Battles of World War One The Role of the Canadian Corps

The Canadian Corps  Enlistment: The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was a volunteer army until 1917 when Conscription began  Training was outdated – troops were usually retrained by British and later, veteran Canadian, troops in France  The bulk of the CEF was made up of English speaking, often formerly British, men

Canadians Arrive on the Western Front  The Ypres Salient was a key “bulge” in the British Line – Canada’s 1 st Division was deployed there in April, 1915  According to Gen. von Fabeck, the German commander, Canadians could be catagorized with the "Indians, Moroccans and other trash, feeble adversaries who surrender in great numbers if attacked with vigor."

Ypres: Chemical Warfare  On April 22, 1915 the German Army released 168 tons of Chlorine Gas over a four mile front held by French Colonial Forces (Zouaves and Moroccans)  6000 troops were asphyxiated in the first 10 minutes – the FCF troops fled  1 st Canadian Division moved into the gap in the line and held the line using primitive gas masks (handkerchiefs soaked in urine) until May 3 rd  Canadian casualties were 1000 dead and 4975 wounded out of the original men  On May 2 nd Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields” in 20 minutes after his friend Lt. Alexis Helmer was killed by an artillery shell

The Battle of the Somme: 1916  The Canadian divisions (3 at this point) were still fighting in British formations at the Somme  Canadian troops participated in diversionary attacks on the southern part of the front  After the disastrous battle with 24,029 casualties, Canadian leaders insisted that the Canadian units fight as one group – The Canadian Corps, which was commanded by Lt. General Julian Byng  The first Canadian commander of this formation was Sir Arthur Currie. (summer of 1917)

Results of the Somme  British and Canadian troops were transformed from eager volunteers to battle harded veterans  After “The Battle of the Somme” Canadians were identified as “Shock Troops” – an elite battle formation  British Prime Minister Lloyd George stated “Whenever the Germans found the Canadian Corps coming into the line they prepared for the worst.”

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Passchendaele: July – Nov  General Currie did not want the Canadian Corps to fight here, but British General Haig insisted  The plan was for a series of smaller attacks to slowly push the Germans back  The attack merely advanced into a swamp  Canadians began their participation in October, 1917, and of the original Canadians at the battle, were killed or wounded