If Day

If Day was a fundraising event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, during the Second World War. It included a 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 USD 3 million was collected in Winnipeg on that day.

About If Day in brief

Summary If Day If Day was a fundraising event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, during the Second World War. It included a 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 USD 3 million was collected in Winnipeg on that day. Organizers believed that the fear induced by the event would help increase fundraising objectives. It was the subject of a 2006 documentary, and was included in Guy Maddin’s film My Winnipeg. If Day was an elaborate campaign to promote the purchase of Victory Bonds, which were loans to the government to allow for increased war spending. The campaign began on 16 February 1942, and continued until 9 March. Manitoba’s fundraising target was USD 45 million ), including USD 24. 5 million from Winnipeg. The simulation included 3,500 Canadian Army members, representing all of Winnipeg’s units, making it the largest military exercise in Winnipeg to that point. The defending forces were commanded by Colonels E. A. Pridham and D. S. McKay. The firefight included large-scale troop movements and the simulated destruction of major bridges – coal dust and dynamite were used to create explosions.

Thirty-three anti-aircraft vehicles fired at each other, assisted by anti-craft fighter planes. The defensive pattern was similar to that used during the First World War in Paris to conduct the front-line fighting. The defenders formed a perimeter around the industrial and downtown areas of the city, approximately 5 kilometres from the City Hall, and retreated to a 3kilometre perimeter at 7: 45: 45. The defense pattern was the same that was used in Paris during the first World War to conduct front-lines fighting in the city. The defence pattern was also similar to the defensive pattern that was employed in Paris in the First War in France to conduct soldiers to the front in Paris. The ‘Nazi’ troops were volunteers from the Young Men’s Board of Trade, using uniforms rented from Hollywood and with painted sabre scars on their faces. A radio announcer was detained and his microphone commandeered for radio broadcasts, beginning at 5: 45 am. A one-hour blackout and mock bombing was ordered in preparation for the main If Day event on 18 February 1942.