five major canadian battles

Question 1

Second Battle of Ypres

Answer 1

-1915
-First major action for the CEF
-Germans used chlorine gas
-Canadians breathed through urine-soaked rags
-Colonel Arthur Currie emerged as a smart and courageous leader

Question 2

Battle of the Somme

Answer 2

-1916
-Most disastrous battle ever faced by the British Empire
-Major British offensive under General Douglas Haig
-90% of the Newfoundland Regiment was killed or wounded
-Germans referred to this as “the Blood Bath”
-60,000 casualties in one day
-Came to symbolize the futility of WW1

Question 3

Battle of Vimy Ridge

Answer 3

-1917
-All 4 Canadian divisions fought together for the first time under Currie
-Preparations were extremely thorough, every soldier knew their job in the plan
-Troops followed the artillery barrage for protection (called the “Creeping Barrage” or the “Vimy Glide”)
-Only significant victory for the Allies in 1917
-Considered a reason why Canada was given a separate seat at the Paris Peace talks

Question 4

Battle of Passchendaele

Answer 4

-1917
-General Haig ordered the Canadians to carry on the offensive in this swampy area of Belgium
-The mud was so thick that soldiers had trouble moving and stabilizing their artillery
-15,600 killed for 5 square kilometers of mud

Question 5

Canada’s One Hundred Days

Answer 5

-1918
-Germans launched a major offensive to try and win the war before the US joined
-Now had 600,000 more troops since Russia left the war
-Eventually, the commander of the German army knew that they couldn’t win
-Canadians spearheaded the advance, gradually pushing the German forces back