1. Land Battles
The CEF in Battle

2. WW1 Was fought from July 28, 1914 to Nov 11, 1918 Italy
Was supposed to join the war with central powers in August But on April 26th 1915 Italy joined the Allies.
Plan was to divide the central powers again

3. The Western Front
After the Battle of Marne on the Western Front, Germany realized the Schlieffen Plan had failed
Germany decided to ‘hold’ their positions on the Western Front, so they could focus on fighting the Russians on the Eastern Front

4. Battle of Marne

5. The Western Front The Western Front became a stalemate
Stalemate is a term from the game of chess.
When it is obvious that neither side has enough offensive power to win

6. The Battle of Ypres, April 1915
Some of the bloodiest battles were fought around Ypres (city in Belgium)
Ypres was in the Flanders district of Belgium

9. The Battle of Ypres, April 1915
First time Canadian soldiers were in trench warfare
French and Canadian troops retreated when the Germans used chlorine gas
This was the first poison gas attack in history

10. The Battle of Ypres, April 1915

11. The Battle of Ypres, April 1915
Over 6,000 Canadians lost their lives before reinforcements arrived
Use of gas for military purposes had been banned in an international agreement since 1907
Neither side gained much from the battle of Ypres

13. Battle of Verdun, February 1916
Germany attacked the French in February 1916.
Lasted 6 months with French alone losing over 500,000 men
Battle of Verdun and the Battle of Somme were the two battles that had the greatest impact on the war.

15. Battle of Verdun, February 1916
Both Somme and Verdun were planned wars of attrition
An attacking strategy that wears down an enemy with constant attacks

16. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
While Germans were busy fighting the French at Verdun, the Allies tried to end trench warfare with a huge attack on the German trenches at The Battle of Somme
The attack was not successful

17. The Battle of Somme, July 1916

18. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
The Germans were not pushed back
Over 20,000 Canadians were killed
90% of the The Newfoundland regiment was killed

19. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
After 5 months of fighting, the Allies had only gained a few kilometres of territory
The casualty total was 1.25 million
The Battle of Somme was a disaster for many reason

20. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
1. The Allies shells were too weak to damage German concrete bunkers buried deep underground
2. Allied troops were overloaded with 25 – 60 kgs of gear

21. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
3. A nearby mine was detonated ten minutes before the attack, which warned the Germans
4. The attack was delayed and happened in daylight, rather than at night

22. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
5. The attack was ordered to continue, even though most soldiers were dying
6. There were 23 Canadian men who were ordered ‘shot at dawn’ because they would not return to the front

23. Shot at Dawn Memorial

24. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
General Douglas Haig was in charge of this offensive. He used an old war tactic of marching soldiers into battle
As more and more troops were ordered to march across open fields they were shot down by German machine guns.

26. Somme

27. Somme

28. Shell Shock
A psychological disorder that resulted from the stress of warfare
Were constantly afraid of an attack, even when not in the trench
Troops who would not fight because of shell shock were put in a firing squad
Shell Shock Shell Shock

29. The Battle of Somme, July 1916
The 90% of Royal Newfoundland Regiment (over 700 men) were killed within 3o minutes of fighting.
Armoured tanks were first used in the battlefields of Somme
British Commander Haig claimed victory, but little was gained

30. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
Since first attack by Germans in 1914, the Germans had control. In France, near Belgian border
French had tried 3 times to take Vimy back
Important strategically, as it could be easily defended and very dangerous to attack

32. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
In April 1917, Canadian troops attacked the Germans at the Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Allies had been bombing the ridge for 3 weeks to weaken their enemies

33. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
Preparations for the attack were very thorough
Plans were practiced over and over
Attack was successful, but Canadians still lost 3,000 men and 7,000 injured

34. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
Sappers (army engineers) made tunnels to secretly move troops to forward positions.
April 9, 1917 (Easter Monday) Canadian troops began to attack the Germans
On April 10th the Canadian captured ‘Hill 145,’ the highest point on the ridge
On April 12th Canadians took ‘the pimple’. The last German position

36. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
This was the turning point of the war for the Allies
This was the first time Canadian units had fought together without the British
Canadians now recognized as some of the best troops on the Western Front

37. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
General Arthur Currie was promoted to replace British General Byng
Canadian soldiers were no longer commanded by British soldiers

38. Vimy Ridge

39. Passchendaele, October 1917
Allied advances were slowed in the mud of the Western Front at the Battle of Passchendaele
1917 General Currie and the CEF were going to try and take over Passchendaele Ridge in Belgium.
General Currie had said that this was not possible because of the mud, but he was forced to attack anyways

40. Passchendaele

41. Passchendaele, October 1917
Previous assualts on Passchendaele left massive shell craters in the ground
Rain turned into a huge marsh land
Some horses and soldiers drowned in these conditions

42. Passchendaele

43. Passchendaele

44. Passchendaele, October 1917
Canadians took the town
But only 1 of every 5 Canadians survived the battle
16,000 died, 500,000 in total
Gained a few kms of mud, but Germany soon won back

45. Passchendaele

46. Passchendaele

47. “Going over the top”
When infantry climbed over the top of the trench and entered into no man’s land

49. The order of the Battles on The Western Front
The Battle of Marne, September 1914
The Battle of Ypres, April 1915
The Battle of Verdun, February 1916
The Battle of the Somme, July 1916
The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917
The Battle of Passchendaele, October 1917

50. WW1
WW1 over the years