User:Tylerweatherill/sandbox

Article Evaluation

The Wikipedia article on Joseph Howe provides a detailed summary of his life. The article begins with a brief summary of the most significant information on Joseph Howe referencing his early life, his legal life, his political life and his confederation opinions. This information is explored in more detail in sections throughout the article. Each paragraph contains a lot of detail with the exception of the "Poetry " and "Railway" paragraph. There are only two sentences of information in both sections and there are no references to support the claims in the sentences. To improve this, more detail should be included in both sections with proper references.

Howe's political career is covered extensively offering the reader a detailed summary without using wordy language or including irrelevant information.

The "Confederation debate" section is successful in providing a wide variety of information regarding Joseph Howe's opinions. Instead of only focusing on his anti-Confederation beliefs and campaigning, the article also includes information on what Howe's political life was like after Confederation. Only the facts are stated on why Howe did not want Confederation and there are no attempts to persuade the reader into having bias towards Confederation.

The "Family" section should be located near the beginning of the article. Since the article is mostly in chronological order, it would make more sense for this information to be located after "Early Life" instead of being the last paragraph of the article.

A problem with this article is the lack of references used within the paragraphs. The first paragraph summarizing Howe's life has the most references (only 4). The following paragraphs have very little references and two of the paragraphs, Political career and Confederation debate, have zero references! In the references section it is clear that many different sources were used to write this article. This helps the article have more breadth and not be overrepresented by one scholar. These sources should be cited more in the text to back up the facts being stated.

The only link in this article that does not work is the John C. Halliburton hyperlink. The other links properly direct the reader to other Wikipedia articles on the subject clicked.

This article is currently a part of many WikiProjects including WikiProject Biography / Politics and Government, WikiProject Canada / Nova Scotia / Politicians, WikiProject Journalism and WikiProject Politics.

Overall this article provides an informative introduction into the life of Joseph Howe. The article is easy to follow and mentions important facts about his life. The only problem with this article is the lack of scholarly references backing up the facts that are being stated. There is also a lack of information in the "Poetry" and "Railway" paragraphs.

Potential Article Topics

Battle of Ortona - Article currently has some information about the background and battle information. I think I could add more meat to the article using scholarly sources to dive deeper into the who, what, why, how of the campaign. There is also a lot of controversy in the articles talk page about the information that should be included in the article.

Juno Beach - The D-Day article has a lot of information, however there are only two small paragraphs regarding the Canadians landing on Juno beach.

Liberation Day (Netherlands) - There are only two short paragraphs regarding the liberations, there are no sub headings just two paragraphs that provide a small summary. I found a book in Western database called On to Victory: the Canadian liberation of the Netherlands, March 23-May 5, 1945 by Mark, Zuehlke which would allow me to contribute heavily to the article.

Operation Block Buster - There is only one paragraph of information regarding the liberation of the Netherlands. I'm sure I could find lots of resources to add to this article. I also noticed the talk page talks about tulips and the tulip festival but it has not been added to the article, which I could do as well.

Draft Article Notes

I would be to be able to add relevant, informative, interesting information regarding how the Netherlands were liberated, more specifically, how Canada played a role in the liberation

- Lt. Gen. Charles Foulkes is an important figure in the negotiations of German surrender

- I want to talk about the Royal Regiment of Canada

- Specific focus on Canada's contribution to the liberation and surrender of the Germans

- How the liberation of the Netherlands has been involved with Canadian Identity? Warrior Nation?

- Perhaps more info on How Canada is remembered in the Netherlands

- monograph ?

- exhibit pics

"In Memoriam: Christine Mohrmann." Vigiliae Christianae 42, no. 4 (1988). http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/stable/1584278. <-- not a good source

Touw, H. C. "The Resistance of the Netherlands Churches." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 245 (1946): 149-61. http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/stable/1024815.

Goddard, Lance. Canada and the Liberation of the Netherlands, may 1945. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Group, 2005.

Zuehlke, Mark. On to Victory: The Canadian Liberation of the Netherlands, March 23-may 5, 1945. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2010.

Pearson, Frederic S. The Weak State in International Crisis: The Case of the Netherlands in the German Invasion Crisis of 1939-40. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1981.

Draft Article

Canada's Rhineland Campaign

The Allies had seen significant success freeing occupied countries since the Normandy landings.  The Allies next goal was a full out offensive over the Rhine river. If this offensive was successful, it would lead to defeating Germany.  The Canadians had the task of liberating the Netherlands. General Crerar is credited with commanding the largest formation ever lead by a Canadian officer.  The final stage of the Rhineland campaign for the Allies was to meet at the town of Wesel.

There were many tasks given to the Canadians that they needed to complete before reaching Wesel. The main objectives included clearing the Reichwald forest and breaking the Siegfried line.  The combination of the winter that had recently passed and the mild weather during the campaign, created muddy, wet terrain . This meant that whenever the Canadians needed to advance they did not have mobile units to protect them, because the ground was to hard on the vehicles . 

Although the Rhineland campaign tested the Canadian army, the Canadians were successful in every operation they embarked on. The Germans blew up the bridges to try and disable Canadian transportation into Wesel and then retreated to the eastern bank of the Rhine.  Thus, Canada was successfully able to capture the west bank, resulting in an end to the Rhineland campaign .

Among the Allied death toll, approximately 5304 Canadian lives were lost during the Rhineland campaign into the Netherlands.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower (who late became President) acknowledged the success of the Canadians in a letter stating, “It speaks volumes for your skill and determination and the valour of your soldiers, that you carried it through to a successful conclusion.”

Canada's Final Phase

With the success of the Rhineland campaign empowering the Canadian army, the reception of the Canadians from the Dutch population only strengthened the morale of the soldiers .  Although the Rhineland campaign was a success, there were still many German soldiers occupying Dutch provinces.  The Dutch launched acts of resistance to help the Canadians end the German occupation of their provinces.  Churches throughout the Netherlands openly protested and resisted the German occupation while they were being occupied up until they were liberated . In a final attempt to fight back, the Germans had snipers on top of buildings, machine gun nests hidden in the cities, and SS soldiers dressed up as Dutch civilians .  The Canadian army pushed the Germans back to the Wageningen border by April 28^th .  Most of the remaining German soldiers alive were professional soldiers who did not want to see anymore civilian casualties.  Thus, an unofficial truce was declared and negations of peace began.

May 4-5 1945

On 5 May 1945 the Canadian General Charles Foulkes and the German Commander-in-Chief Johannes Blaskowitz finalized an agreement that resulted in the Germans accepting capture, thus ending the fighting and enabling support and supplies to be delivered throughout the Netherlands.

The Canadian army did not question Foulkes ability to handle himself with the negotiations.  He was known for being a reliable tactician, and for taking responsibility for the administrational side of warfare.  Foulkes made his way through the military rankings with impressive speed throughout the earlier years of World War II(147).  The Canadian Corps Chief of Staff George Kitching has been quoted saying he is “impressed with Foulkes military decisions .”  Refer to Charles Foulkes (Canadian Army general) for more information on him. 

Before Foulkes met with Blaskowitz, he discussed terms of the surrender with Generalleutnant Paul Reichelt, who was Blaskowitz Chief of Staff .  This discussion took place May 4, 1945.  When the discussion begun, Reichelt, speaking on behalf of Blaskowitz tried to change the terms of the agreement by only allowing a 10-mile passage for Canadians to transport supplies into Western Holland .  There was no mention of a German surrender.  Foulkes then reminded Reichelt that the allies have them surrounded .  It was revealed to Foulkes that the Germans in the Netherlands did not want to surrender out of fear of being prisoners sent to Russia.  This term was mitigated with Foulkes stating he “had no intention of putting the German army into Russia”.  When the meeting concluded, Foulkes left Reichelt with his terms of a “truce across the entire frontage where the Canadian Corps and Germans faced each other.”  Foulkes called the negotiations a “gentlemen’s agreement rather then a written truce.” This was because if a truce was declared, the Canadians and Germans would be living in close proximity while the Canadians gave supplies to civilians. 

The time between May 4 and 5 felt like forever for the Canadian troops.  Because of the negotiations, an unofficial truce had been declared on both sides until the truce was agreed upon the following day.  Both Canadians and Germans had been informed of the harsh consequences for breaking the unofficial peace, but soldiers on both sides still feared fighting would start any moment. The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps was the first to cross into the German lines during the unofficial truce . White flags hung from the trucks and the Canadians had weapons hidden in case of an attack. Food was continuously transported into Holland by the Canadians during the unofficial peace, and long after the war was over.

On May 5 1945, the Germans accepted the truce agreement knowing they would not end up as prisoners in Russia.  Foulkes accompanied by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, met with Blaskowitz at the Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen . They sat at a table surrounded by debris and rubble from the fighting that had taken place days earlier. Photographers, the press, and the media came out of hiding to cover this truce meeting.  Blaskowitz conducted himself professionally and did not question a single clause that Foulkes read out.  The main terms of the truce agreement were as follows: “Germans would retain command of their troops and be responsible for maintenance.  All units were to remain where they were.  German police would come under military command, and all personnel guarding concentration camps and other detention centers arrested .”

German Resistance

Although the truce had been declared and war seemed to be over, there was still some resistance in the Netherlands.  The 34^th SS surrendered to the Canadians on May 10, 5 days after the truce had been declared.  German resistance was still a problem until around the end of June 1945. 

Canadian Legacy in the Netherlands

In the immediate weeks following the liberation of the Netherlands, there were parties, parades and other joyous occasions celebrating the end of the Nazi occupation. The Dutch learned a whole new level of gratitude after learning the Canadians chose to help liberate them, especially at such a high cost.  There was a boom in war brides between Canadian soldiers and Dutch women, and around 41 351 of these war brides moved to Canada after the end of the war.  Marriage and family bonds between Canada and the Netherlands only strengthened these nations relationship.  Moreover, the relationship between Canada and the Netherlands formed from their roles as liberator and liberated, respectively. Lance Goddard, author of Canada and the Liberation of the Netherlands, states that “nothing matched the emotional outpouring that resulted from the liberation pf the Netherlands.”  Although Canada was not the only nation to help with the liberation, they were the first to arrive and remained stationed there the longest.   

In contrast to the excitant both nations felt, there was still a war raging and a country in ruins.  Canadians contributed a significant amount of effort into helping the Netherlands recover from their Nazi occupation.  Bridges were rebuilt that had been bombed and the Canadians also helped to clear mines out of the major cities. 

According to Mark Zuehlke, author of On to Victory, “Monuments commemorating Canada’s role in liberating specific communities in the Netherlands are common coin ."  The town of Diever even modified their coat of arms into including the maple leaf.  Schools in the Netherlands include information about Canada and the role the country played in their liberation.  The gratefulness of the Dutch is illustrated through their Canadian War cemeteries that acknowledge the sacrifice made by Canadians who died fighting for freedom.

RCR Museum

First of all this is a great test to learn how to insert an image into Wikipedia because prior to this, I had no idea! Secondly, I wanted to compare the relationship between Canadians liberating the Netherlands and Chapter 6.10 from Belshaw. The key points that Belshaw talks about are how Canada tried to show that is was separate from Britain and how the country would successfully participate in WWII. This is evident when Ottawa delayed Canada's involvement in WWII for four days. Although Belshaw says that Canada's involvement was small in the beginning, this changed at the end of the war when Canada was tasked with liberating the Netherlands. Comparisons can be made between Canada's first attempt at being recognized as an independent Nation at the start of the war to Canada liberating the Netherlands at the end of the war and being recognized by the United States, Britain and obviously the Netherlands for their success.