Major Canadian Battles

2. Major Canadian Battles

3. April 1915: Second Battle of Ypres • Those Bloody WIPERS won’t budge!!! • Important railway & communications hub • Germans pushed the French troops back employing the use of chlorine gas for the first time on the Western Front

4. Canadian ‘raw necks’ held their positions and bravely contained the German advance until British reinforcements arrived • Canada suffered approx. 6000 casualties, with approx. 1000 deaths • “In Flanders Fields” was written by Dr. John McCrae during this battle

6. Ruins of Ypres’ Market Square

8. July –November 1916: The Battle of the Somme • General Haig of the British Army wanted to relieve the pressure on the Allies fighting at a major battle in Verdun • He ordered an attack on German forces at the Somme River • On the first day of battle Britain suffered over 57 000 casualties (19 000 dead) from going ‘over the top’ • Canadian battalions were brought in in September and together with the British mounted an attack at 6:20 a.m. on Sept. 15th

9. After successfully capturing a German stronghold, 4 Canadian battalions launched another attack that same evening – surprising the Germans • The Germans counter attacked and eventually a stalemate occurred --- the plan worked and pressure was relieved in Verdun • Canada suffered 24 000 casualties

10. Canada’s ___________ continues to grow! • Great Britain’s Prime Minister, ____________ would go on to write: “The Canadians played a part of such distinction that thenceforward they were marked out as shock troops; for the remainder of the war they were brought along to head the assault in one great battle after another. Whenever the Germans found the Canadian Corps coming into the line they prepared for the worst."

13. _________– The Battle of Vimy Ridge • The Canadian Corps was ordered to seize Vimy Ridge in _____________ • This was the first time all _________________ would fight together • Situated in northern ________, the heavily-fortified seven-kilometre ridge held a commanding view over the ___________

14. The four Canadian divisions stormed the ridge at 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917. More than 15,000 _____________over-ran the Germans all along the front. Incredible bravery and discipline allowed the _____________moving forward under heavy fire, even when their officers were killed. • There were _______________, as Canadians single-handedly charged machine-gun nests or forced the surrender of Germans in protective ___________.

15. New __________ was introduced allowing the shells to explode on ____________ rather than burying in the ground and then exploding • Canadian troops also earned a _________________________, effective troops because of the stunning success. • It was a victory at a terrible cost, with more than _______and wounded in ____ days of fighting

16. “In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation.” - A.E. Ross (Canadian brigadier general)

17. Oct.-Nov, 1917: The Battle of Passchendaele • The Third battle of Ypres - was intended to gain ______________________for the winter • Gen. Haig forced CND General __________to lead his troops into battle against his wishes • Conditions were swamp like – soldiers often __________________up to their waists • Soldiers were left as easy targets for snipers and gas attacks

18. The __________ was very slow – the first ________ gained 1000 metres at the cost of 2300 casualties • ____ days later CND & British troops captured German positions at Passchendaele! • The overall gain was just over ________________ at the cost of 460 000 casualties on both sides (4 000 CND soldiers dead)

21. Passchendaele – before the battle  • Passchendaele – after the battle 