Battle of Vimy Ridge

Vimy Ridge was a historical battle for the entire world. The outcome of the battle changed the situation of the whole war, which led to the eventual victory for the allies. More than that, it proved to Canada and the rest of the world that Canada is a major power, and boosted the morale of Canadians for years to come. The battle started on April 9th, 1917 and ended on April 12th. More than 3000 Canadians were killed and more than 7000 were injured but is considered minimal when you look at how over 20000 Germans were killed in the battle. The Canadian corps were praised throughout the war for their strategic planning and advanced technological attacks. Throughout this project, we shall be discussing several key aspects of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This will include, a detailed analysis of Vimy Ridge, previous battles at Vimy Ridge, strategic planning before the battle, report on the battle, the aftermath of Vimy Ridge, and Vimy Ridge's influence on Canada. The battle of Vimy Ridge truly was a historic event that changed Canada and its people's lives forever. To truly understand this, please keep reading.

Vimy Ridge is an escarpment (which is a kind of steep slope or cliff caused by erosion) and is 8 kilometres northeast of Arras (a small city in France. The ridge gradually rises on its western side dropping more quickly on the eastern side. It is 7 kilometres in length and at an elevation of 145-60m. The advantage of this ridge is that is located in the Douai Plains, which gives anyone on the ridge an unobstructed view of the surroundings for up to tens of kilometres.

The ridge fell under German control in October 1914 as the Allies and the Germans fought to obtain territory in north east France. The French Tenth Army attempted to reclaim the ridge during the Second Battle of Artois in May 1915 by attacking their positions at Vimy Ridge and Notre Dame de Lorette. The French 1st Moroccan Division managed to briefly capture parts of the ridge but due to lack of reinforcements were thrown off again. The French made another attempt during the Third Battle of Artois in September 1915, but once again failed. The French suffered approximately 150,000 casualties in their attempts to gain control of Vimy Ridge and surrounding territory.

in February 1916, the British XVII Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng, took over the Vimy Ridge area of Northern France from the French Tenth Army. The British soon discovered that German tunnelling companies had taken advantage of the cease fire on the surface to build a network of tunnels and mines from which they would attack by setting off explosive charges underneath their trenches. The British immediately deployed specialist tunnelling companies along the front to combat the German mining operations. To counter the British mining, German artillery and mortar fire intensified in early May 1916. On 21 May 1916, the German infantry also attacked the British lines