Posted by djpearson from Canada on April 02, 2021 at 04:12:07:
In Reply to: The Second World War was won by Militia soldiers posted by Michael A. Dorosh on March 30, 2021 at 20:34:36:
When the war started (I or II) both the regular cadre and the existing militia cadre were quickly taken up and deployed to wartime positions, wherever they might have been (HQ, depots, units etc.). Almost immediately, if not before the official declaration of war, there was a massive recruiting campaign that brought in hundreds of thousands of Canadians in the months following. To claim these folks were militiamen may be stretching a point. True they joint what were militia regiments, but they were, for all intents and purposes, full-time soldiers. The original militiamen were too. In the Korean War, the enrolees were "special service" status.
As full-time training went on, I don't think anyone talked or highlighted the distinction anymore. Even today, look at the number of our senior officers and Generals who served in the milita. There are many (but I take your point that they are not "militia generals").
Your list of our good generals might also add Simonds and Spry. There are others who led well too, along the left flank, an AOR that did not lend itself to grand accomplishments or dramatic sweeps. The Canadians did what they do best, slugged it out in an alley fight with a desperate enemy.