Major Battles of WWISomme, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Ypres, 100 Day Campaign

Why do we learn about these battles?• Each one of these battles is unique and significant to

Canadians and in history

• They are on the Provincial Exam

• The battles utilize new weaponry, involve the CEF, helped to determine the outcome of the war, demonstrated the need for new war strategy to avoid high death tolls

• Demonstrated wars of attrition were a thing of the past

The Second Battle of Ypres•Belgian town of Ypres•1915 April 22 French and Canadian troops

attacked by German poison gas- blinded, burned- Chlorine gas- Outlawed by international agreement since 1907

•Month long Battle- 6000 Canadians killed- Neither side gained any ground

Lieutenant Colonel John McCraeDoctor in Canadian Corps

The Battle of Somme•July 1916 Allies launched attack against

German Trenches near the Somme River in France

- Battle lasted 5 months and Allies only captured 13 KM

- 1.25 Million casualties- 24000 Canadian casualties- Newfoundland regiment lost 90% of it’s men- Shell Shock

Why did the Attack Fail?1. Allies bombed German lines for days

BUT the bombs did not destroy German defenses or the barbed wire around trenches

2. Commanders used useless and now outdated tactics- “over the top” sent waves of men to die

3. 1st day 58000 British troops died yet the battle went on

The Battle of Vimy Ridge•1914 Germans

took strategic position of Vimy Ridge

- British and French forces spent 2 years trying to take it back

•1916 Canadian troops chosen to lead new assault

How We Won Vimy Ridge•Lieutenant-general Julian Byng trained

troops by rehearsing the attack•Before attack artillery attacks for a month

on German positions•Sappers (army engineers) built secret

tunnels to move troops closer to the ridge

Victory at Vimy Ridge•April 9th 1917 Canadian Corps attack

Vimy Ridge- By April 12 last German position taken!•Canadians did more in 3 days than any

previous British offensive did in 3 years•Cost of attack- 3500 men died- 7000 men wounded

How Vimy Ridge Promoted National Autonomy•Vimy Ridge was

the first time Canadian divisions fought together

•Success gave a sense of National pride and a reputation as a fighting force

The Battle of Passchendaele•Oct 1917, the Canadian Expeditionary

Force was asked to break through the German lines and retake the town of Passchendaele in Belgium

•Known as a short lived victory at the cost of endless lives due to bad management

Problems at Passchendaele• Previous attacks

left huge craters which heavy rains turned into a muddy swamp

- Difficult terrain=high casualties

• General Haig ordered the attack anyway

Results of Passchendale•Victory for Canadians BUT- Each side 20000 casualties- More than 15000 Canadian casualties- Gained only 7 or 8 KM

•Germans soon recaptured the town

The 100 Days Campaign Background:

March 1918 Russia signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

- Out of the war- truce on the Eastern Front- Germany knew it needed a fast victory before US

troops reach France•March 1918 Germany marched deep into

France - Attacked Allies weak points- Ypres, Somme, Passchedaele lost- 75 KM from Paris

The 100 Days Campaign•1918 American arrive and worked with

Allies to stop German advance

•100 Days Campaign was a series of attacks by the Allies which helped to defeat the Germans and end the war

- Canadian attacks some of the most successful- Canadians led by General Currie