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WWI

WWI. Canada’s Military Contribution. The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) When the war began, Prime Minister Robert Borden offered Britain 25,000 troops. Within a month, more than 30,000 Canadians had joined the CEF! Why? They believed the war would be short.

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WWI

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  1. WWI Canada’s Military Contribution

  2. The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) • When the war began, Prime Minister Robert Bordenoffered Britain 25,000 troops. • Within a month, more than 30,000 Canadians had joined the CEF! • Why? • They believed the war would be short. • They saw it as an exciting adventure. • It was a way to escape financial problems. • They felt it was their patriotic duty.

  3. The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) • However, not everyone was welcome to join the CEF: • The people who were excluded included • Women • Aboriginal Canadians • African Canadians • Japanese Canadians • Eventually, the CEF did accept these groups, but • Women were only used as nurses and ambulance drivers • Minorities were almost never promoted

  4. The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) • Why was the CEF important to Canada? • The CEF has been credited with helping to create a National Identity in Canada. • It was the first time that Canadians from coast to coast had been brought together to fight side by side. • This made people living in Canada feel a little more Canadian and a little less British.

  5. The Battle of Ypres (April 1915) • This is the first battle in which the Germans used chlorine gas against Canadian troops. • Soldiers were blinded, burned and suffocated by the gas. • 6,000 Canadians were killed, wounded or captured. • Incredibly, the Canadians managed to hold on to their lines, and neither side gained the advantage.

  6. The Battle of the Somme (July-November 1916) • British General Douglas Haig ordered British, French and Canadian troops to attack German positions near the Somme River. • The strategies he used were outdated; he simply ordered soldiers to march across open fields towards the enemy. • Results: • Casualties were great! • 85% of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was killed or wounded in the first half hour. • 24,000 Canadians were killed or wounded, along with 1 million soldiers from the other countries.

  7. The Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 1917) • British General Julian Byng prepared the CEF for an attack on Vimy Ridge • The French had tried to take Vimy 3 times, but failed. • Byng developed good strategies (tunnels, maps, Vimy Glide) and trained the troops very well before the attack. • Between April 9 and April 12, the CEF managed to capture the entire ridge! • The CEF gained more ground, captured more weapons and took more prisoners than any previous allied offensive. • The victory made Canadians proud and helped to create a greater sense of national identity.

  8. The Battle of Passchendaele(Autumn 1917) • Canadian General Arthur Currie and the CEF were ordered to help take Passchendaele Ridge in Belgium. • This ridge had little strategic value, but Haig wanted it to be taken because he had lost it earlier in the war. • Earlier battles had left huge crater holes in the ground which were filled with mud. • Soldiers and horses often drowned in these conditions. • This ridge was taken, but 15,000 Canadians were killed along with 500,000 soldiers from both sides.

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