The day Nazis ruled Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/02/2017 (3430 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was just over 75 years ago — on Feb. 19, 1942 — that Winnipeg staged an event known as If Day.

This long-forgotten stunt took place during the Second World War and its theme was what would happen if the Nazis should invade Canada.

Nazi tanks rolled down Portage Avenue as the largest military event staged in Winnipeg got under way.

In reality, it was a fundraiser for Victory Bonds, meant to encourage the public to loan money to the government to fund the war effort. And it did so by scaring the pants off every Winnipegger, giving them a glimpse of what life could be like should the Nazis have won the war.

It was very successful too, raising over $60 million province-wide, way above its target of $45 million.

And it wasn’t just Winnipeg that witnessed this. Life Magazine, the New York Times, Newsweek and the BBC all covered If Day, and an estimated 40 million people worldwide witnessed the events on the streets of Winnipeg.

Troops of actors wearing Nazi uniforms rented from Hollywood hit the streets at 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 19.

RCAF aircraft posing as dive bombers came from the north and were first sighted at Norway House.

Selkirk “fell” first and by 6 a.m. German airplanes and soldiers had all converged on Winnipeg.

Sirens rang out. Gunfire erupted in East Kildonan, bridges were blown up and fighting on the streets began.

Local defence forces (which were, in fact, our army) fought well, stymieing the Nazi advance twice. But by 9:30 a.m. it was all over and Winnipeg had surrendered, along with Brandon and Flin Flon. Manitoba was a German province.

All of city council including the mayor were imprisoned at Lower Fort Garry, where the union flag was replaced by the swastika.

The Nazis took over the police station but luckily the chief, George Smith, had gone out for lunch and evaded capture.

There was a book burning in front of the old library. The principal of Robert H. Smith School was arrested and a radio play, Swastika over Canada, was broadcast from there.

The Germans even took over the newspapers, and the Tribune ran propaganda articles, mostly in German.

Henry Weppler was attacked for selling the Free Press and all his papers were destroyed.

At the end of the day, with Winnipeg renamed Himmlerstadt, the only injury was a reported sprained ankle suffered by a soldier.

And at 5:30 p.m. there was a ceremonial release of all prisoners, followed by speeches from civic dignitaries and a huge banquet at the Hudson’s Bay store on Hitlerstrasse, as Portage Avenue had now been named.

Some 65 years later local filmmaker Guy Maddin even included an old newsreel clip in his film My Winnipeg.

Seems like it was quite a day.

Trevor Smith is a community correspondent for River Heights. You can contact him via email at smitht@mymts.net