The Valour and The Horror

In the autumn of 1941, nearly 2,000 inexperienced Canadian soldiers were sent to Hong Kong at the request of the British government as a symbolic show of strength that would deter a Japanese attack on the colony. Canada's soldiers found themselves in the midst of a desperate battle they could not hope to win. On Christmas Day, 1941, the British colony of Hong Kong officially surrendered to Japan.

From the outset, it was clear to Britain that air combat would be the key factor in the battle against Hitler's Germany. The airmen were told they would be targeting factories and military targets, but were actually ordered to drop their payloads on civilians instead. Using interviews, re-enactments, old footage, and photographs, this film depicts the war from the perspective of the pilots.

On June 6, 1944, a combined force of American, British, and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. The Allied invasion of occupied France was a turning point in the war against Hitler's Germany. Canada's infantry and armored regiments were thrown against Germany's elite troops and tank divisions. From a tactical view, Canada's role was limited; strategically, it was pivotal.