1. Major Canadian Battles
Ch. 2 Canada and The First World War
Counterpoints p

2. Lesson Objective and Outcomes
Today we will look at five of the major engagement that Canadians were involved in during the First World War.
You will learn:
Why Vimy became known as a distinctly Canadian
Victory.
How Canadian soldiers fought.
The cost of Canadian involvement.

3. The CEF The CEF was the Canadian Expeditionary Forces.
425,000 Men & Women joined the CEF
35,000 joined British Services (such as the Air Service
Image Source: Google Images-

4. Image Source: Google Images- https://www. google. ca/search
CEF- Men of the 48th Battalion march down Government Street in Victoria.

5. The 62nd Overseas Battalion boarding the train in Vancouver.
Image Source: Google Images-
The 62nd Overseas Battalion boarding the train in Vancouver.

6. Attestation Paper
Image Source: Library and Archives Canada-

7. The first division of Canadian Expeditionary Force arrived in France in February 1915.
These forces soon became involved in combat along the Western Front.

8. The Western Front
Image Source: Google Images-

9. Ypres
April 22 & 24, 1915, Belgium
Canada’s 1st Div. was subject to the first chlorine gas attack which burned and blinded troops
The allies suffered 6,035 casualties, with no clear winner
Image source: Google Images-

10. The Somme July-November 1916- best example of war of attrition
Fought over low ridges near the Somme River in France.
Day 1- Br. Casualties 57,470, (19,240 were fatalities).
A Newfoundland regiment went into battle with 801 soldiers, only 65 answered roll call the next day.
Canadians suffered 24,029 casualties
Soldiers walked shoulder to shoulder across no man’s land, only to be mowed down by German machine guns
Both sides suffered heavy casualties
British gained only 10 km at the end. Considered a defeat

11. Canadians in the trenches in the Battle of the Somme
Image source: Google images-
Canadians in the trenches in the Battle of the Somme

12. Vimy Ridge April 9, 1917, Northern France
French had tried to take it three times unsuccessfully
Many believed it couldn’t be done.
Canadians took the ridge after careful planning, excellent execution of plans, supervised by General Byng.
Major Canadian Victory! We won more ground, took more prisoners, captured more artillery and suffered less losses than any previous British offensive
10,602 casualties- (3,598 dead)

13. The Vimy Glide A new advancement technique.
The Canadian infantry facing the German defense in France, used the Vimy Glide to attack into No Man’s Land.
The Glide was a brisk walking pace, soldiers moving forward precisely 100 yards every three minutes.
The stop watch efficiency was critical, as an accurate pace meant that you would remain behind the incoming artillery barrage that was dropping down directly in front of you, cutting a path through the barbed wire and enemy positions that were spread across your advance.
“One solder described the barrage of gunfire as resembling a lawnmower in front of them, churning the ground”.
Information source:

14. Passchendaele Passchendaele (3rd Battle of Ypres)
November 1917, Belgium
Canadians ordered to attack
Germans had the position for months, had little value
Gen. Currie made careful plans for a Canadian success
Victory cost 15,654 Canadian deaths.
The overall number of casualties and deaths is often disputed, but is estimated at over 600,000.

15. Passchendaele
Before
After

16. Canada’s 100 Days
Aug Nov 11, 1918
The final Allied offensive was spearheaded by Canada.
The Canadian troops broke through Germany’s heavily fortified “Hindenburg Line”
The Germans were forced to abandon significant amounts of materials as they were slowly pushed back
Germany was defeated, but continued to fight hard and never fully retreated.