Chapter 1 History

Question 1

Second battle of Ypres

Answer 1

• April 22, 1915 - French and Canadian soliders suffered burns, blindness and deaths after Germany used chlorine gas, which had been outlawed internationally since 1907
• Over 6,000 Canadians were killed, wounded or captured
• Battle was bases of famous poem “In Flanders’ Fields” by Lieutenant Colonel Jhon McCrae

Question 2

Battle of the Somme

Answer 2

• July 1916 - Allies launched a failed attack against German trenches near the Somme River
• Though allies shelled German lines for days before attack began, shells didn’t destroy German defenses
• Commanders used tactics useless in trench warfare
• Nearly 58,000 British troops lost in battle on first day, and had 1.25 million casualties, including 24,000 Canadians

Question 3

Battle of Vimy Ridge

Answer 3

• 1914 - Germans took control of Vimy Ridge (giving view of countryside supply routes and enemy positions). French and British unsuccessfully tried to capture Ridge for 2+ years
• 1916 - Canadian troops chosen to lead assault on Ridge w/ plan of British lieutenant Juliann Byng
• Artillery bombed Germans for +1 month prior, and engineers built tunnels to move troops closer
• April 9, 1917, troops attacked, taking first objective in <2 hours, captured Hill 145 on Ap. 10 and took “pimple”
• Canadians took more land + prisoners + artillery than any other British offensive. +3500 deaths and +70000 wounded, yet losses significantly lower than before.

Question 4

Passchendaele