Canada entered officially into war against Germany on September 10, 1939. The echoes of armed conflict are felt right up to the Gaspe. Following the arrival of Japan beside the Axe forces and after the United States consented to join in the world conflict, Hitler sent his submarines, the famous U-Boats, on the North American coasts. In 1942, started the episodes of naval battles which went on silently in the gulf.
In the immediate, Canadians are not made aware of the presence of the enemies in Gaspesian waters. In fact, the government does everything to smother this news. The Gaspesians, are witness. Secretly, one day it’s a submarine which emerged to the surface between two fishermen’s barges in Cap-des-Rosiers; another time, it is a German spy who takes the train in Gaspe or a sailor with a German accent who buys provisions at the village store. In Saint Yvon, it is a torpedo that misses its target and explodes on the notches. In Cap-chat, it’s another torpedo which shatters to pieces all the windows of the village, when hitting the cliff. Each one has their little story!
