The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917
Tim Cook
Many historians and writers consider the Canadian victory at Vimy a
defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow
of Britain and felt capable of greatness. Canadian troops also earned a
reputation as formidable, effective troops because of the stunning success.
But it was a victory at a terrible cost, with more than 10,000 killed and
wounded.
The Canadian Corps was ordered to seize Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
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Situated in northern France, the heavily-fortified seven-kilometre ridge
held a commanding view over the Allied lines. The Canadians would be
assaulting over an open graveyard since previous French attacks had failed
with over 100,000 casualties.
To capture
this difficult position, the Canadians would carefully plan
and rehearse their attack. To provide greater flexibility and firepower in
battle, the infantry were given specialist roles as machine-gunners,
rifle-men and grenade-throwers. These same soldiers underwent weeks of
training behind the lines using models to represent the battlefield, and
new maps crafted from
aerial photographs to guide their way.
To bring men
forward safely for the assault, engineers dug deep tunnels from the rear to
the front. Despite this training and preparation, the key to victory would
be a devastating artillery barrage that would not only isolate enemy
trenches, but provide a moving wall of high explosives and shrapnel to
force the Germans to stay in their deep dugouts and away from their
machine-guns. "Chaps, you shall go over exactly like a railroad train, on
time, or you shall be annihilated," warned Canadian Corps commander Sir
Julian Byng.
"In those few minutes I
witnessed the birth of a nation."
BGen A.E. Ross
In the
week leading up to the battle, Canadian and British artillery
pounded the enemy positions on the ridge, killing and tormenting defenders.
New artillery tactics allowed the gunners to first target, then destroy
enemy positions. A nearly limitless supply of artillery shells and the
new 106 fuse, which allowed shells to explode on contact, as opposed to
burying themselves in ground, facilitated the destruction of hardened
defences and barbed wire. The Canadian infantry would be well supported
when it went into battle with over 1,000 artillery pieces laying down
withering, supportive fire.
Attacking together for the first time, the four Canadian divisions
stormed the ridge at 5:30am on 9 April 1917. More than 15,000 Canadian
infantry overran the Germans all along the front. Incredible bravery
and discipline allowed the infantry to continue moving forward under
heavy fire, even when their officers were killed.
There were countless
acts of sacrifice, as Canadians single-handedly charged machine-gun
nests or forced the surrender of Germans in protective dugouts. Hill
145, the highest and most important feature of the Ridge, and where
the Vimy monument now stands, was captured
in a frontal bayonet charge
against machine-gun positions. Three more days of costly battle
delivered final victory. The Canadian operation was an important
success, even if the larger British and French offensive, of which it
had been a part, had failed. But it was victory at a heavy cost: 3,598
Canadians were killed and another 7,000 wounded.
The capture of Vimy was more than just an important battlefield victory.
For the first time all four Canadian divisions attacked together: men
from all regions of Canada were present at the battle. Brigadier-General
A.E. Ross declared after the war, "in those few minutes I witnessed
the birth of a nation."
Vimy became a symbol for the sacrifice of the young Dominion. In
1922, the French government ceded to Canada in perpetuity Vimy Ridge,
and the land surrounding it. The gleaming white marble and haunting
sculptures of the Vimy Memorial,
unveiled in 1936, stand as a terrible
and poignant reminder of the more than sixty thousand Canadians who
died serving their country during the First World War.