If Day included a staged 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 $3 million was collected in Winnipeg on that day.

  • Troy
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    1 year ago

    It’s absurd only if taken literally. What they were trying to do was help people transport themselves into the minds of the conquered in Europe. It was a fundraising scheme, not a wargame. And as a fundraising scheme, it mostly worked.

    Using the bank of Canada inflation calculator, that would be $53 million in today’s Canadian dollars.

    If someone staged something similar today and it raised $53 million for Ukraine to continue to fight, then it would probably be considered a resounding success.

    (although I don’t know how a bunch of volunteers can simulate the Russians shelling a city into non-existence…)