Missing Men

The greatest man hunt in Canada's history was on. The quarry were the thousands of soldiers who had deserted to avoid overseas combat (TIME, Jan. 29).

In hotels, trains and stations, and on the streets of every city, Army provost officers (military police), Mounties and civilian police halted and questioned uniformed men. Squads raided poolrooms and bowling alleys. At the border, customs officials refused transit to men who did not have mobilization-board permits to leave the country (some deserters were known to be in the U.S. Northwest). By listing desertion penalties, Government-sponsored newspaper advertisements tried to coax deserters to return.

A few did. Informers tattled on others. Some deserters were caught in the Army's net. But the catch was not big. Last week the Defense Department announced that of the 6,300-odd soldiers reported AWOL two weeks before, 4,600 were still at large.

Meanwhile Canada totted up her battle casualties. In the first 64 months of World War II (up to the end of December), losses totaled 84,808, killed, wounded, missing and prisoners. Of these, the Army had lost 64,552; the R.C.A.F. 18,191; the Navy 2,065. More than half (47,458) of all the losses occurred since Dday.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.