Operation Bulldog III
Encyclopedia
Operation Bulldog III was a military exercise held in 1955 by the Canadian Army
at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
, Canada
.
, the Yellowknife Airport
was a strategic point crucial to the defence of North America
in the event of a Soviet
invasion. Not only was the airfield one of only a few suitable landing spots for large aircraft in Canada's north
, but it was also within close proximity to the Soviet Union.
of the Royal 22e Régiment
(The Van Doos), with the defending force consisting of No.7 Company Canadian Rangers
. The "Van Doos" from the 22nd were Regular Force
soldiers, while the Rangers were part time soldiers drawn from local hunters
, trappers and prospectors
.
Operation Bulldog III was designed to test the Ranger’s ability to badger an invading army until conventional reinforcements could deploy to the area.
The 65 men in the Rangers were armed with Canadian-manufactured .303
Lee-Enfield
rifles, and Bren light machine gun
s. The exercise was conducted between February 23 to March 8, 1955.
, a commissioned officer
and veteran
of the First
and Second
World Wars. Anderson-Thompson replaced many of his office workers and store clerks with trappers, prospectors, hunters, and other outdoorsmen
, as well as war veterans. He planned to hold the airport for as long as possible using delaying tactics until a force from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
from Calgary
could parachute in.
In the fall of 1954, Anderson-Thomson was notified that the Department of National Defence
would be putting on a refereed exercise, in which the Rangers were to set up a defence and secure a drop zone
that was free of enemies, so that Princess Patricia’s paratrooper
s could land. Anderson-Thomson took his job very seriously, and helped the No.7 Company Rangers to build machine gun nests around the airport, as well as a maze of snowshoe
trails that would lead the enemy troops to carefully placed machine gun nests, providing that the Van Doos’ didn’t get lost first. The Van Doos expected these traps, but not Yellowknife’s own air force.
On the morning of the invasion, several members of the Rangers who owned airplanes were cruising around in the sky. Just as the Van Doos had finished unloading and deplaning, they swooped in and began their bombing run, dropping small bags filled with lamp black
(which was used for making ink), their ‘bombs’. The fine carbon powder got into everything the Van Doos had, their tents, sleeping bags, and even their rations. The ‘bombing’ was so successful, that if real bombs were used, the whole invading force would have been wiped out. The umpires supervising the operation declared that the Rangers had won their first battle.
When the exercise resumed shortly after that, the Rangers decimated the soot covered Van Doos - who stuck out like sore thumbs against the white snow - from their hidden machine gun nests. The umpires announced the Rangers the victors of the second battle. The Rangers were so successful that the umpires ordered them to retreat beyond the airport road, so that the Van Doos could finish unloading, and setting up camp. After the dismayed Van Doos were ready, the exercise was started up again, and the Van Doos started to slowly make their way to the airport road with an easy victory in mind, when the Royal Yellowknife Air Force struck again. A pilot in a Stinson
bush plane
was in the process of pulling down the Van Doos radio antenna
with his wheels, when he saw three of the Van Doos in a huddle and dropped a bag of lamp black on them. One of the people in the huddle was the Van Doos commanding officer, so they were now without a leader and without communications equipment. This was to be the Rangers third win in as many hours. The umpires decided to even out the odds by grounding the RYAF, declaring John Anderson-Thomson a casualty, and making the Rangers retreat even further away from the airport, telling them to prepare for a night attack. Not before long, the Rangers had gotten a fourth victory declared for them.
For the next and final exercise, the Rangers were told that they would have to secure an enemy-free zone on Back Bay for Princess Patricia’s paratroopers to land in. Once they landed, they followed 5 km of trail that was built by the Rangers back to the airport without the Van Doos even knowing they were there. Their short, but successful assault on the Yellowknife Airport brought an end to Operation Bulldog III for the Rangers, elated that they had won all 5 exercises against the best army troop in Canada.
Canadian Forces Land Force Command
The Canadian Army , previously called Land Force Command, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces. The current size of the Army is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers...
at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Purpose
During the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the Yellowknife Airport
Yellowknife Airport
Yellowknife Airport is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by the government of the Northwest Territories. The airport has regular scheduled passenger service, and is also used as a forward operating base for...
was a strategic point crucial to the defence of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in the event of a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
invasion. Not only was the airfield one of only a few suitable landing spots for large aircraft in Canada's north
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
, but it was also within close proximity to the Soviet Union.
Planning
Recognizing this strategic importance, the Canadian Army conducted Operation Bulldog III as an exercise to prepare an appropriate response to armed invasion of Canada's north, and defend the airfield from foreign attack. Operations Bulldog I and II had taken place in other areas in Canada, predicated on similar scenarios. Operation Bulldog III was a mock invasion of the Yellowknife Airport by soldiers of a battalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the Royal 22e Régiment
Royal 22e Régiment
The Royal 22nd Regiment is an infantry regiment and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the Canadian Army...
(The Van Doos), with the defending force consisting of No.7 Company Canadian Rangers
Canadian Rangers
The Canadian Rangers are a sub-component of the Canadian Forces reserve that provide a military presence in Canada's sparsely settled northern, coastal, and isolated areas. Formally established on May 23, 1947, a primary role of this part-time force is to conduct surveillance or sovereignty...
. The "Van Doos" from the 22nd were Regular Force
Regular Force
In the Canadian Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve.Regular Force personnel are employed full-time, and have usually signed long-term contracts committing them to regular service...
soldiers, while the Rangers were part time soldiers drawn from local hunters
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, trappers and prospectors
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
.
Operation Bulldog III was designed to test the Ranger’s ability to badger an invading army until conventional reinforcements could deploy to the area.
The 65 men in the Rangers were armed with Canadian-manufactured .303
.303 British
.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...
Lee-Enfield
Lee-Enfield
The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century...
rifles, and Bren light machine gun
Light machine gun
A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
s. The exercise was conducted between February 23 to March 8, 1955.
Exercise
The No.7 Company Canadian Rangers was led by John Anderson-ThompsonJohn Anderson-Thompson
John Anderson-Thomson was born in Glengairn, Scotland and enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps. at 16 during World War I. In 1920, he came to Canada, working as a sheep farmer in Saskatchewan. In 1926, Anderson-Thomson returned to Scotland, meeting and marrying Janet Grant of Braemer Village...
, a commissioned officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
of the First
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Second
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
World Wars. Anderson-Thompson replaced many of his office workers and store clerks with trappers, prospectors, hunters, and other outdoorsmen
Outdoor enthusiast
An outdoor enthusiast is a person who enjoys sports and activities in nature and wilderness areas. Interests associated with outdoor enthusiasts include hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, climbing and camping. The term outdoorsman has also been used.U.S. president Teddy...
, as well as war veterans. He planned to hold the airport for as long as possible using delaying tactics until a force from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three regular force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army. The regiment is composed of four battalions including a primary reserve battalion, for a total of 2,000 soldiers...
from Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
could parachute in.
In the fall of 1954, Anderson-Thomson was notified that the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
would be putting on a refereed exercise, in which the Rangers were to set up a defence and secure a drop zone
Drop zone
A drop zone is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes...
that was free of enemies, so that Princess Patricia’s paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
s could land. Anderson-Thomson took his job very seriously, and helped the No.7 Company Rangers to build machine gun nests around the airport, as well as a maze of snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
trails that would lead the enemy troops to carefully placed machine gun nests, providing that the Van Doos’ didn’t get lost first. The Van Doos expected these traps, but not Yellowknife’s own air force.
On the morning of the invasion, several members of the Rangers who owned airplanes were cruising around in the sky. Just as the Van Doos had finished unloading and deplaning, they swooped in and began their bombing run, dropping small bags filled with lamp black
Carbon black
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
(which was used for making ink), their ‘bombs’. The fine carbon powder got into everything the Van Doos had, their tents, sleeping bags, and even their rations. The ‘bombing’ was so successful, that if real bombs were used, the whole invading force would have been wiped out. The umpires supervising the operation declared that the Rangers had won their first battle.
When the exercise resumed shortly after that, the Rangers decimated the soot covered Van Doos - who stuck out like sore thumbs against the white snow - from their hidden machine gun nests. The umpires announced the Rangers the victors of the second battle. The Rangers were so successful that the umpires ordered them to retreat beyond the airport road, so that the Van Doos could finish unloading, and setting up camp. After the dismayed Van Doos were ready, the exercise was started up again, and the Van Doos started to slowly make their way to the airport road with an easy victory in mind, when the Royal Yellowknife Air Force struck again. A pilot in a Stinson
Stinson Aircraft Company
The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s.-The Company:The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, brother to Katherine Stinson. After five years of business...
bush plane
Bush plane
A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft serving remote, undeveloped areas of a country, usually the African bush, Alaskan and Canadian tundra or the Australian Outback...
was in the process of pulling down the Van Doos radio antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
with his wheels, when he saw three of the Van Doos in a huddle and dropped a bag of lamp black on them. One of the people in the huddle was the Van Doos commanding officer, so they were now without a leader and without communications equipment. This was to be the Rangers third win in as many hours. The umpires decided to even out the odds by grounding the RYAF, declaring John Anderson-Thomson a casualty, and making the Rangers retreat even further away from the airport, telling them to prepare for a night attack. Not before long, the Rangers had gotten a fourth victory declared for them.
For the next and final exercise, the Rangers were told that they would have to secure an enemy-free zone on Back Bay for Princess Patricia’s paratroopers to land in. Once they landed, they followed 5 km of trail that was built by the Rangers back to the airport without the Van Doos even knowing they were there. Their short, but successful assault on the Yellowknife Airport brought an end to Operation Bulldog III for the Rangers, elated that they had won all 5 exercises against the best army troop in Canada.