ipl-logo

A Brief Note On The Battle Of Vimy Ridge

1307 Words6 Pages

Erik Sears
Mr. Whitfield
Social Studies 9-4
Wednesday, April 3, 2018
The Battle of Vimy Ridge World War One or also known as the “Great War” was the first major conflict in the twentieth century. It was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to that name. There were many participants in World War One such as Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungry, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, France, Britain and its empire, which included Canada. Canada, a country of less than eight million at the time, had more than 650 000 men and women serve in the war. Of these 650 0000 men and women, 170 000 were wounded and 66 000 gave their lives in service of their country ("The Battle of Vimy Ridge"). One of the most famous battles of …show more content…

This united the country because men from not just one town or province, but men from all across Canada came together to complete the infamous hurtle known today as Vimy Ridge ("The Battle of Vimy Ridge"). Throughout the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canada took pride in the fact that many Canadians committed great acts of heroism. These acts of heroism were so great that not two, not three, but four Canadians earned the Victoria Cross, the highest medal that can be awarded to a commonwealth soldier ("The Battle of Vimy Ridge"). Private William Milne, Lance-Sergeant Ellis Sifton, Captain Thain MacDowell, and Private John Pattison all were awarded the Victoria Cross for their great acts of heroism on the battlefield (“The Battle of Vimy Ridge Historical Sheets”). Canadians also take great pride in the fact that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was the most successful battle for the allies in all of World War One. During the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian soldiers captured more prisoners, territory, and artillery pieces than in any other battle in the entire war (“The Battle of Vimy Ridge Historical Sheets”). Some would say that behind every great army is a great leader, and the Canadian army at Vimy Ridge is no exception. The Canadians at Vimy Ridge were led by British Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng and Canadian Major-General Arthur Currie. …show more content…

Vimy Ridge had a bad reputation among the allies for being an infamous fortification. Previous assaults on Vimy Ridge in 1914 and 1915 had costed hundreds of thousands of casualties and had been very unsuccessful (“The Battle of Vimy Ridge Historical Sheets”). It was soon known by the allies that Vimy Ridge was the most fortified position in the Hindenburg line (“Wilson-Smith”). Vimy Ridge was saturated with tunnels and trenches that were that were manned by highly trained German soldiers with many machine guns and artillery pieces (“Wilson-Smith”). On top of Vimy Ridge being the difficult fortification to take in the Arras offensive, the Canadians had to do it in horrendous weather. The weather was so bad that the assault had to be delayed by a day. The next day the weather still was menacing. As the Canadians stormed the ridge, they encountered driving wind, snow, and sleet ("The Battle of Vimy Ridge"). These two factors came together to make the perfect storm for the Canadians. The cost for the Canadians were high. Of the 100 000 Canadians from all four divisions, there were 10 600 casualties. Of these casualties, 3 600 were fatal ("The Battle of Vimy Ridge"). Against all odds, all four Canadian divisions, men from all corners of the country, came together as a united nation to complete the

Show More
Related

Vimy Ridge Research Paper

498 Words | 2 Pages

Vimy Ridge was one of the greatest battles of Canadian history, it was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary assault for the French Nivelle Offensive. This essay will describe the success of the Canadian troops, the battle’s significance, and the importance of the positioning with respect to the geography of the land. The actual battle took place 5:30 am Easter Monday April 9th 1917, but the planning of the attack took place for more than 5 months beforehand starting in November of 1916. Rehearsals and training also occurred, and the soldiers were trained specifically for each position in the war.

Read More

Passchendaele Ridge Essay

410 Words | 2 Pages

The Canadian Corps, a 100,000 strong fighting formation, was ordered to the Passchendaele front, east of Ypres, in mid-October 1917. Horrible Conditions Launched on 31 July 1917, the British offensive in Flanders had aimed to drive the Germans away from the essential Channel Ports and to eliminate U-Boat bases on the coast. But unceasing rain and shellfire reduced the battlefield to a vast bog of bodies, water-filled shell craters, and mud in which the attack ground to a halt. After months of fighting, Passchendaele ridge was still stubbornly held by German troops. Sir Douglas Haig, the commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force, ordered the Canadians to deliver victory.

Read More

Battle Of The Bulge Dbq

1771 Words | 8 Pages

“This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war, and will, I believe be regarded as an ever famous American victory.” Winston Churchill said these famous lines after the Americans had defeated the Germans in the battle of the bulge. It will forever go down in history as one of the greatest battles ever fought for it sealed up the last German offensive and ultimately caused the fall of berlin and the fall of the Nazis. It was midnight on December 16, 1944 in the Ardennes forest the German forces are about to unleash a last ditch offensive effort on the thinly spread untrained American and allied lines hoping to break thru and retake German territory. The allies were not ready for the German blitzkrieg.

Read More

Review: Was The Battle At Vimy Ridge Truly A Turning Point In Canadian History

1550 Words | 7 Pages

(Canada) The biggest achievement in winning the battle at Vimy was that both France and Britain attempted to capture Vimy Ridge and failed. This shows that although we were not seen as equal to those countries, Canada had the ability to accomplish conquests that even the British and French could not. In this battle the Canadians received the recognition we deserved. Furthermore, Canada's victory had minimal help from allied countries; all divisions of the Canadian army joined together and executed their training.

Read More

Julian Byng's Leadership

133 Words | 1 Pages

Julian Byng became the commander of the Canadian corps on May 1916 and he finished in late 1917. Julian Byng forged Canada to be elite fighting group that enemy would be scared to fight, he led Canada through 3 battles. He came from a long line of military forebears his grandfather had been a senior officer at Waterloo in 1815. After about two months following the battle of Byng was promoted to the role of commanding the third British army so his previous position as commander of the Canadian corps went to Arthur Currie. Sir Arthur Currie was considered as a brilliant Canadian military commander during the Great War during the battle of vimy ridge he carefully planned and reformed to protect his men throughout the war to reduce the amount of

Read More

Borden Vs King Conscription Essay

721 Words | 3 Pages

2014 Borden Vs King: Conscription Before World War I and World War II, Canada had the reputation of a small colony that was controlled by the British Empire. Being a member of the Empire, Canada had to participate in the wars because when Britain is threatened so is Canada. With Canada participating in the wars, men had to volunteer to partake in the military. However, the number of casualties exceeded the number of volunteers.

Read More

Vimy Ridge Capture

283 Words | 2 Pages

The Canadian Corps took more ground, prisoners and guns than any other Allied attack to date. This monumental battle was unified the citizens of Canada by creating a source of national pride; the young dominion was able to accomplish what the Allies deemed impossible. Eventually, Canada’s record, crowned by Vimy’s success earned Canada a separate signature on the Versailles Peace Treaty. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, The capture of Vimy Ridge was the “most complete and decisive engagements of the Great War and the greatest Allied victory up to that time.” For this reason, the Battle of Vimy Ridge brought Canada into the international table, demonstrating Canada’s prowess.

Read More

Why Is The Battle Of Vimy Ridge Important For Canada

573 Words | 3 Pages

Many Historians believed that the victory of Vimy Ridge was a memorable and unreal moment for Canadians. At that time, Canada was known to be a part of the British Empire. This meant that if Britain was to go to war, then Canada would automatically have to go to war as well.1 The Battle took place on April 9, 1917 and it was a huge victory for the Canadians.2 The significance of the battle of Vimy Ridge to Canadian history was that Canada became famous for its heroic soldiers, its large sacrifice and it was the birth of Canadian patriotism.3 To begin, the battle of Vimy Ridge was not just considered to be the greatest achievement for Canadians, but it became famous for the clever tactics which the Canadian troops used during the war.4 To start off with, The Battle of Vimy Ridge was the first battle in which Canadians from all over the land fought as a united team.5 This gave them an advantage and brought them much success during the war because they outnumbered the Germans.6 This is witnessed when Brigadier General A.E.Ross announced, "In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation.

Read More

War Of 1812 Essay

1017 Words | 5 Pages

The entire battle lasted for about five hours and was the hardest and bloodiest battle fought in Canada. Britain had 84 killed, 559 wounded, and 235 missing out of the battle. America had 171 killed, 572 wounded, and 117 missing by the end. Both sides claimed victory but neither side won in the end. More battles were fought after the battle of Lundy’s Lane.

Read More

Vimy Ridge Essay

397 Words | 2 Pages

The use of new maps and aerial work using remote sensing is to help to guide a way. To keep men safe, engineers dug tunnels from the back to the front. Not only do troops have to train and prepare for battle, the main guide to victory is the artillery barrage that would allow the opposing team (Germany) to come forward. The Canadian troops were led by Lt. - General Sir Julian Bying and Major General Arthur Currie where they overcame an impossible task. As an army they learned from their mistakes of previous battle.

Read More

Battle Of The Bulge: The Deadliest Battle In World War II

173 Words | 1 Pages

The battle of the bulge is one of the deadliest battle in World War 2. In December 1944, Adolf Hitler attempted to split the allied armies in Northwest Europe by means of surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to antwerp. Caught off guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne, Lieutenant General George S. Patton 's successful maneuvering of the third Army to bastogne proved vital to the allied defense, leading to the neutralization of the German Counteroffensive despite heavy casualties. On December 16, three German Armies launched the deadliest most desperate battle of the war in the west in the poorly ordered, rugged, heavily forested Ardennes. A shortage

Read More

Battle Of Quebec Essay

1055 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout history, the American Continental Army was depicted as strong, dominant, and filled with perseverance, however it appears as though their strength was missing at the Battle of Quebec. The Battle of Quebec occurred on December 31, 1775 and lasted until January 1, 1776. It was a battle in which the Province of Quebec was covered in the same red as the victors’ coats. The attempt to capture Quebec concluded in a disastrous defeat for the Americans that was due to factors such as disparities in the level of experiences between the leaders, the disproportion of armies, freezing weather, weapons/fortification, and challenging terrain. The Battle of Quebec was a battle of great significance as it was “the first major war defeat for the

Read More

How Did World War 1 Affect Canada

1266 Words | 6 Pages

“We have shown that even in trench warfare it is possible to mystify and mislead the enemy.” -Sir Arthur Currie (World War 1). The most vital and important battle that gained Canada respect was The Battle of Vimy Ridge. Canada played the biggest part in taking this area since they fought alone.

Read More

Essay On The Impact Of World War 1 On Canada

707 Words | 3 Pages

World War 1 was a historic event which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. This bloody conflict took the lives of more than 17 million people who were fighting for their countries. Being a British colony at the time, Canada was dragged into the war that did not impact the country in any way, yet thousands of Canadians volunteered to devote their lives for their nation. The first World War had the greatest impact on Canadian history during the 20th century, as this event helped Canada gain more independence from Britain, it helped introduce women in the workforce, and also introduced non-white Canadians in the army. For the longest time, Canada had been under British control, however, this changed a bit after World War 1 took place.

Read More

Three Main Causes Of Civil War

1159 Words | 5 Pages

The battle of Antietam we will now remember as the bloodiest day in U.S. history with 23,000 total casualties. In this year year overall, the north was coming out on top

Read More

More about A Brief Note On The Battle Of Vimy Ridge

Related Topics

Open Document