Review: Why Did The Canadians Win At The Battle Of Vimy Ridge

World War 1 was a devastating war that resulted in the death of millions. This included young, old, and many people from many different nationalities. But there was one battle in the war that would put a newly made country straight into the spotlight, revealing whether or not this independent nation deserved respect, and individuality. This country was Canada. And this took place at Vimy Ridge in 1917. Vimy Ridge was key to the German defense system. Vimy Ridge was so well fortified that all previous attempts to capture it had failed immensely. So why did the Canadians win at the battle of Vimy Ridge? The reason why the Canadians won this vital position is due to their planning and preparation, military mining, and incredible use of artillery.

One of the ways they prepared to attack Vimy Ridge was by gaining Intel. For this they needed raids. Raids are a sudden attack on enemy troops, aircraft, or other armed forces in warfare to gain something of value. The Canadians carried out steadily increasing waves of raids on enemy trenches, to gain Intel for the coming spring offensive. Although this resulted in heavy casualties the Intel gathered would help the Canadians win with lighter losses. This is proven based off of the accounts of Sydney Winterbottom. “On the evening of of the eighth of April, we moved into the jumping off trenches. We dug cubby holes in the sides of the trench and sat down to make ourselves comfortable. As there had been raids by our troops all along the front for the last couple of weeks, Fritz was not expecting anything. We therefore got no shellfire at the trench”. The Canadians also needed to prepare their soldiers for the upcoming battle. The Canadians created a full scale replica of the battle area. This of course was intelligence collected through aerial surveillance. The replica was laid out with reams of colored tape and flags behind the Canadian lines. Here

The Canadians obtained their victory due to three immensely important factors; planning and preparation, military mining, and artillery. During their planning and preparation Canadians needed Intel. They conducted raids and aerial reconnaissance. They also needed to prepare their soldiers for this very important battle. For this the Canadians created a full scale replica of the battlefield, and also made their soldiers rehearse what they would actually do on the battlefield. Military mining also played a crucial role in the victory of Vimy Ridge. Also referred to as “subways” this extensive underground network reduced casualties amongst the advancing infantry, and returning wounded. The tunnels also enabled supplies to be brought up under less hazardous conditions. Artillery also played a defining role in the capturing of Vimy Ridge. Due to aerial surveillance more than 80% of the Germans guns were identified. Thanks to the gathered Intel these guns were vulnerable to artillery fire, thus easing the Canadians dangerous path to combat. The artillery also fired well before the attack on Vimy Ridge proceeded. This demolished the Germans trenches and wire entanglements, thus further increasing the Canadians chance of survival. The capturing of Vimy Ridge helped unite many Canadians in pride of the soldiers who came from their country