Review!!1

Who was the Prime Minister during World War 1?

Robert Borden

Who was Canada’s Minister of Militia?

Sir Sam Hughes

How many Canadians initially volunteered

for the war and where were they

trained?

Over 30,000 recruits were trained at

Valcartier, Quebec

Name the faulty rifle that Canadians used at the front until 1916

Name the main causes of WW1 and describe how it began

MilitarismAlliances

ImperialismNationalism

Gavrilo Princip (Serb) assassinates Archduke Franz Ferdinand (A-H); Domino Effect

Identify the 5 significant WW1 campaigns Canadians were involved in

Ypres (2nd), April 1915- First major action involving Canadians- First use of chlorine gas- “Flanders Fields” by John McCrae

- Canadians earned areputation as tough anddependable troops- Paid a high price: 6,000casualties

The Somme, July 1916- Bloodiest battle (over a million

casualties) and a disaster for British “tactics” - “Attrition”

- General Haig- Walking pace in broad daylight…- British lose 60,000 in a couple

hours- Canadians lose 24,000 during

the battle, including 90% of Newfoundland Regiment (within a few hours)

The First Day:What went wrong?

- German dugouts (trenches) were deep and difficultto find, much less destroy with artillery fire

- Many British shells were “duds” due to qualitycontrol problems or lacked fuses sensitive enough toexplode on contact with barbed wire

Vimy Ridge, April 1917- Canada’s greatest success (where the

Brits and French had failed)- General Arthur Currie (Canadian) replaces

General Byng (British)- No more British commanding

Canadian troops!- Special tactics and intense preparation win

the battle (3 days)- Canadians gain reputation as an enemy to

fear

Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng

- Intense training prepared soldiers for what they mayfind on the battlefield

- Small units and individual soldiers were also givenmuch more information about the battle

- Like the Somme, started with an artillery barrage.

- This time it worked because of improved techniques

and difference in landscape.

- At 5:30am on 9 April 1917 (Easter Monday) nearly 1000

guns opened fire on German positions.

- In the first wave, nearly 15,000 Canadian soldiers rose

from the trenches and advanced towards the ridge.

- Paid a high cost: 10,600 were killed or wounded

Passchendaele, October 1917- Muddiest battle…- Another Canadian success, but at a high cost- 1/5 survive

“The Hundred Days”- Final Allied offensive that won the war (during last

100 days…)- Canadians led the charge as “shock troops”

- Feared by Germans- We became the “go to” guys after Vimy and

Passchendaele- Allies push Germans out of France & Belgium,

Germans sue for peace

MONS WAS RECAPTURED BY THE CANADIAN CORPS ON THE 11th NOVEMBER

1918:

AFTER FIFTY MONTHS OF GERMAN OCCUPATION,

FREEDOM WAS RESTORED TO THE CITY:

HERE WAS FIRED THE LAST SHOT OF THE GREAT

WAR.

WW1 technologyGAS, TANKS, PLANES, OH MY!

Gas: Chlorine and Phosgene (Mustard)

The Tank- Inspired by farm tractors- Initially designed to provide cover as soldiers crossed N.M.L- Used to flatten and destroy barbed wire- 3km/hr and can’t cross trenches (doh!)

“We really do not consider that aeroplanes will be of any possible use for war purposes”- British Secretary of War, 1910

AeroplanesGerman “Zeppelin”

- Planes were used for recon (spying) on enemy movements behind the lines

- Eventually they developed to become fighting aircraft with machine guns

- Manfred von Richthoven, known as “The Red Baron” was an elite German fighter pilot famous for his ability in dogfights

- He was eventually shot down and killed by a Canadian ace fighter.

The Red Baron

*Billy Bishop: Canadian Flying Ace

Billy in 1914, aged 20

- Bishop totaled 47 “kills” during WWI and earned a Victoria Cross medal for bravery

Why did the Americans enter the war in 1917?

- May,1915 sinking of the Lusitania (128 Americans)

- U-boats sinking American merchant fleet

- Germany-Mexico plans and the Zimmerman telegram

Rationing

During the war food and fuel became scarce and prices soared because so much was being exported to Europe

Honour rationing was introduced – people limited themselves to 1.5 lbs of butter and 2 lbs of sugar/ month. Meatless Mondays!

Mandatory waste reduction was introduced

Propaganda

Propaganda is any strategy to persuade people to believe something or act a certain way – it often distorts the truth or is very one sided

Used to get people to join the war and to keep people patriotic about the war