The Canadian Corps’ Greatest Victory at Vimy Ridge
Canadians have much to be proud of when considering our memorable past events. Canadians have participated in many wars in which we have had great impact like WWI and WWII. Our combatants have been through blood, sweat and tears in keeping our nation safe and there is a lot that Canadians should acknowledge and become more aware of. What does it mean to have the title “greatest”. To be the greatest it must be the best most amazing accomplishment to be pulled off and in terms of war we can focus on effectiveness, speed and strategy of the battle. Well throughout the gritty battling of WWI the Canadian nation had fought in many battles to become memorable. Canadians should recognize the Battle
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On April 12 the allies attacked the nicknamed “pimple” because it was the height of the Ridge pushing back the Germans about three kilometres the allies then full control of Vimy Ridge and got the strategic overview of the front lines. In the battle there were 100 000 Canadians and 10 600 casualties were 3 600 were deaths. The Canadian victory was so great that Brigadier-General Alexander Ross would famously say " . . . in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation". The victorious Canadian capture of Vimy Ridge helped out the British third army to the southern advancement of Europe as the website of “Veterans Affairs Canada” would say “Vimy Ridge was a particularly important tactical feature. Its capture by the Canadians was essential to the advances by the British Third Army to the south and of exceptional importance to checking the German attacks in the area in …show more content…
John Pattison - Captain Thain MacDowell. The most notable recognition of the Canadian war efforts would be the creation of the ‘Canadian National Vimy Memorial’. The memorial site was made in Vimy at officially opened on July 26, 1926 to commemorate the Canadians forces who have fallen during battle. John Boileau, a man in support of the statement that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was our greatest, said “The last memorial is, of course, Allward’s great monument on Vimy Ridge, designated as the Canadian National Vimy Memorial… it is unquestionably the most inspiring and striking of all war memorials of all nations on the entire Western
(Sarty, 5). At the end of the war, the Royal Canadian Navy were the fourth largest navy in the world with 100,000 men and 400 fighting ships (Canada At War). Without the Royal Canadian Navy’s efforts and contributions to the Battle of the Atlantic, Britain would not have any supplies, no one would be able to bring over supplies, and troops would not be able to get transported across the sea. They would have not been able to assault the axis held
Thanks to the gathered Intel these guns were vulnerable to artillery fire, thus easing the Canadians dangerous path to combat. The artillery also fired well before the attack on Vimy Ridge proceeded. This demolished the Germans trenches and wire entanglements, thus further increasing the Canadians chance of survival. The capturing of Vimy Ridge helped unite many Canadians in pride of the soldiers who came from their country
Over a four month period, both sides suffered huge losses, including almost 25,000 Canadians. The Battle of Vimy Ridge also played a very important role in generating Canadian nationalism. Vimy Ridge is a seven-kilometre ridge of land in northern France. In 1917, the Canadian Corps was ordered to capture this ridge. When the battle began, thousands of Canadians came out of the trenches and advanced towards the German line.
“This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war, and will, I believe be regarded as an ever famous American victory.” Winston Churchill said these famous lines after the Americans had defeated the Germans in the battle of the bulge. It will forever go down in history as one of the greatest battles ever fought for it sealed up the last German offensive and ultimately caused the fall of berlin and the fall of the Nazis. It was midnight on December 16, 1944 in the Ardennes forest the German forces are about to unleash a last ditch offensive effort on the thinly spread untrained American and allied lines hoping to break thru and retake German territory. The allies were not ready for the German blitzkrieg.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge and Its Impact on My Community In April 1917 – at the height of the First World War – the Canadian Corps captured the coveted Vimy Ridge from the Germans. It was a battle that shaped Canada’s historical identity but resulted in over ten thousand casualties. Young men from Canadian cities and towns like Oshawa, Ontario were killed in action or died of wounds. Roads were built, schools were named, and monuments were erected in their honour.
The battle of Vimy Ridge is significant to World War I and Canadian history. The battle of Vimy Ridge was one of Canada’s biggest victories. The Canadian soldiers used a new technique called Creeping Barrage to get across No Man’s land. Their tanks would follow behind them but shoot ahead of where they were walking. Vimy Ridge was one of the harder German defense areas to capture but the new technique allowed the Canadians to do so.
Vimy Ridge was considered Canada’s greatest victories. This is the time when the country came out from Britain’s shadow and was capable of doing great things as their own country. Canadian soldiers earned respect and a reputation of effectiveness and a tough army. On April 9th 1917 the Canadian army were ordered to attack Vimy Ridge which was located in Northern France in the pas-de-Calais region. Near the border of Belgium, is a village called Vimy which was equipped with Barbed wires and machine guns.
Located in France near the Belgian border was the strategically important highground of Vimy Ridge. In April of 1917, Canada defeated the Germans who had occupied the area since their first offensive in 1914. Canada's victory at Vimy Ridge not only outlined the unique aspect of their win, but created the foundation for Canada's autonomy internationally. “They said it couldn't be done and we did it.” (-Historian, Pierre
The battle at Vimy Ridge was a defining moment in Canadian History because it gave Canada a sense of nationhood “The Battle of Vimy Ridge marked ‘the birth of a nation’ for Canada, says Governor-General David Johnston” (Postmedia news). It was the first time all four Canadian Corps fought together in the history of the war. The victory of ‘taking Vimy Ridge’ was celebrated, and two months later Viscount Julian Byng was promoted out of the Corps and Arthur Currie became the first commander of the Corps. The 60’000 casualties in the war, made Vimy the most symbolic of Canada’s overall sacrifices. This pushed Prime Minister Borden to ensure a separate representation at the Paris Peace Talks after the war.
Though the battle may be called “Bunker Hill”, most of the fighting occurred on Breed’s hill. The British won the battle but there were a lot of deaths in the process, 268 soldiers and officers were killed and another 828 were wounded; this battle was a pyrrhic* victory for the British. *Pyrrhic- won at too great a cost to be worthwhile for the victor. (www.merriam-webster.com)
The battle of the bulge is one of the deadliest battle in World War 2. In December 1944, Adolf Hitler attempted to split the allied armies in Northwest Europe by means of surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to antwerp. Caught off guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne, Lieutenant General George S. Patton 's successful maneuvering of the third Army to bastogne proved vital to the allied defense, leading to the neutralization of the German Counteroffensive despite heavy casualties. On December 16, three German Armies launched the deadliest most desperate battle of the war in the west in the poorly ordered, rugged, heavily forested Ardennes. A shortage
From April 9 to 12, 1917, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps attacked the ridge, capturing it from the Germans. This had created significance for Canada, because it was the first time in which all four divisions came together and fought as one nation. “The victory at Vimy Ridge was greeted with enthusiasm in Canada, and after the war the battle became a symbol of an awakening Canadian nationalism. One of the prime reasons is that soldiers from every region of Canada — fighting together for the first time as a single assaulting force in the Canadian Corps — had taken the ridge together. ”(Canadian Encyclopedia).
“We have shown that even in trench warfare it is possible to mystify and mislead the enemy.” -Sir Arthur Currie (World War 1). The most vital and important battle that gained Canada respect was The Battle of Vimy Ridge. Canada played the biggest part in taking this area since they fought alone.
The battle of Antietam we will now remember as the bloodiest day in U.S. history with 23,000 total casualties. In this year year overall, the north was coming out on top
The battle of the Somme was a joint operation between the British and French forces against the German empire, with the intention to be the battle that won the war. The battle plan included the British bombarding German trenches for seven days and seven nights, then the British attacking on a 15 mile front north to the Somme, with the French supporting from the south and the cavalry on standby. It lasted between the 1st of July to the 18th November 1916; within that time the British lost 420,000 men - It went down in history as the worst battle in the history of the British army. The commander of this battle was General Haig, a commander of the British Expeditionary Force and a field marshal during the first world war. Ultimately, the battle