The Battles
The Canadian First Division moved to
the
Armentieres Sector in France in February of 1915 under British General,
Sir Edwin Alderson. In April, at the
Second Battle of Ypres. they faced down a chemical
warfare attack when the Germans unleashed chlorine gas.
Chemicals were one of many experimental weapons to
attempt to overcome the vast superiority of defensive
weaponry over offensive capability during the War.
Through the summer
of 1915, Canadians were part of various suicidal frontal
assaults which passed for strategy. A second division
arrived in September and a third division in December.
In April of 1916, at St Eloi, Canadians sustained over 1,300
casualties, most from fire from their own artillary.
Alderson was replaced by
Sir Julian Byng.
Canadians narrowly missed
the beginning of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916,
later known as "the bloodiest day in British military
history." The
Newfoundland Regiment was there and lost 710 of 801 men
in less than 30 minutes. [Some contend that Newfoundland
never recovered from this loss.] Canadians did join
the battle in late August and fought through to late
October, sustaining 24,713 casualties of the estimated total
casualties of the battle of more than 1.2 million.
On Easter Monday, April 9,
1917 the entire Canadian Corps (4 divisions) went into
action together for the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Finally
under a Canadian Commander,
General Arthur Currie, the Canadians achieved most of
their objective in half a day and complete success by April
12.
Canadian (and Australian
and New Zealand) troops were by now regarded as the best
attack forces, so much so that the Germans followed their
positions to judge from where the next attack would come.
However,
Passchendaele was to be another blood bath. Among the
Canadians who died there was Fred Albright of Calgary,
Alberta. (see sidebar, right)
In the Spring of 1918,
Russia withdrew from the War and the Germans moved manpower
to the Western Front and staged a large offensive which
drove to within sight of Paris. When the attack
stalled, the Canadians, who had been held in reserve were
part of the counter-attack. On August 8, 1918, they
broke through German lines at Amiens. This began a
period of extraordinary success called
Canada's 100 Days. By November they were at Mons
in Belgium, fighting literally to the last minute before the
Armistice took effect - at the 11th hour of the 11th day of
the 11th month of 1918.
