The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917

Situated in northern France, the heavily-fortified seven-kilometre ridge held a commanding view over the Allied lines. previous French attacks had failed with over 100,000 casualties.

Preparing For The Attack Commanders Lt.General Sir Julian Byng Maj.General Arthur Currie

Preparing For The Attack- Innovations All 4 Canadian Divisons (100,000 men) Platoon System Full-scale replica rehearsal Communications (maps,subways,tunnels) Artillery (1 million shells beginning March 20) Intelligence (air recon, mapping enemy positions) Rolling Barrage (100m every 3 minutes)

Rolling Barrage

In the week leading up to the battle, Canadian and British artillery pounded the enemy positions on the ridge . The Germans called the period “the week of suffering.”

the infantry were given specialist roles as machine-gunners, rifle-men and grenade-throwers. To bring men forward safely for the assault, engineers dug deep tunnels from the rear to the front. (12 totalling 5kms) Roads and tramways were repaired to carry ammo.

The Capture of Vimy Ridge Attacking together for the first time, the four Canadian divisions stormed the ridge at 5:30am on 9 April 1917 More than 15,000 Canadian infantry overran the Germans all along the front There were countless acts of sacrifice, as Canadians single-handedly charged machine-gun nests or forced the surrender of Germans in protective dugouts 4 Victoria Crosses were awarded for bravery

Captain Thain Wendell MacDowell Victoria Cross recipient

Hill 145 Hill 145, the highest and most important feature of the Ridge, and where the Vimy monument now stands, was captured on the second day in a frontal bayonet charge against machine-gun positions It was fortified by the Germans with wired trenches and deep dug-outs beneath its rear slope and support fire from “the Pimple” (which was finally captured April 12)

But it was victory at a heavy cost: 3,598 Canadians were killed and another 7,000 wounded.

Vimy became a symbol for the sacrifice of the young Dominion of Canada. Brigadier-General A.E. Ross declared after the war, "in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation."

Vimy Memorial In 1922, the French government ceded to Canada in perpetuity Vimy Ridge, and the land surrounding it. The Vimy memorial was unveiled in 1936.