Ypres

Dates and Locations

- 2nd battle, April 1915- in and around the Belgian city of Ypres in Flanders

-Canadian and French troops were exposed to poison gas for the first time

Problems faced

- After releasing a cloud of chlorine cloud gas, the Germans attacked

Problems faced (continued)

-Despite the gas attack, the Canadian lines did not break

Achievements

-British reinforcements helped prevent further German advances

Achievements (continued)

-Canadian doctor John Mc Crae wrote his famous poem “in Flanders Fields” to commemorate the…

Achievements (continued)

… the dead and injured Canadians he treated at the Second Battle of Ypres

(continued)

-6 000 Canadians killed, wounded, or captured

Casualties

The Somme

Dates and Locations

- between July and November 1916, fought in northern France

- General Douglais Haig did not understand how new military technology had changed the way war was fought

Problems faced

-Haig ordered suicidal frontal charges against German trench lines, which were costly failure

Problem faced (continued)

-Troops fought for 5 months with no breakthrough

Problem faced (continued)

- The battle resulted in a stalemate, with neither side winning a clear victory

Achievements

- The Central Powers suffered higher causalities, and the Allies gained 8 kilometers of mud, enabling General Haig to claim victory

Achievements (continued)

-The CEF suffered 24 000 causalities

- On the 1st day of battle, 85% of the Royal Newfoundland regiment was wiped out in half-hour

Casualties

-During five months of fighting, over a million Allied and Central Powers’ troops were killed or wounded

Casualties (continued)

The Battle of Vimy Ridge

Dates

-Began on Easter Monday: April 9, 1917

-Ended 3 days later

Location-Vimy Ridge was a key German defensive position on the Western Front-Located in northern France

-French units had tried to take Vimy Ridge 3 times and failed -suffered high casualties (150 000 dead)

Problems Faced

-Allied command thought the ridge was impenetrable-The Canadians had to find an approach that worked

- The Germans had fortified the ridge with 3 trench lines, concrete gun emplacements, and deep protective dugouts

The Preparations

-Canadians mapped out 80% of German gun positions

-Built replicas of Vimy terrain to rehearse

-Dug 5 km of tunnels to move troops and supplies

-Canadians invented new strategy called “Creeping Barrage” or “Leap-frogging” to sneak up on the enemy

The Battle

-Allies pounded Germans with artillery for 2 weeks before attack

-Canadian units began their attack in a snowstorm (April 9) and met their first two objectives in less than two hours

-3 days later Hill 145, the highest point on the ridge, was taken

- Vimy Ridge was a huge victory for the Allies, gaining more ground, prisoners, and captured artillery than any previous offensive in the war

- Canada’s victory earned its troops recognition as a formidable force

- Vimy Ridge was an important turning point for Canada, gaining it world recognition and creating a strong sense of patriotism

- Vimy Ridge was a costly victory, with 10,600 Canadians killed or wounded (3,600 dead)

Casualties

Passchendaele

Date

-Late October and early November 1917

- Passchendaele had little strategic value, but General Haig was determine to take it

Problems faced

-Massive artillery bombardments had destroyed the drainage system and left huge shell holes in the fields that turned the region into a swamp

- Advancing Canadians units had to move over wooden trench mats within range of German guns, with flooded shell holes offering the only shelter

-General Currie’s strategy resulted in lower than usual casualty rates among Canadian forces

Achievements

- Canada took the deserted village of Passchendaele and the ridge after a series of attacks

- Canada suffered 8 000 losses in the battle

- Total casualties for both sides were about half a million

Casualties