Editing Guy Simonds (section)

===United Kingdom 1939−1943===
On September 10, 1939 [[Canadian declaration of war on Germany|Canada declared war on Nazi Germany]] and officially entered the [[World War II|Second World War]]. Almost immediately Simonds received orders to report to [[Ottawa]] where he was appointed to the newly raised [[1st Canadian Division|1st Canadian Infantry Division]], as its [[Staff (military)|General Staff Officer Grade 2]] (GSO2). His first duties as GSO2 were to supervise the operations and training of the division, as well as for its organization and equipment.{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=152}} Together with most of the rest of the division, Simonds went overseas to the United Kingdom in December 1939.

There his job was to consume him in the weeks and months ahead, so much so that he scarcely wrote to his wife, Kay. Colonel [[Ernest William Sansom]], a fellow officer in the 1st Division, had heard about Kay's misgivings about never hearing from her husband, wrote to his wife, stating that he was not surprised, and claimed that Simonds, "is working very hard and doing an excellent job as GSO II."{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=152}}

Simonds's job brought him into frequent contact with the 1st Division's [[General officer commanding|General Officer Commanding]] (GOC), "Andy" McNaughton, a fellow gunner officer who had previously been [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]] (CGS). Simonds was with the GOC on 16 May 1940, six days after the [[Battle of France]] began, when McNaughton was summoned to a conference by General [[Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside|Sir Edmund Ironside]], the British [[Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Imperial General Staff]] (CIGS), about the situation in France, which was not good and seemed to be deteriorating rapidly.{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=152}} The briefing stated the situation as being critical but not completely hopeless, and urged commanders to teach bayonet fighting to instil in their men a fighting spirit. The briefing also urged that [[Fallschirmjäger|German paratroopers]] were not to be made prisoners of war.{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=152}}

On July 20, 1940, after being promoted to [[lieutenant colonel]],<ref name="Generals of World War II">{{cite web|url=https://generals.dk/general/Simonds/Guy_Granville/Canada.html|title=Biography of Lieutenant-General Guy Granville Simonds (1903−1974), Canada|website=generals.dk}}</ref> he went on to be [[commanding officer]] of the [[1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery|1st Field Regiment]], [[Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery|Royal Canadian Artillery]], his first command since leaving C Battery.{{sfn|Graham|1994|p=47−48}}

In November 1940 he was appointed commandant of the Canadian Junior War Staff Course (an intensive 14-week program that compressed one year of the Camberly course), intended to fill the shortage of trained staff officers.<ref name=juno/>{{sfn|Graham|1994|p=55−57}} He then became GSO I with the [[2nd Canadian Division|2nd Canadian Infantry Division]] under [[Victor Odlum]], a veteran of both the [[Second Boer War]] and the First World War in his sixties who was really too old to command in this newer conflict. Despite this, Odlum came to admire the younger man, informing McNaughton of Simonds's, "splendid work" and that he had, "never had an officer on my staff who gave better service."{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=154}}

Shortly thereafter, on August 7, 1941 he was promoted again, now to [[brigadier]],<ref name="Generals of World War II"/> and made [[Acting rank|acting]] [[Staff (military)#Division level|Brigadier General Staff]] (BGS) of [[I Canadian Corps]] under McNaughton and later [[George Pearkes]]. Later he was confirmed as [[Brigadier#British tradition|brigadier]] and stayed in the BGS role under [[Harry Crerar]] until mid-July 1942. Crerar, however, had opposed Simonds' appointment and considered his removal.{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=155}} During his time as BGS, numerous exercises, including Bumper in September 1941 and [[Exercise Tiger (1942)|Tiger]] in May 1942 were conducted, with Simonds catching British [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[Bernard Montgomery]]'s eye on both occasions.{{sfn|Graham|1994|p=66}}{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=155}}

In July and August 1942 Simonds was involved in planning for an abortive [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]]-inspired attack on Norway, codenamed [[Operation Jupiter (Norway)|"Jupiter"]], thereby avoiding the [[Dieppe Raid]] debacle.{{sfn|Delaney|2011|p=203−204}} Simonds's plan for "Jupiter" required so many ground troops, together with significant air and naval forces in support, that Churchill was forced to abandon the idea.{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=155}} Although the operation was aborted, Simonds received praise for his help in writing the appreciation, with the British Chiefs of Staff Committee informing McNaughton that "This was one of the clearest and most ably worked out appreciations that they had ever had before them."{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=155}}

In September 1942, he was made commander of the [[1st Canadian Infantry Brigade]], part of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, now commanded by Major-General [[H. L. N. Salmon]].{{sfn|Granatstein|2005|p=155}} The brigade was sent to [[Inverary]] in [[Scotland]] in December 1942, where it took part in training for [[combined operations]].{{sfn|Graham|1994|p=66}}{{sfn|Delaney|2011|p=204}}

In January 1943 Simonds became [[chief of staff]] of the [[First Canadian Army]], again serving under McNaughton, with Brigadier [[Howard Graham (Canadian Army officer)|Howard Graham]] assuming command of the 1st Brigade.{{sfn|Graham|1994|p=66}} The Army performed poorly in Exercise Spartan (March 1943). Simonds suggested that McNaughton separate his "political" functions (CMHQ) from "fighting" headquarters (First Canadian Army).{{sfn|Delaney|2011|p=197}} McNaughton grew angry, and within 48 hours Simonds was on attachment to the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British Eighth Army]], under Montgomery, then [[Tunisian campaign|fighting in Tunisia]].{{sfn|Graham|1994|p=59}}{{sfn|Graham|1994|p=67}}{{sfn|Delaney|2011|p=205}}