Canadians on the Western Front HIS30S

Battles Ypres (April, 1915) Somme (July – November, 1916) Vimy (avril, 1917) Passchendaele (October, 1917)

YPRES…. April 1915 In Belgium First action for Canadians on the Western Front. Allies advance toward the German lines (see image) The Germans occupy an elevated position: they are able to machine gun the allied trenches. Allies: British, French and Canadian troops participate.

YPRES…. April 1915 The Germans attack on April 22, 1915 with 160 tons of chlorine (first time used). The chlorine cloud follows the ground and infiltrates allied trenches. Canadians fight through the night to protect their position: the German gas attack was unexpectedly VERY successful: TOO successful: the Germans were not prepared to take full advantage of the situation. Canadians hold the line. 6,035 Canadian casualties: one in three injured and more than 2,000 dead

Battle of the Somme…. July 1st, 1916 The battle is known as “The Big Push” The Brits were trying to support the French fighting in Verdun by attacking Germany from another side. The British fired more than 1.5 million artillery shells in one week.

Battle of the Somme…. July 1st, 1916 After the artillery bombardment and mine detonations, soldiers were told that there should not be much German resistance remaining. They were told the did not need their weapons. Soldiers went over the top and began to cross no-man’s land » “Even the rats will have been killed” BUT, the Germans were well protected in their deep bunkers and had survived, mostly unscathed. When the Allied troops were close, the Germans opened fire and decimated the Brits. More than 57,700 British casualties on the first day.

Beaumont-Hamel, July 1, 1916 In Beaumont-Hamel, two-thirds of the 1st battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment, is annihilated in one hour by German machine guns. July 1st remains a day of commemoration in Newfoundland.  

Canadians at the Somme Video The battle continues: Canadians arrive in September and fought the Germans until the end of November. 24,029 Canadian casualties Canadian reputation is established: « The Canadians played a part of such distinction that thenceforward they were marked out as storm troops; for the remainder of the war they were brought along to head the assault in one great battle after another. Whenever the Germans found the Canadian Corps coming into the line they prepared for the worst» Video

A Somme…ary At the end of the first day: 57,000 British casualties (20,000 dead). The battle is called “das Blutbat” ‘the blood bath’ by the Germans. After 5 months: losses of more than 1.25 million soldiers (including Germans), 24,000 of which were Canadians. The “Push” resulted in only 11 km gained. The British introduce tanks for the first time in combat. The battle is called off when both sides run out of reinforcements: The Germans were MUCH worse off, but the Brits were unaware.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge: April 9th, 1917 Position was important the Germans as their elevation allowed them to see the battlefield This was strategically very important for the Germans: Their position was well defended with elaborate systems of trenchs and tunnels fortified with barbed wire et des machine guns. In the effort to capture Vimy between 1914 and 1916, the French and the British lost more than 150 000 soldiers .

Vimy ….. April 9th, 1917 It was now the Canadians turn to take the German position The lessons learned from massacres in previous years (Somme) gave birth to new tactics, strategies, and plans of attack

Vimy ….. April 9th, 1917 Canadian engineers dug tunnels in a large column Canadian troops practiced simulations behind the attack lines Canadians also used arial photography The troops practiced until each man knew the terrain and the tactics by heart

The Battle of Vimy Ridge….. April 9th, 1917 This is the most celebrated Canadian Battle during the War More than 100, 000 Canadians participated For the first time all 4 Canadian divisions attacked together The Canadian troops gained more German territory, arms, and prisoners than anyone had in the past 2 years 4 Canadians received the Victoria Cross Video (2:00)

Passchendaele Video This Battle took place in the fall of 1917 It is also known as the 3rd Battle of Ypres. The battle field was covered with mud and craters due to torrential rains and previous attacks which had destroyed drainage systems The soldiers, animals, arms and provisions were all stuck in the mud More than 16 000 Canadian casualties The Canadians gained around 3 km2 Video

Passchendaele

The End of the War The arrival of the Canadian and American forces on the Western front slowly started to decimate the Germans. It wasn’t one battle or one invasion in particular which finished WWI, it was more so a sustained attack which the Germans could no longer defend themselves against.