June 5, 1944. The Canadians pass through Rome.

Hearkening back to yesterday's entry, on this day Canadian troops fighting in Italy passed through Rome. By late that night the world's attention would be directed elsewhere as the first airborne operations of Operation Overlord commenced.

Americans are fond of the formulation of one war or another being "the forgotten war", some of which are, and some of which are not.  Canadians, however, have by and large forgotten that they even have a distinct martial history.

Canada's role in World War One and World War Two was enormous.  It's participation as part of the British Commonwealth forces was outsized and Canadians fought in every theater of the war, something that's been forgotten to a large degree. Even in the Pacific, which is not commonly associated with Canada in World War Two, there was a Canadian contribution, first in the form of Canadian troops attached to the British in the early stages of the war, and then as part of the largely American effort in the Aleutians, where one in six of the soldiers committed to that effort was Canadian.

Canadians are best remembered in World War Two for their role in the Dieppe Raid and their following large role in Operation Overlord and the campaign in France. But they were part of the Commonwealth effort in Italy prior to that.