Breaking the stalemate

One of the biggest problems in WWl was that of overcoming barbed wire obstacles. Sometimes it was impossible

All of the wire was covered by machineguns and artillery

They could fire 900 bullets a minute

This is how the British solved the problem This is how the British solved the problem. The Land “tank” could cross large trenches and crush barbed wire. Machine guns could not stop them. They also had machine guns mounted inside the tank.

A direct hit by artillery could still destroy the tank

The Germans synchronized the plane’s propeller with its machinegun The Germans synchronized the plane’s propeller with its machinegun. This meant that the German planes were better than the British, and they dominated the air war until 1918

The planes became sophisticated and faster each year The planes became sophisticated and faster each year. The pilots flew without parachutes! Getting shot down often meant death. Some pilots jumped out of their burning planes.

This is a Zeppelin. It was used to bomb British Cities at night

The Zeppelins were not that effective The Zeppelins were not that effective. They brought the war home to the British

Baron Alfred Von Richtofen Was the “Red Baron” and he shot down 81 Allied planes

The battles between planes were called “dog fights”

Billy Bishop was the top Allied Ace Billy Bishop was the top Allied Ace. He shot down 72 Enemy airplanes and won the Victoria Cross

This is the type of plane that Billy Bishop flew This is the type of plane that Billy Bishop flew. Notice the Machine gun above the top wing.

The Baron was shot down by a Canadian “Roy Brown” This is the Baron’s Grave

Vimy Ridge

This is an aerial view of the monument This is an aerial view of the monument. The Canadians attacked from the bottom of the picture and up the hill

The British and French tried to take the Ridge and lost over 150,000 men

The General who led the attack was General Arthur Currie The General who led the attack was General Arthur Currie. He was born in Strathroy Ontario and he joined the Canadian Militia. He was the best General the British had. If the war continued into 1919 he probably would have been given command of all of the British Armies !

The Canadians would tunnel under the German lines and blow them up

The Canadians went over the top on April 9th, 1917

You can still visit the trenches today

The Canadians took the Ridge in One Day The Canadians took the Ridge in One Day. It was the first great victory for the British in WW1

These Men are advancing at Vimy Ridge

This painting is called “Ghosts of Vimy” Many Canadians feel that this battle marks the true beginning of the Canadian Nation

The Mother of Canada weeps for her fallen children

Passchendaele

General Currie Warned General Haig about attacking Passchendaele He predicted that there would be around 16,000 casualties He was right ! Currie never forgave Haig, as Currie saw this as a useless waste of fine men for no gain

Passchendale Passchendaele was a terrible battle fought in the mud in and around a town called Passchendale. The town and farms were built in a low lying marshy area that was drained earlier in the 1700 and 1800’s. The shelling destroyed the drainage system and the water had no were to go. This was a war of mud, where no tanks could operate. It was an infantry man’s war.

The Germans had lots of time to prepare and to build concrete “pill boxes” that the Canadians would have to attack

Torrential Rains made the fighting very difficult

The wounded would often drown and getting them back to first aid stations was very difficult. How many soldiers are helping this one man?

An officer came to the front to see the conditions for himself An officer came to the front to see the conditions for himself. He cried “my God, we sent men into that?”

“Duck Boards” Help men to walk across the mud

The before and after picture of Passchendaele

The Canadians were Victorious!

By the end of the War the Canadians were recognized as “shock troops” By the end of the War the Canadians were recognized as “shock troops”. They were the best soldiers on the Western Front and they would lead all of the attacks

The Price of Victory