The Major Battles of WWI

Ypres

Somme

Passchendaele

Vimy

The Battles of Ypres

The Battle of Ypres, 1915 First use of Chemical Warfare (chlorine gas) Canadian soldiers used urine soaked cloths as gas masks Canadians suffered 6000 casualties, but Ypres did not fall In Flander’s Field Ypres like EEP, the sound you make when you’re scared Belgium 1915 (Flander’s Region), first use of poison chlorine gas (by the Germans), Canadians had no gas masks and instead urinated into their handkerchiefs (the amonia neutralized the effects of the gas). Canadians held the Allied line and lost 6000 troops

Gas technique worked well, especially because the wind helped the spread it

The Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme, 1916 Designed as the “big push” that would destroy the German lines and bring an end to the war Ended instead with over 600,000 Allied casualties and over 660,000 German casualties Germans call it The Bloodbath First use of tanks in warfare Deadliest first day for the British army- 60,000 casualties 1st Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont Hamel, mowed down by Machine Guns Almost 8,000 Canadian deaths total fought over 4 months in France, characterized by heavy artillery, rifles and machine guns one day record for troops lost in battle, symbolizes the horror of warfare Canadians at the mini-battle of Beaumont Hamel (battle within the battle) No real winner, basically a stale-mate

Passchendaele

Passchendaele, 1917 AKA The Third Battle of Ypres “Battle of the Mud” A destroyed drainage system and torrential rains left the Canadian Corps fighting in a sea of mud Canadians captured the land from the Germans, but suffered 16,000 casualties (and 4,000 killed) Almost half a million total casualties Belgium, a battlefield to a vast bog of bodies, water-filled shell craters, and mud in which the attack ground to a halt. Drainage system destroyed by bombardment The mud slowed all movements to a crawl, leaving troops more vulnerable to enemy attacks Mud so thick so that some soldiers drowned

Before and after

Vimy Ridge

Vimy Ridge, 1917 The birth of the nation Developed a new strategy of underground tunnels The Germans calls it “the week of suffering” The “Creeping Barrage” The price of victory? 3600 Canadian deaths Did not want to repeat the carnage of the Somme, learned that just sending poorly trained troops “over the top” to be massacred was not a good strategy. Instead built secret underground tunnels to safely move the troops. Canadian troops bombarded the enemy with great accuracy (aided by aerial recon). Previous attacks had been made at the bridge by the British and the French - now Canada’s turn to try and capture the German held high ground Creeping barrage: continue to fire at the enemy as the troops left the trenches, forcing the enemy to stay in their dugouts. The Canadians would be on top of them before they even realized.

Memorial in France

Major Battles - what were they known for? Ypres - Chemical Warfare Somme - High Casualties and Tanks Passchendaele - Mud Vimy Ridge - A Victory for Canada