CANADA HISTORY - War-WWI

Vimy

Prepartion

The Attack

Notes

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The Battle of Vimy Ridge, fought from April 9 to April 12, 1917, stands as one of the defining moments in Canadian history. It was the battle where the Canadian military came together not just as an assembly of regiments but as a unified national force, working with precision and discipline to achieve a victory where others had failed. For the Canadian Corps, this was a turning point—a moment of triumph that transformed how the world viewed Canada and how Canadians saw themselves. It was a triumph of meticulous planning, soldiering skill, and relentless determination that would come to symbolize Canada’s coming of age on the world stage, an event that would bind the nation in a shared sense of pride and purpose.

Background and Strategic Importance
Vimy Ridge, a commanding escarpment that rose over the Douai Plain in northern France, was a vital strategic position for both sides in the war. Its height and location gave whoever controlled it a clear view of the surrounding countryside, including the Lens-Béthune coal-producing region—an area crucial to the industrial strength of the German war effort. The ridge itself, with its highest points at Hill 145 (where the Canadian memorial now stands) and Hill 135, was a formidable natural barrier that had already proven impervious to repeated assaults by the French and British armies. Since 1914, the ridge had been in German hands, and their defenses had grown only stronger over time. Trenches, barbed wire, machine-gun emplacements, and deep dugouts made the ridge a nearly impregnable fortress.

By 1917, the war had ground into a brutal stalemate, and the Allies were searching for a way to break through the German lines. The First Battle of the Somme the previous year had been a costly failure, and morale among the Allied forces was low. In this context, the capture of Vimy Ridge became not only a military necessity but a psychological imperative. For the Canadians, this was an opportunity to prove their mettle and assert their capability as a national fighting force. Under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng, the Canadian Corps was tasked with doing what the French and British had failed to achieve—taking the ridge and securing this vital strategic position.

The Plan and Preparations
The preparations for the assault on Vimy Ridge were unprecedented in their scale and thoroughness. Byng, along with his Chief of Staff, Major-General Arthur Currie, devised a plan that involved an extensive artillery bombardment followed by an infantry assault carefully coordinated with artillery fire. The creeping barrage, a tactic that had been refined over the course of the war, would lay down a continuous line of artillery fire just ahead of the advancing Canadian troops, forcing the Germans to remain in their dugouts until it was too late for them to mount an effective defense.

The Canadian Corps, consisting of four divisions, each made up of roughly 15,000 men, would attack across a 7,000-yard front stretching from Ecurie in the south to Givenchy in the north. The divisions were arranged from right to left, with the 1st Division on the right flank and the 4th Division on the left. Each division had a specific set of objectives to achieve, and the attack was designed to proceed in phases, with pauses to allow the troops to consolidate their gains and prepare for the next push. In total, the Canadians would advance nearly 4,000 yards to secure the ridge, with the 4th Division tasked with capturing the critical high ground at Hill 145.

The German defenses were formidable. The German Sixth Army, under General Ludwig von Falkenhausen, had spent years fortifying the ridge. The Germans had three lines of trenches, extensive barbed wire, machine-gun nests, and deep tunnels that provided shelter from artillery bombardments. The challenge for the Canadians was immense, but they had the advantage of meticulous planning and preparation. For weeks leading up to the assault, Canadian engineers had dug tunnels beneath the ridge, allowing troops to move forward under cover and minimizing their exposure to German artillery.

The Battle Begins

At 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917, Easter Monday, the assault on Vimy Ridge began. In the freezing pre-dawn light, the Canadian artillery opened up with a deafening bombardment, and the infantry began their advance. The creeping barrage moved forward at a precise rate, allowing the Canadian troops to advance behind a curtain of fire that shielded them from German machine-gun nests. The initial advance was stunning in its success. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Canadian Divisions moved swiftly across no man's land, overrunning the German forward trenches with relative ease. The 4th Division, which faced the most difficult terrain, struggled at first but eventually captured Hill 145 after fierce hand-to-hand combat.

By the end of the first day, the Canadians had captured most of their objectives, including the crest of the ridge. The Germans, surprised by the speed and ferocity of the Canadian attack, were unable to mount an effective counterattack. Over the next few days, the Canadians consolidated their gains, securing the remaining portions of the ridge, including The Pimple, a high point to the north that gave the Germans a vantage point over the Canadian lines. By April 12, the Canadians had secured the entire ridge, and the German Sixth Army was forced to withdraw.

Opposing Forces

The Canadian Corps, numbering around 100,000 men, was supported by an unprecedented artillery force. More than 1,000 heavy guns and field pieces provided the firepower necessary to break through the German defenses. The Germans, for their part, had positioned roughly 30,000 troops on the ridge, fortified by machine guns, artillery, and deep defensive positions. Despite these formidable defenses, the speed and precision of the Canadian assault overwhelmed the German lines, and the Canadians achieved their objectives with fewer casualties than had been feared.

The Results and Significance of the Battle
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a decisive victory for the Allies and a defining moment for Canada. In total, the Canadians suffered 10,600 casualties, including over 3,500 killed, but the victory had far-reaching implications. Vimy Ridge had been one of the strongest points in the German defensive line, and its capture opened the door for further Allied advances. The success of the Canadian Corps at Vimy became a source of national pride. For the first time, all four Canadian divisions had fought together as a unified force, and they had succeeded where other Allied armies had failed. The victory at Vimy became a symbol of Canada’s emergence as a nation in its own right, separate from the British Empire, and capable of achieving greatness on the world stage.

Strategic Impact and Legacy
The capture of Vimy Ridge was strategically important, but it did not lead to an immediate breakthrough on the Western Front. The larger Arras Offensive, of which Vimy was a part, failed to achieve the hoped-for collapse of the German lines. Nevertheless, Vimy was a significant psychological victory for the Allies, providing a much-needed boost in morale during the dark days of 1917, a year that saw the collapse of the Russian Empire and the entry of the United States into the war.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Canadian Corps continued to distinguish itself in the latter stages of the war, including during the Hundred Days Offensive in 1918, which led to the eventual defeat of Germany. The success at Vimy also cemented the reputation of General Arthur Currie, who would go on to lead the Canadian Corps to further victories and emerge as one of the most respected Allied commanders of the war.

The legacy of Vimy Ridge endures to this day. In 1936, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial was unveiled on Hill 145, commemorating not only the soldiers who fought and died at Vimy but all Canadians who served in the First World War. The battle remains a symbol of Canadian unity and sacrifice, a moment when the nation came together to achieve a common goal. It is often said that Canada was born on the battlefield of Vimy Ridge, and while this may be an oversimplification, there is no doubt that the battle was a turning point in Canada’s journey toward becoming a fully independent nation.

The victory at Vimy Ridge, hard-won and costly, was more than just a military triumph. It was a moment of national consciousness, a realization that Canada had come of age on the world stage. Through the mud and blood of the Western Front, Canada emerged as a nation, united in purpose and proud of its accomplishments.