TIL about If Day, a fake German Invasion of Canada in 1942
TIL about If Day, a fake German Invasion of Canada in 1942
If Day included a staged firefight between Canadian troops and volunteers dressed as German soldiers, the internment of prominent politicians, the imposition of Nazi rule, and a parade. The event was a fundraiser for the war effort: over $3 million was collected in Winnipeg on that day.
Such an absurd idea. There isnot pragmatic way for them to launchan ground assault in America. It's literally an ocean away. You can't supply it.
It's absurd only if taken literally. What they were trying to do was help people transport themselves into the minds of the conquered in Europe. It was a fundraising scheme, not a wargame. And as a fundraising scheme, it mostly worked.
Using the bank of Canada inflation calculator, that would be $53 million in today's Canadian dollars.
If someone staged something similar today and it raised $53 million for Ukraine to continue to fight, then it would probably be considered a resounding success.
(although I don't know how a bunch of volunteers can simulate the Russians shelling a city into non-existence...)