1. Canada’s Most Prominent Battles
World War One
Canada’s Most Prominent Battles

2. 2nd Battle of Ypres, April 1915
Famous for the first time chemical warfare was used
Chlorine (mustard) gas
Commanders knew Germans had the gas but did not equip front-line

3. soldiers with proper equipment
Germans released mustard gas just beside Cdn position
They did not suffer the full brunt of the assault
Other allies fled but Cdns remained

4. Urinate on a cloth and cover face will protect the soldiers
Both sides attacked and counter-attacked with artillery, gas, soldiers resulting in heavy losses for both sides

5. British, Cdns take back territory they initially lost
At beginning of battle there were 10,000 Cdn soldiers but 1,850 killed, 3,411 wounded, and 776 taken prisoner (lost 60% of their soldiers)

6. Battle of the Somme, 1916 (July to October)
Battle intended to be a French and British attack that smashed through German lines near French town of Albert
Badly planned and poorly executed
German positions

7. Bombarded for days before the attack
Germans went into their dugouts and waited out the barrage
Then they retook their positions after the bombing had stopped

8. They were ready for the attack
British thought Germans would be destroyed by the artillery so they walked over “no man’s land”
On the first day, 20,000 British killed

9. 37,000 wounded(Br)
British cont’d to pour fresh troops into the attack
By the time the offensive is over British and French suffer 600,000 casualties (wounded and killed)

10. All of this for a gain of 2.8 kilometres of territory
Canadians (part of the British soldiers) suffer:
8,000 dead
16,000 wounded
All of this for a gain of 2.8 kilometres of territory

11. Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
First time Canadian soldiers commanded by Canadian officers
Cdns have 30,000 men commanded by Arthur Currie
Preparation for attack was intense

12. A) clay model of ridge was built and studied
B) full scale mock-up with German positions used to familiarize troops with objectives
C) RFC surveillance

13. photos studied to determine German troop positions
D) German artillery located using new sounding devices
E) tunnels dug from rear positions to the front line so Cdn

14. troops could move to the front without being seen
F) mines placed under German positions to be detonated when attack begins

15. G) creeping artillery barrage that would land ahead of the troops and be moved ahead 90 m every 5 minutes
Result is Cdn victory: but 10,602 casualties of which 3598 dead

16. Battle of Passchendaele, 191

20. Before and After:Passchendaele