1. Ypres

2. Dates and Locations - 2 nd battle, April 1915 - in and around the Belgian city of Ypres in Flanders

5. -Canadian and French troops were exposed to poison gas for the first time Problems faced

6. - After releasing a cloud of chlorine cloud gas, the Germans attacked Problems faced (continued)

8. -Despite the gas attack, the Canadian lines did not break Achievements

9. -British reinforcements helped prevent further German advances Achievements (continued)

10. -Canadian doctor John Mc Crae wrote his famous poem “in Flanders Fields” to commemorate the… Achievements (continued)

11. … the dead and injured Canadians he treated at the Second Battle of Ypres (continued)

12. -6 000 Canadians killed, wounded, or captured Casualties

16. The Somme

17. Dates and Locations - between July and November 1916, fought in northern France

19. - General Douglais Haig did not understand how new military technology had changed the way war was fought Problems faced

20. - Haig ordered suicidal frontal charges against German trench lines, which were costly failure Problem faced (continued)

23. -Troops fought for 5 months with no breakthrough Problem faced (continued)

24. - The battle resulted in a stalemate, with neither side winning a clear victory Achievements

25. - The Central Powers suffered higher causalities, and the Allies gained 8 kilometers of mud, enabling General Haig to claim victory Achievements (continued)

26. - -The CEF suffered 24 000 causalities - On the 1 st day of battle, 85% of the Royal Newfoundland regiment was wiped out in half-hour Casualties

27. - -During five months of fighting, over a million Allied and Central Powers’ troops were killed or wounded Casualties (continued)

30. The Battle of Vimy Ridge

31. Dates -Began on Easter Monday: April 9, 1917 -Ended 3 days later

32. Location -Vimy Ridge was a key German defensive position on the Western Front -Located in northern France

34. -French units had tried to take Vimy Ridge 3 times and failed -suffered high casualties (150 000 dead) Problems Faced

35. -Allied command thought the ridge was impenetrable -The Canadians had to find an approach that worked

36. - The Germans had fortified the ridge with 3 trench lines, concrete gun emplacements, and deep protective dugouts

37. The Preparations -Canadians mapped out 80% of German gun positions

38. -Built replicas of Vimy terrain to rehearse -Dug 5 km of tunnels to move troops and supplies

39. -Canadians invented new strategy called “Creeping Barrage” or “Leap-frogging” to sneak up on the enemy

40. The Battle -Allies pounded Germans with artillery for 2 weeks before attack

41. - -Canadian units began their attack in a snowstorm (April 9) and met their first two objectives in less than two hours

44. -3 days later Hill 145, the highest point on the ridge, was taken

45. - Vimy Ridge was a huge victory for the Allies, gaining more ground, prisoners, and captured artillery than any previous offensive in the war

48. - Canada’s victory earned its troops recognition as a formidable force

49. - Vimy Ridge was an important turning point for Canada, gaining it world recognition and creating a strong sense of patriotism

51. - Vimy Ridge was a costly victory, with 10,600 Canadians killed or wounded (3,600 dead) Casualties

52. Passchendaele

53. Date -Late October and early November 1917

54. - Passchendaele had little strategic value, but General Haig was determine to take it Problems faced

56. -Massive artillery bombardments had destroyed the drainage system and left huge shell holes in the fields that turned the region into a swamp

59. - Advancing Canadians units had to move over wooden trench mats within range of German guns, with flooded shell holes offering the only shelter

60. -General Currie’s strategy resulted in lower than usual casualty rates among Canadian forces Achievements

61. - Canada took the deserted village of Passchendaele and the ridge after a series of attacks

62. - - Canada suffered 8 000 losses in the battle - Total casualties for both sides were about half a million Casualties