Canada In Ww1

An Assessment of Canada’s Role on the
Battlefields of France and Belgium during the Great War
During the course of the Great War, Canada’s role evolved from that of a minor player lending support to the British army to that of major contributor to battlefield success. Actions in early 1915 proved Canadian courage, but manpower was wasted in disastrous offensives. 1916 began no better, but a change in leadership and gained combat experience began to transform the Canadian Corps into a disciplined fighting force. Success at Vimy in 1917 demonstrated Canadian battlefield prowess. This led to the Corps being summoned for two other tough assignments that year and, ultimately, for its leading role in the final Hundred Days of the war in 1918.
During this time, Canadian soldiers suffered a bloody initiation into the arena of trench warfare, but also learned their trade and proved their valour. Canada’s first contribution to the European theatre was a single battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, which was in the line by December 1914. Within two months, its soldiers had established a reputation for Canadians as skilled hand-to-hand fighters after conducting the first trench raid. At about the same time, the Canadian 1st Division arrived and, during the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, it too made a name for itself. There, the Canadians twice stemmed a German onslaught during the first gas attacks. There was no glory in the division’s two subsequent offensive actions, however. At Festubert in May and at Givenchy in June, the division suffered heavy casualties and gained none of its objectives. Still, through these costly actions, the 1st Division learned the art of fighting in the trenches and also lost some of its less competent officers to jobs away from the front. But inexperience would again be added to the equation with the arrival of the 2nd Division in September. As part of the newly formed Canadian Corps , it would have to wait until the following year to be christened in
First, they were asked to succeed where the French and British had failed, and capture Vimy Ridge, a feature from which the Germans commanded the Douai Plain and had a clear view of the allied lines. Building on the experience of Mont Sorrel, Byng rose to the occasion by painstakingly preparing for the assault where, for the first time, the four Canadian divisions would fight alongside each other. As part of the commander’s regime, the lowest rankers studied a huge model of the ridge and gunners learned to operate German artillery. The plan was put to the test on April 9. Resistance was variable and casualties were high, but on April 12, the highest point of the ridge—the Pimple—was captured, and a truly Canadian victory was won. Later, in August, Currie, now the commander of the Canadian Corps, was tasked with attacking Lens. The aim was to divert German attention from Flanders and destroy as many of the enemy as possible to hamper his reinforcement arrangements; but Currie saw that this end could be better met by taking advantage of the terrain. He gained approval for his revised plan and, after careful preparation and waiting for good weather , the Canadians captured Hill 70—then slaughtered the Germans as they tried to take it back. Finally, toward the end of the year, the Corps was asked to capture Passchendaele, an unattained