Author: MCannon

April 9th - 12th 1917

In the summer of 1914 the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand resulted in an international crisis, due to political tensions and the complex military alliances of the era, and in August the fighting had begun.

The First World War involved Britain (and her Empire), France, Russia and the United States against Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

Canada, whose external affairs at that time were governed by the United Kingdom, automatically joined the war once Britain declared it.

After more than two and a half years at war, in the Spring of 1917, Canadian forces were part of the Western Front, a line stretching for nearly 1000 km from the coast of Belgium, to the border of Switzerland. Life in the trenches was miserable, soldiers faced mud and cold, as well as rats, lice and fleas. There was a ’No Mans Land’ between the opposing trenches of mud, barbed wire and shell craters, with enemy machine gun fire, artillery and snipers.

A major attack was planned for April 2017, in Arras, France, as part of the Allied offensive. The Canadians were tasked with capturing Vimy Ridge.

Vimy Ridge is a long, high hill that Germany had captured early in the war. They had made it into a strong defensive position, with tunnels, trenches, and soldiers with machine guns and artillery.

The Canadians took part in rigorous training and planning for the battle. Models of the trench system were built and the soldiers trained on what to do, they also raided German positions to gather intelligence. Tunnels were dug beneath the German lines filled with explosives to be detonated during the attack.

For a week before the attack there was a massive artillery barrage from the Allied forces. More than a million shells rained down and the Germans came to call this the ‘Week of Suffering’

The Battle of Vimy Ridge

The battle of Vimy Ridge began at 0530 on Easter Monday, April 9th 1917.  There was wind driven snow and sleet, and machine gun fire, for the first wave of 15,000-20,000 Canadian soldiers to fight through.

The Canadians had a precise line of Artillery fire move ahead at a set rate and time, known as a ‘creeping barrage’. The infantrymen followed closely which allowed them to capture German positions before the enemy soldiers could leave their underground bunkers. This attack was timed to the minute.

The assault proceeded on and by noon most of the ridge was captured, but not without a great number of casualties. The main height on the ridge, known as ‘Hill 145’ was taken on the morning of April 10th. Two days later the Canadians took the last height of the hill and the Battle of Vimy Ridge was over. 

The Germans were forced to withdraw 3km east. The allies now commanded the heights overlooking the Douai Plain, which was still occupied by the enemy.

Four Canadian soldiers earned the Victoria Cross, the highest medal for military valour, when they captured enemy machine gun positions in separate actions.  The Canadian Corps, along with the British Corps in the South, had captured more ground, prisoners and artillery than any previous British offensive of the war.

The battle of Vimy Ridge, although a great success militarily, suffered more than 10,600 casualties, of which 3.600 were fatal.  Canada would see 66,000 Canadians losing their lives, and over 170,000 wounded by the end of the First World War. 

This military triumph helped Canada bring a stronger sense of national identity and raised our international stature. It helped Canada earn a separate signature on the Treaty of Versailles that formally ended the war.

Today, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial sits on top of Hill 145, and is inscribed with the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers who were listed as ‘missing, presumed dead’ in France during the First World War. It stands as a tribute to all who served our country and paid the ultimate price to help ensure the peace and freedom we enjoy today.

Veterans want Canadians to understand the price of freedom. They are passing the torch to the people of Canada, so the memory of their sacrifices will continue, and the values they fought for will live on in all of us. Find out more about Vimy Ridge on the Government of Canada website in the Remembrance section.