In 1939 the Regiment was one of seventeen Militia horsed cavalry regiments. The Regiment mobilized as the 5th Canadian Motorcycle Regiment (British Columbia Dragoons) on 24 May 1940. The unit was transferred to the Canadian Armoured Corps on 09 February 1941 and re-designated as the 9th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Dragoons). It became the junior regiment of 2nd Armoured Brigade in the newly formed 1st Armoured Division, re-numbered 5th on 5th June 1941. The Regiment embarked for the United Kingdom on 13 November 1941. The intention was to arm with the Canadian Ram tank but equipment was slow in coming and by January 1943 it had received just 24 of the Ram II (the 6pdr. variant), about half of its entitlement. In early 1943 the organisation of armoured divisions changed from two armoured brigades and a support group to one armoured and one infantry brigade. In the re-organisation, 2nd Armoured Brigade was re-numbered 5th, the Regiment remaining the junior unit of this formation after two of the existing regiments left and two new regiments were exchanged in. In May 1943 the Ram tanks were replaced by Shermans and Stuarts. 5 Division went with 1 Canadian Corps to Italy (Operation Timberwolf), the Regiment landing in the Naples area of Italy on 19 December 1943. The intention was to take over the equipment of the departed 7th Armoured Division but this proved difficult due to the dilapidated state of the tanks and vehicles.
The resultant delays meant that the first action in which 5th Armoured Brigade was able take part was in May 1944. For the breakout from the Hitler line, the second phase of Operation Chesterfield, the Regiment became the nucleus of Vokes Force, named after the then-commander of the BCD, brother of commander 1 Canadian Division. They were paired with the Irish Regiment of Canada and had in support a SP anti-tank battery from 4 A.Tk. Rgt. RCA, a detachment from 10 Field Squadron RCE and a section of 7 Light Field Ambulance. Both flanks would be protected by the GGHG. The task was to secure a strong flank protection position midway between the now-broken Hitler Line and the next objective, the Melfa River. The attack went in on the morning of 24 May and was established on the objective, the Mancini farm, by noon. En-route, the Regiment became the first Allied unit on the western front to engage Panther tanks, one company of which had been committed to this area. They destroyed three and captured some SP 88s for the cost of four Shermans. The following day C Squadron moved to the Melfa with the Irish and at midday supported them in an attack across the river, losing seven tanks in the process. On 29 May the Regiment was tasked to advance to outflank the next objective, the town of Pofi. They had under command two companies of the Westminster Regiment and 98 SP A.Tk. Battery RCA, with two SP field regiments in support. The terrain was very difficult and although accompanied by bridging tanks, they were much delayed by two minor river crossings. The two leading Squadrons arrived in the Pofi area at around 1900 but had only nine tanks remaining between them, the rest either knocked out (5) or bogged. The infantry took the town that evening. The Regiment's attack out of the Gothic Line on 31 August was something of an epic. Fierce enemy shelling prevented the Perth infantry from joining them and the Regiment made the attack on Point 204 south of Tomba di Pesaro alone. Early in the advance they had to penetrate a fully manned wired trench system and then engaged with a.tk. fire from the left as they crossed over two miles of open ground. They took the position and held until relieved that night. They had only 18 tanks remaining, the whole of RHQ troop being wiped out, and had taken 49 casualties, 22 fatal, including the commanding officer. During mid October the Regiment provided occasional fire support for the infantry and dismounted units of Cumberland Force on the Adriatic coast. By December 1944 operations against the Romagna around Ravenna were developing. On the 3 December A and B Squadrons of the Regiment supported the Westminsters in an advance from Godo to Piangipane while C Squadron supported the Princess Louise Dragoons (now converted to infantry in the new 12th Brigade) eastwards to the junction with Highway 16, just west of Ravenna. The Regiment lost one tank to a lone Panther, which they then knocked out. The following day tanks from the Regiment supported the clearance of the area north of Piangipane to Highway 16. On 13 December tanks from the Regiment provided fire support to the Lanark and Renfrew infantry at the Naviglio Canal, west of Mezzano. Mid-morning one squadron was rushed forward to support the infantry bridgehead on the other side of the canal, which was in danger of crumbling under heavy counter-attack.
The closing phase of the Romagna battles began on 2 January 1945. The Regiment set out from Mezzano at noon, heading north through Conventello. The following morning a number of counter attacks had to be driven off before the Regiment advanced again, driving back some five separate groups of tanks and SP guns. In the afternoon one squadron attempted to move quickly east to secure a bridge over the Bonfica Canal but was held up by a fortified farmhouse. On the morning of 4 January dismounted personnel from the squadron captured the road bridge but the tanks could not cross because of a small intervening canal. In the afternoon a second squadron arrived with an infantry company on the far side of the small canal and successfully crossed the Bonfica by the captured road bridge. The squadron turned back west and supported infantry advancing on Sant' Alberto. On 5 January the Regiment and the Perths occupied Mandriole and reached the coast at Casal Borsetti the following morning. This was the last significant action by the Regiment in Italy and in February it transferred with 1 Canadian Corps in Operation Goldflake to North West Europe. The first action by the Regiment in Holland was Operation Cleanser, a thrust north from Arnhem to secure the high ground around the village of Terlet. The advance began early on the morning of 15 April and the objective was quickly taken. The Regiment immediately swung west and supported the capture of Otterloo, north west of Arnhem. They then veered north to Voorthuizen, which they attacked on the evening of 16th. This attack cut the east –west road, which resulted in numerous attacks in the early hours of 17th by German troops escaping from 1 Canadian Division's capture of Apeldoorn to the east. These were all beaten off and the Regiment, with a company from the Westminsters, completed clearing Voorthuizen the following morning. On 18th the Regiment, assisted the Strathconas, the Perths and the Dutch Resistance to capture the port of Harderwijk, the Regiment enjoying some 'range practice' on numerous small boats evacuating enemy troops across the Ijsselmeer. The final action for the Regiment was in the reduction of the Delfzijl pocket on the Ems estuary. Beginning on 25 April, the Regiment pushed east in co-ordination with other forces from north and south to reduce the perimeter.
By 29 April, the BCD, partly dismounted, were in the northern outskirts of Appingedam, just west of Delfzijl, advancing north that day to take the village of Marsum and to link with forces pressing in from the north. The port fell on 1 May. The active unit was disbanded on 31 January 1946. During Second World War the Regiment was awarded 2 DSOs, 5 MCs, 1 DCM and 6 MMs. A 9th (Reserve) Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Dragoons) served in the Reserve Army.
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