Passchendaele and the 100 Days
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Passchendaele and the 100 Days. After Vimy. After Canadians captured and held Vimy , their reputation grew and started to get the toughest assignments of the war Sir Arthur Currie was recognized as one of the most talented commanders in the war
Passchendaele and the 100 Days
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Presentation Transcript
After Vimy • After Canadians captured and held Vimy, their reputation grew and started to get the toughest assignments of the war • Sir Arthur Currie was recognized as one of the most talented commanders in the war • The next major battle was “Hill 70” where Canadians took another mountain top from the Germans
Passchendaele • Also known as the 3rd battle of Ypres • The British launched a major assault in Flanders, Belgium in the summer of 1917 • Due to poor planning and massive amounts of rainfall, the British attack went very badly • The record rainfall turned the battlefield into a sea of mud • The mud was so thick and deep that simply walking was almost impossible in some areas
Canadians at Passchendaele • The Canadian Corps were called in to help the British • Sir Arthur Currie saw the battlefield and refused to order Canadians to fight in the swamp-like conditions • He was over-ruled and Canadians were given the job of taking the small town of Passchendaele • Using a series of small attacks, the Canadians were victorious • However, the cost was horrible “I died in Hell, they called it Passchendaele”
The Beginning of the End • Germany was slowly losing the war on the battlefield • The German people were starving at home and industry was falling apart because of the blockade • Unrestricted Submarine Warfare had failed • The USA had entered the war and 1,000,000 fresh troops were coming to Europe • However, Russia had a Revolution and pulled out of the war, this allowed almost 1.5 million German troops to be transferred to the trenches in France
Operation Michael • Germany decided to gamble one last time • Germany took all of its men and made a all-or-nothing attack on the allied trenches to try to end the war before the Americans could arrive • Operation Michael pushed the Allies back but didn’t end the war • Germany tried two more times but failed to strike a fatal blow
Canada’s 100 Days • After Operation Michael, the Germans were exhausted and almost out of supplies • The Allies launched a counter-attack at Amiens. • Leading the charge were 100 tanks, Australians and Canadians • The Battle of Amiens was a complete victory • The German lines were broken and never recovered • For 100 Days, the Allies attacked all along the front • During the 100 Days, Canadian troops lead most of the major assaults and more farther and faster than any other army in the war. • The German’s surrendered before the allied armies entered Germany • Truly, Canada led the way to victory
Key Points • Passchendaele= MUD and BLOOD, a very costly and pointless victory • Operation Michael = A desperate, all-or-nothing attack by Germany • 100 Days = Canada leads the way to victory