Sharn, Jeremy, Chloe, and Jayden

SECOND BATTLE

OF YPRES

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When April 22-25 1915

● Canada’s first major battle ● First exposure to gas ● Canadians still using Ross rifle ● Canadians very fresh and not experienced

Where Ypres Belgium

● Very close to France, Belgium and English Channel ● Buffer zone of both nations ● Tactically important to Germany as it has plenty of high ground ● Offered rail way to sea near English Channel ●

What Germans defend against Canadian attacks Poison gas used Trench warfare used

● Canadians learn lessons on attacking German fortifications/trenches ● Canadians learn to counter poison gas with rags of urine ● Canadians learn Ross rifle issues ● Germans used very confusing trench networks ● Germans had much better trench systems as they were seen as long term ● Canadians got most of bad weather as they were on the Low ground

Outcome Canada learns of harsh realities of war Ross rifle is improved New tactics and lessons

● Canadians learn very important lessons of trench warfare and develop storming tactics that helped lay foundations for assault on Vimy ridge

● Gave Canadians a fierce reputation ● Coined the term shock troops as Canadians were feared and respected ● Canadians learn to counter gas attacks making German assaults less effective ● Marked first time a former colonial force (the 1st Canadian Division) defeated

a European power (the German Empire)

THE

BATTLE OF

VIMY RIDGE

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When April 9 1917

● Canadians using British standard S.M.L.E and .303 ● Canadians very battle hardened and experienced ● Germans very dig in and know area very well ● Many Canadians are now in charge ● British and French have tried already to capture but failed

Where France, Vimy Ridge

● Vimy Ridge was a heavily-fortified seven-kilometre ridge overlooking the Allied troops

● Capturing this high ground would give the Allies a very open vantage point overlooking German strategic positions of importance

● On road to Paris and closer city of Arras ● No longer on Belgium border or in Belgium ● Already past fort Vaux

What British and French tried capturing fort Canadian troops built tunnels to advance in cover

● Planned Artillery bombardment with precise targets softened up defences

making advance possible ● Digging of tunnels made advance a lot more possible due to cover from

machine gun positions ● Special troops used: light machine guns, pistols and bundles of grenades all

topped off with whatever brutal hand weapons the soldier carried meant Germans with poor training would be overwhelmed and thus overcome

● Weeks of training for assault meant troops new important positions and weaknesses in German lines

● Canadians hardened by battle learned to be brutal barbaric warriors with bayonets, clubs and a ferocious mind set with countless acts of self sacrifice and bravery

Outcome Canadian swift victory Many casualties Canadian troops feared and respected

● Canadian artillery did exactly as planned demoralizing and weakening the troops defending

● Many accounts of self sacrifice and bravery displayed with men charging machine guns with bayonet mounted

● 10,000 wounded and dead ● Germans learned a hard lesson on messing with Canadians ● Weakened French and British reputations ● New artillery tactics developed and proven effective (creeping barrage) ● Forced Germans back and started advance out of France ● 20,000 German casualties meant some of better troops (Sturmtruppen) were

lost

Nadia, Dora, Riak, and Yang

SECOND

BATTLE OF YPRES

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When First World War from 22 April to 25 May 1915.

Where ● Coast of Belgium- close to the city of Ypres ○ The ground and landscape was important for each side to gain an

advantage over each other

What ● Canada’s first major battle ○ Canada was introduced into the war, wasn’t well known yet

● Germany tries to invade Belgium and Britain comes and aids Belgium and fights against Germany

○ Germany didn’t know that Belgium and Britain had alliances ○ When Britain joined the war, lots of other powerful countries had to

mobilize they were allied with Britain. This would later lead to the first full scale world war

● Germans introduced and used poison gas ○ This changed the entire way of fighting ○ Wars were now fought with new technology

● Second Gas attack on On 24 April 1915 ○ Technology needed to continuously improve- better gas masks and

stronger/deadlier gases were introduced which could wipe out thousands of people at the time

● The famous poem “In Flanders Fields” was written here ○ This poem would be used to describe the actions of war and would be

used to commemorate the soldiers who fought in the war

Outcome ● More than 6,500 Canadians were killed, wounded or captured in the Second Battle of Ypres.

○ This led to an influx of unemployed men after the war and a loss of the population in Canada

● Immediately after the German gas attack at Ypres, the French and British began developing their own chemical weapons and gas masks

○ Technology kept on evolving and the outcome of war was dependant on the improval of each side’s technology

● Canada earned a reputation as tough and dependable troops ○ Brought pride to Canada

THE BATTLE OF VIMY

RIDGE

So What?

(Significance, impact, consequences)

When First World War from 9 to 12 April 1917

Where Vimy Ridge, Pas-de-Calais, France

What ● All Canadian Units fought as one ● Small units and individual soldiers were also given much more information

about the battle ○ This showed that the officers realized their tactics weren’t working, so

they put more trust into the troops and gave them more information which later led to better fighting and a victory

● Britain and France failed which led to Canada’s greatest success ○ This was where Canada became a well known, independent country that

was feared by all ● General Arthur Currie (Canadian) replaces General Byng (British); first time

Canadian leads Canadians in battle ○ No more British commanding Canadian troops ○ They recognize that Canadians are capable of commanding and being in

a position of power ● Leading up to the battle there was the secret construction of 11 tunnels or

subways totaling nearly six kilometers in length ● This time the artillery barrage worked because of improved techniques and

difference in landscape ○ This reveals the careful planning on the Allies part- their desperation to

win and they didn't want to lose this battle ● In the first wave, nearly 15,000 Canadian soldiers rose from the trenches and

advanced towards the ridge ○ This shows the mass amount of Canadians that took part in this battle to

help create an identity for Canada ○ Also shows Canadians willingness to serve and their patriotism towards

the Empire ● At 5:30 am on 9 April 1917 nearly 1000 guns opened fire on German positions

○ This set the date for the current national holiday, Easter Monday

Outcome ● Paid a high cost: 10,600 were killed or wounded ● King Edward VII (Eight) unveils the Vimy Ridge memorial in 1936

○ Still there today to memorialize the soldiers who fought and established an identity with Canada

Tanner, Kevin, Yuki, and Colby

THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When

● 31 July 1917 to 10 November 1917 → Close to the end of the WW1 → Only more than 3 months after the battle of Vimy Ridge-the bloodiest battle

Where

● Passchendaele, Western Front, in Belgium → German and Allied armies had been deadlocked here for three years

What -“battle of mud”

● The battle was started to decide which side get the control of the Passchendaele village.

● The muddy condition was an disadvantage: guns clogged, trench foot, tanks got stuck, some soldiers even drowned

● German has begun an unrestricted submarine → brought the US to the Allied army→ huge mistake of German (End Game)

Outcome -Germans won land back

● British launched a major offensive → Nearly 16,000 Canadians were killed or wounded and 275,000 on the British army→ we have to find more soldiers to replace the dead ones

● 1 in 5 Canadians survived, “every 20 paces lay a dead body".

● Canadian gains measured only a few hundred meters each day, despite heavy losses. → Barely helped the Allied effort. → Became a symbol of the senseless slaughter of the First World War.

THE

BATTLE OF

VIMY RIDGE

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When

● April 9-12 1917 ● On Easter Monday ● Nearly 1000 guns opened fire on German positions

Where ● Vimy Ridge in France—> The Allied has more advantages of knowing the location better

What ● Canada’s great success while British and France failed ● General Byny (British) was replaced with General Arthur

Currie(Canadian)—> gain reputation for Canada and the British Army to fear the enemy

● Careful planning, artillery bombardment ● All Canadians united as one ● Special tactics and interse preparation ● Captured position—> we get some stuffs back—> gain victory possible for the

Allied Outcome ● Small units and individual soldiers were given much more information about

the battle. ● No more British commanding Canadian troops ● Canadians gain reputation as an enemy to fear ● 10600 were killed or wounded—> showed how the Allied well-prepared to this

battle

Simran, Chris, Shakeel, and Sota THE BATTLE OF

PASSCHENDAELE So What?

(Significance, impact, consequences) When October 26th 1917

Close to the end of the entire battles. 5 months after vimy ridge Second raid started on 26th First raid started on 12

Where Belgium, overlooking ypres village

Third battle of ypres area buffer zone for german empire advance very hard against german high ground germans knew area better

What Muddy Canadians keep fighting despite only gaining 100m per day

Germans became increasingly

aggressive with submarines and

invited USA to allied

canadians demoralized by mud and terrible trench fighting and conditions mud severely slowed down advances and tanks became stuck in muck germans used storm troops to make trench raids further demoralizing canada used Lee-Enfields that were a lot more simple and easy to maintain

Outcome 1 in 5 Canadians survived Germans won land back

Ruined land from puddles everywhere and destroyed forests making advance very hard for both sides War became very static Decreased moral of groups with advance seeming pointless and impossible brutality shown with close quarters combat becoming ruthless and barbaric further strengthened canada’s reputation as all other allies in battle failed to capture ridge but after canadians joined they captured it on november the 6th canadians used as highly skilled and elite soldiers due to reputation inspired german creation of MP-18 submachine gun, one of the worlds first proving very effective in trench warfare

THE

BATTLE OF

VIMY RIDGE

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When April 1917

April 9-12 1917 very short term this battle was part of the battle of Arras. They moved forward and attempted to capture the ridge in 4days

Where Vimy Ridge, Pas-de-Calais, France

What carefully planned attack Canadians fought as one Secret construction Intense training New weapons use tactics for other battles no more british command- showing canada’s significance

Outcome canada gained reputation and became a enemy to fear - gaining respect from other countries - Less fight against other countries because Canada achieved respect

Feona, Eva, Janaya, and Elwin

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When - July 1, 1916- November 1916. - 5 months long. - They’re still fighting in Belgium.

Where - located in Belgium close to the French border. - a consequence was being close to the border could’ve been a

disadvantage to the neighboring country if they accidentally trespass it could cause another battle

What - bloodiest battle

- The aims of the battle were to relieve the French Army fighting at Verdun and to weaken the German Army

- the tanks were introduced

Outcome

● Casualties: German: 465,000-600,000 United Kingdom: 350,000+ French: 204,253 Canada: 24,029 Australia: 23,000 New Zealand: 7403

● The British army advanced just 7 miles and failed to break German defences. ● March 1917: Germans retreated to the Hindenburg line.

So what? ● British army improved their tactics. ● Families are very sad ● Many soldiers got ptsd for the rest of their life. Consequently, it was hard for

them to integrate with their family and back to civilian life.

THE BATTLE

OF VIMY RIDGE

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When - April 9, 1917-April 12,1917. - They would move forward under fire and get the ridge in four days.

Where - located in Vimy Ridge, France - a significance is that it looked over the allied lines (Belgium, British empire,

France)

What -the whole Canadian nation fought together as one country. - General Byng was replaced by General Arthur Currie -Canada successfully won position against France and Britain

Outcomwas e

● Casualties: Canadians: 10,602 German: 20,000

● The first time all the Canadian Corps fought together ● A staggering victory for the Canadians ● 5000 germans were captured as prisoners of war.

So what?

● Canadians feel more unified. ● Canada is seen by the international stage as a strong important country. As a

result, Canada gained more respect. ● Boosted morale of Canadian soldiers

Layla, John, Matthew

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When

- Still fighting in Belgium after 2 years

- Near the midpoint of the war

Where - moves from the coast of Belgium to near the French border

- New strategy (Battle of Attrition) did not turn out so well

What - The battle was designed to relieve pressure from verdun ( longest battle in wwI)

- Sped up production of artillery shells

- Bloodiest battle (1.25 mil)

Outcome - French was able to gaining quite a bit of land back after the battle of the somme

- Tanks first introduced ( a common used excuse for Germans to surrender)

- 90% of Newfoundland’s regiment killed

- Canadians 24,000 people dead

- British lose 60,000 people

THE BATTLE

OF VIMY RIDGE

So What? (Significance, impact, consequences)

When - Battle begins April 1917 at 5:30 am (Easter Monday)

Where - Battle took place in Vimy Ridge, France

- Special tactics and intense preparation (3 days)

- Improved tactic starting with artillery barrage

What - Canada successfully captured positions while the british and french failed to Do so.

- ( showing that Canadians were very reliable troops)

- All Canadians fought as one

- 11 tunnels totalling 6 kilometers

- Returned on May, 1917

- General Arthur Currie replaces General Byng (Canadian leading Canadians)

Outcome - 10,604 canadian casualties and 20,000 german casualties ( canadians are fire)

- Canada’s greatest success

- Canadians gain reputation as an enemy to be fear

- Canada earned à spot on the treaty of Versailles (which added to wwII)