights of Columbus, the parcel contained
cigarettes, cigars, matches and chocolate bars. News Years Day brought little
in the way of change from the familiar routine of patrols. The routine of daily
patrols would continue until late February.
On February 25th, the Regiment was ordered to
move toward a clearing through the Hochwald Forest, the clearing known as the Hochwald
Gap. The German army put up fierce resistance. This battle was named the Battle
of the Hochwald Gap.
Figure 21 - map of the Hochwald Gap battle.
After the fighting at the Hochwald Gap, the Lake Superior Regiment
was given three days’ rest. On March 6th saw the Regiment advance and
capture the town of Winnenthal near Wesel Germany.
Figure 22- map of the Lake Superior
Regiment route in the Netherlands and Germany
March 12, 1945, would see the Regiment relieved and sent to
Oirschot Holland for rest and recuperation. April 2 would see the Regiment return
to combat, clearing the German Army from the towns of Terbourg, Borculo,
Gelselaar, Diepenheim, and Coevorden.
Figure 23 - LSRE into NW Germany and
Holland, the towns of Hengelo, Coevorden and Meppen underlined by Alexander.
The Regiment continued moving north, fighting along the
Kusten Canal, and arriving at the German town of Bad Zwischenahn on April 30.
The fighting was severe as the German troops realized this was their last stand
before their fatherland was overrun. A German priest was sent into the town of Bad
Zweischenahn to convince the German defenders to surrender, if the German
troops did not vacate, the town would be bombed or shelled to rubble. The
German soldiers chose to vacate the town of Bad Zwischenahn. On May 2, 1945,
the Regiment was ordered to take Oldenburg.
By May 1945, rumors of peace were in the air and more
German soldiers began surrendering without a fight. On the evening of May 4th,
the message came from headquarters that all forward movements by the Allied troops
would cease. This is how the war ended for the Lake Superior Regiment and
Alexander Kalynuk.
Figure 24 - Alexander Kalynuk, photo
taken in Amsterdam 1945
Germany unconditionally surrendered on May 7, 1945, and May
8th was declared Victory in Europe (VE) day.
There is a YouTube video on the history of the Lake
Superior Regiment called “In the Face of Danger” the link is https://youtu.be/HcmUvTlqyA0?si=VpP1SPcbyLwgl4BV
On May 8th, the Regiment then moved to Varel
Germany and to begin rounding up German troops into POW camps. On May 25, the
Regiment was ordered to Henglo Holland, a welcome move as the Dutch people warmly
welcomed the Canadian troops.
On June 17, the Lake Superior Regiment held a religious
service to pay formal tribute to their fellow soldiers that were killed in
action.
A regiment sports day was planned for July 1 to celebrate
Canada’s birthday, but the day was rained out. Some Lake Superiors soldiers assisted
local Dutch farmers during the haying and harvest season. I think Alexander
would have been one.
Figure 25 - Alexander Kalynuk in post
war Holland 1945
In mid-September, the Lake Superior Regiment moved to Soest,
Holland near the Canadian army repatriation camp located at Nijmegen. LSR troops
would start the return trip to Canada.
Alexander arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 22, 1945,
and took the train to Winnipeg. Disembarkation leave was granted until December
7. Alexander was discharged from the Canadan Army on December 12, 1945, his Canadian
Army service was 65 months, 38 months were overseas.
Figure 26 - Alexander Kalynuk Army
Discharge Certificate
Figure 27 - Discharge Report 1945
Figure 28- Alexander Kalynuk Army award
medals.
A form was filled out for his award medals to be sent home
to Angusville. Alexander could not get home soon enough, what a Christmas 1945 must
have been for him.
Figure 29 - form to send his award
medals home.
Figure 30 - Alexander Kalynuk WWII
Award Medals
Figure 31 - Description of the Award
Medals
The community of Angusville would formally welcome the veterans’
home with a reception at Angusville Hall on May 28, 1946.
Figure 32 – veterans welcome home
invitation at Angusville Hall May 28, 1946
Figure 33 - thank-you message to the
returning WWII veterans from Angusville and community.
Postscript
My father Alexander Kalynuk rarely talked about the war.
The only times I can recall a “war story” being told was when he was in the
company of someone from his Regiment and those stories were of funny incidents
that had happened to them, like boiling the officer’s soup dry while they were
playing cards instead on monitoring the soup pot and then they quickly had to
adding dishwater to the soup to make it liquid as the officers arrived unexpectedly.
The days from July 26, 1944, to May 4, 1945, were a daily horror show and
combat memories for Alexander were sealed away and never purposely revisited. Alexander
often retold the story of how his sister Nellie Santa insisted that her brother
join the Lake Superior Regiment as she felt that there would be less marching
for Alex, Alex felt that was a lucky break as he did not enter the combat zone
until July 26th, 1944.
In later years, Alexander proudly served in the Legion
honor guard on each November 11th Remembrance Day service. What were
his thoughts on Remembrance Day, God only knows, maybe remembering his pals
that died on the battlefield and him being eternally gratefully that God spared
his life.
Alexander died from heart failure on May 5, 1995, at the
age of seventy-nine.
Figure 34 - Alexander Kalynuk in his
Legion blazer ~ 1973.
Figure 35- Alexander Kalynuk obituary.
One last item to share. There was a small storage closet on
the second floor of our two-story farmhouse in which my mom stored old clothes.
There was also a WWII German flag in a thick plastic bag, a souvenir from the
war in that closet. Dad said he had packed many souvenirs to bring home from
the war, including a German Luger pistol and German medals. A day before their
ship got to Halifax, an announcement came over the ship’s PA system, anyone
bringing weapon or war souvenirs into Canada would have their duty extended,
thus most if not all the soldiers threw their souvenirs overboard, only the
Nazi flag and a wooden Dutch shoe made it home.
As kids, we would play in that storage closet and at times
peek in the bag that had the Nazi flag. Us kids knew that the flag was an evil
symbol but could not resist a look. When I was in Grade 2 (1962) at the St.
Mary’s country school, Santa needed a toy bag to go with his costume at the
school’s Christmas concert. Mom got the Nazi flag from the closet, the red
material was cut into sections and sewed into Santa’s toy bag, the other flag
pieces were thrown in the garbage, which was the end of our Nazi flag.
after the war, Dad would spell his last name as Kalyniuk or Kalynuk
Ken Kalynuk 2024-04-28
kenkalynuk@gmail.com
