1. Canadian Battles of World War I
Canadian History 11
D. Denike

2. The Main Canadian Battle Sites
Ypres (1915) Belgium
St-Eloi, France (1916)
Mount Sorel, France(1916)
Battle of the Somme, France (1916)
-Beaumont Hamel France (1916)
Vimy Ridge, France (1917)
Passchendaele, France (1917)

3. Ypres Canadian First Division, 20 000 soldiers
Faced poison gas attacks from Germans
More than 5200 Canadian troops died
Canadians held their position

4. Battle of the Somme
141 days of battle
Canadians fought with British troops
The first day of battle was disatrous: casualties

5. Battle of the Somme
Canadians fought heroically
Casualties for both sides had reached 1.25 million
Canadian soldiers died

6. Battle of the Somme
Troops from Newfoundland and Labrador played a major part
They advanced across “no-man’s land” at Beaumont Hamel against heavy machine gun fire from the Germans
Only 68 of the 790 soldiers of the Newfoundland regiment survived

7. Battle of the Somme
After 5 months of battle, the British had only advanced 11 km
People at home were horrified by the massacre
Tanks, a British invention, were used for the first time at the Somme
Tanks would eventually help with the war

8. Vimy Ridge
For the first time all 4 Canadian divisions fought together on April 1917
Canadians launched the attack
“We went up Vimy Ridge as Albertans and Nova Scotians. We came down as Canadians”

9. Vimy Ridge
“From the dugouts, shell holes, and trenches, men sprang into action…and advanced to the ridge…Every division of the Canadian Corps moved forward together. It was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade…In those few moments I witnessed the birth of a nation.”
Brigadier-General Alex Ross, describing the attack at Vimy Ridge

10. Vimy Ridge Canadian soldiers captured the ridge
On that day, more ground, more guns, and more German prisoners were taken than in the first two-and-a half years of war
It was a crucial victory and step toward Allied victory in WWI

11. Vimy Ridge Four Canadians won the Victoria Cross at Vimy
There were casualties at Vimy Ridge
3598 Canadian soldiers died in battle

12. Destroyed Tank at the Battle of Vimy Ridge

13. Trenches at Vimy

15. Vimy Ridge Memorial
April : Canada won its most celebrated battle of WWI

16. Early gas mask

17. Germans soldiers firing guns

18. Wounded soldiers in a trench

19. Present day trench Vimy Ridge

20. Battle field at Vimy Ridge

22. A view from the trenches

23. Inside the Vimy Memorial