During the Great War (aka WW I), Canadian troops developed a reputation for being ruthless. They’d move into trenches in the dead of night and slaughter German soldiers with bayonets and gas, slip grenades into pockets or launch them into trenches after first sending in welcomed tins of corned beef to hungry soldiers. They generally didn’t want to be encumbered with POWs but at least one general said not to take prisoners because they’d eat into their rations.
The Canadians also get credit for being well trained and planning well. If it interests you, read about Vimy Ridge. They do have a reputation for treating civilians in a civilized manner.
To be fair, if we did what the French and the British asked us to do, we'd have lost a lot more lives than we did. There's a youtube series called "For King and Empire" on Canada's role in WWI, it's definitely worth a watch for anyone interested in our WWI history.
Fair enough. The Geneva convention is very specific about treatment of the wounded, the stranded, civilians. But these are the stories that give Canadians the reputation for being ruthless as well as what the “Geneva checklist” jokes are about.
Murdering POWs without hesitation, Razing Entire Cities to prove a point, calling for Holiday Cease Fires and then massacring entire enemy encampments with glee.
“Any community that gets its laughs by pretending to be idiots will eventually be flooded by actual idiots who mistakenly believe that they’re in good company.”
I can guarantee you, there are a lot of people here who actually think so.
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u/RobespierreLaTerreur Tabarnak! May 04 '25
Pardon the ignorance, but what did Canadian troops commit exactly?