Major Battles of WWI

1. Major Battles of WWI Somme, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Ypres, 100 Day Campaign

2. Why do we learn about these battles? • Each one of these battles is unique and significant to Canadians and in history • They are on the Provincial Exam • The battles utilize new weaponry, involve the CEF, helped to determine the outcome of the war, demonstrated the need for new war strategy to avoid high death tolls • Demonstrated wars of attrition were a thing of the past

5. The Second Battle of Ypres • Belgian town of Ypres • 1915 April 22 French and Canadian troops attacked by German poison gas • blinded, burned • Chlorine gas • Outlawed by international agreement since 1907 • Month long Battle • 6000 Canadians killed • Neither side gained any ground

7. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae Doctor in Canadian Corps

8. The Battle of Somme • July 1916 Allies launched attack against German Trenches near the Somme River in France • Battle lasted 5 months and Allies only captured 13 KM • 1.25 Million casualties • 24000 Canadian casualties • Newfoundland regiment lost 90% of it’s men • Shell Shock

9. Why did the Attack Fail? • Allies bombed German lines for days BUT the bombs did not destroy German defenses or the barbed wire around trenches • Commanders used useless and now outdated tactics- “over the top” sent waves of men to die • 1st day 58000 British troops died yet the battle went on

10. The Battle of Vimy Ridge • 1914 Germans took strategic position of Vimy Ridge • British and French forces spent 2 years trying to take it back • 1916 Canadian troops chosen to lead new assault

11. How We Won Vimy Ridge • Lieutenant-general Julian Byng trained troops by rehearsing the attack • Before attack artillery attacks for a month on German positions • Sappers (army engineers) built secret tunnels to move troops closer to the ridge

12. Victory at Vimy Ridge • April 9th 1917 Canadian Corps attack Vimy Ridge • By April 12 last German position taken! • Canadians did more in 3 days than any previous British offensive did in 3 years • Cost of attack • 3500 men died • 7000 men wounded

13. How Vimy Ridge Promoted National Autonomy • Vimy Ridge was the first time Canadian divisions fought together • Success gave a sense of National pride and a reputation as a fighting force

14. The Battle of Passchendaele • Oct 1917, the Canadian Expeditionary Force was asked to break through the German lines and retake the town of Passchendaele in Belgium • Known as a short lived victory at the cost of endless lives due to bad management

15. Problems at Passchendaele • Previous attacks left huge craters which heavy rains turned into a muddy swamp • Difficult terrain=high casualties • General Haig ordered the attack anyway

17. Results of Passchendale • Victory for Canadians BUT • Each side 20000 casualties • More than 15000 Canadian casualties • Gained only 7 or 8 KM • Germans soon recaptured the town

18. The 100 Days Campaign Background: March 1918 Russia signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • Out of the war- truce on the Eastern Front • Germany knew it needed a fast victory before US troops reach France • March 1918 Germany marched deep into France • Attacked Allies weak points • Ypres, Somme, Passchedaele lost • 75 KM from Paris

19. The 100 Days Campaign • 1918 American arrive and worked with Allies to stop German advance • 100 Days Campaign was a series of attacks by the Allies which helped to defeat the Germans and end the war • Canadian attacks some of the most successful • Canadians led by General Currie