Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Fighting Canadians
Canadian History 1201
Canadians Fighting in Europe•Most of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Canadians main troops) fought on the Western Front• Although they were identified as Canadian, they still fought under the British forces
•The CEF proved themselves in battle and became known as “Shock Troops” and given the most difficult assignments
•The first group of 20,000 soldiers went to the front in mid-April 1915• Eventually they were joined by 400,000 others
•Canadian Troops fought in many battles but the most significant are:
• Ypres (April 22, 1915)
• The Somme (July 1, 1916)• The Battle of Beaumont Hamel
• Vimy Ridge (April 9, 1917)
• Passchendaele (October 26, 1917)
Canadians Fighting in Europe
YpresApril 22, 1915
YpresWhere: Ypres, Flanders in Belgium
When: April 22, 1915
Why: Canadian troops asked to hold 3.5km of the line from heavy German attack. The Germans were trying to reach the English Channel.
• Canadian soldiers had only been in battle for a few weeks and had no previous trench warfare experience
• To break the stalemate, Germans introduced a new weapon – 160 tons of poison gas (Chorine Gas which was called Mustard Gas)
• The French troops were unprepared and broke rank leaving a 6.5km gap in the Allied line
Ypres
•The Canadian division filled the gap and fought the Germans stopping them from advancing
• In 48 hours of fighting, 6035 Canadians (1 out of every 3) was lost
•Canadian troops held the line until reinforcements arrived and developed a reputation as a fearsome fighting force
Ypres
•Chlorine gas was designed to hug the ground which killed men that were using shell holes or trenches for safety.
•There were no gas masks at the time so the Canadian troops were ordered to urinate on their handkerchiefs and use it to filter the gas.
•“In Flanders Fields” was written by John McCrae following this battle.• In Flanders Fields Heritage Minute
Ypres
Flanders
The grave of the youngest recorded soldier of the British
forces – Only 15 Years Old
Ruins of Ypres Market Square
The Ypres Market Square Today
Trench Recreation in Ypres
Shells Found Buried in Ypres
Shells Found Buried in Ypres
Video – 17 Days of Hades (46:13)
Using information from class lecture / notes and the “17 Days of Hades” video complete the worksheet titled “The Battle of Ypres 1915”
Ypres - TASK
The Stalemate Continues•As 1916 approached, there was still trench deadlock on the Western Front
•The massive frontal assaults against enemy trenches over the previous two years had failed to bring any substantial gains or military victories
•The Allies intended to finally break through the German positions by launching simultaneous offensives on the Western, Eastern and Italian Fronts.
The SommeJuly 1, 1916
The SommeWhere: France
When: July 1, 1916
Why: To keep the French in the war, the British attempted to relieve pressure from the French at the town of Verdun by attacking the Germans at the Somme.
•Nicknamed “The Big Push” by the Allies and “das Blutbad” by the Germans
•This operation was commanded by British Commander Sir Douglas Haig
•The Battle went on for about 141 days (5 months)
•Causalities reached about 1.25 million (24,000 were Canadian)• In one day (July 1) 57,470 soldiers were killed or injured
The Somme
•By July 1st, 120,000 British troops prepared to attack the German position and end the trench stalemate.
•On 7:20am the British exploded two mines underneath the German front line trenches and the artillery also stopped firing.• The Germans, who were secure in their dugouts, the mine explosion and the artillery stopping signaled that an attack is about to commence.• They race up from their shelter and set up their machine guns in preparation of the British attack.
The Somme
•At 7:30am the British forces go over the top and prepare to cross ‘no man’s land’
•The opening attack turned into a slaughter and by 8am British forces are being destroyed almost everywhere along the front
•The Canadian Corps were not involved in the action that day, but the Newfoundland Regiment was• This Regiment suffered the greatest loss on that day
The Somme
•Commander Haig was blamed for the massacre
•Only 11km of territory was gained• That’s roughly 113,636 lives lost for every kilometer
•Tanks were used for the first time in this battle but they were very huge and often got stuck in the mud and would have to be abandoned
The Somme
•The Newfoundlanders were to be in the second wave of attack to move into the German front lines and capture enemy positions near the French town of Beaumont-Hamel
•For these men waiting in the reserve trenches they cannot see what’s happening but they can hear the disaster that was unfolding in front of them
•Because of the large number of wounded and dead men in the communication trenches, the NL commander orders his entire battalion to go over the top from their reserve trench
The Somme – Beaumont Hamel
•With all of the other units either dead, wounded, or taking cover, these men were the only targets the Germans have to shoot at• Soldiers were also ordered to wear a small triangle shaped mirror on their backs so the commanders could see how far they had advanced into No Man’s Land. It was a beautiful sunny morning, so the sun reflected off the mirrors and gave the German’s the ability to pinpoint the location of the soldiers and snipers were able to easily shoot the advancing Newfoundlanders
•As they attack down the slope towards the enemy position, they were highlighted against the sky making easy targets for the German gunners
The Somme – Beaumont Hamel
The Somme – Beaumont Hamel
•Within 30 minutes the regiment had been destroyed
•Out of 801 men, only 68 are left standing
•The Germans were aware of the attack, and this was reported to Haig but he refused to believe it and insisted on going ahead with the attack
•Soldiers were weighed down with 66 lbs of equipment
The Danger Tree
The Danger Tree was used as a landmark by the NL Regiment – Where they were ordered to gather. The tree was however a
highly visible landmark for the German artillery and the site proved to be a
location where the German shrapnel was
particularly deadly. As a result the regiment
suffered a large concentration of
casualties around the tree.
The Somme – Beaumont Hamel
“It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its assault only failed of
success because dead men can advance no further.”
-General Sir Beauvoir de Lisle(British Army)
Looking Out Over the Battlefield
Remains of Trenches
The Caribou Monument
The Caribou Monument
Video – Newfoundland and the Somme (46:36)
Using information from class lecture / notes and the “Newfoundland and the Somme” video complete the worksheet titled “The Battle of The Somme 1916”
The Somme – TASK
The Canadian Corps
•By the end of 1916, Canada had 4 divisions fighting along the Western Front (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Divisions) which formed the Canadian Corps
•The leader of the Canadian Corps was Lieutenant- General Sir Julian Byng
•Arthur Currie was the commander of the 1st Canadian Division
Vimy RidgeApril 9, 1916
Vimy Ridge
Where: France
When: April 9, 1917
Why: The Allies planned a massive attack to break the stalemate using a combined British / French attack known as the Battle of Arras. Vimy Ridge was just one small component of the Battle of Arras.
•Following the Somme, the Germans made Vimy Ridge one of the strongest defensive positions on the Western Front.
•This position was important to German because it was high ground which gave the German soldiers an unrestricted view of allied movements in the surrounding countryside.
•The Ridge was well defended• Elaborate system of trenches, dugouts and tunnels heavily protected by barbed wire, machine guns and German artillery
Vimy Ridge
•Between 1914 and 1916 the British and French had lost over 150,000 soldiers trying to capture this area.
•Because of their action at Ypres and the Somme, the Canadian Corps were given the responsibility for this location.
• In 1917 it was Canada’s turn to attempt to dislodge the Germans from this high point
•This would be the first time all 4 Canadian Divisions would be fighting together.
Vimy Ridge
•The Canadians decided to learn from the previous attempts to take the Ridge and to devise a plan that would be successful.
•The commanders also learned lessons from the slaughter of the previous years and introduced new attacking plans.
•Byng & Currie both went to the Somme and looked at the tactics used there and devised new ones to prevent needless slaughter and ensure a Canadian victory
Vimy Ridge
•There was a replica of Vimy Ridge built for the troops to have a simulation and practice the battle in the weeks leading up to the actual attack.
•Troops practiced their roles until every man was familiar with the grounds and the tactics
•Aerial photographs were used to pin-point German defensive positions.
•Engineers dug tunnels into the ridge which were used as the starting point on the morning of the attack
Vimy Ridge
The Trenches at Vimy
One of the Allies underground tunnels
•Roads and light railways were improved which moved men, shells and supplies to the front lines.
•The attack was originally scheduled for Sunday, April 8 (Easter Sunday), but was delayed a day due to weather.
• In order to get the Ridge, Canadian troops had to cross open ground, mazes of trenches, concrete machine-gun strong posts that had hedges of barbed wire wrapped around them and vast underground chambers which could hide an entire German battalion (approx. 1000 men)
Vimy Ridge
•New tactics were created including the Creeping Barrage (called the Vimy Glide) which would have the troops surge forward across No Man`s Land under the protection of their own artillery which was shelling the German trenches.
•All four Canadian divisions moved forward together for the first time and swept up the Ridge in the midst of driving wind, snow and sleet • That`s over 100,000 soldiers!!• This is were the Canadians got the name of “Storm Troops”
Vimy Ridge
•The 100,000 Canadians launched their attacked and forced their way uphill and captured the ridge within a couple of hours!!
•On this day, despite over 10,000 casualties, more ground, guns and German prisoners were taken then the first 2.5 years of the war.
•This was seen as Canada’s “Coming of Age” and our most celebrated battle• This is often called the day Canada became a NATION
Vimy Ridge
“In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation.”
- A.E. Ross (Canadian brigadier general)
VIDEO – Vimy Ridge Heritage Minute
Vimy Ridge
•4 Canadians won the Victoria Cross• This is the most prestigious award given by Britain to its heroes.
•Canadian Arthur Currie’s tactics were so well respected that he replaced Julian Byng (a Brit) as commander of the Canadian Corps• Currie was also knighted for his leadership in battle.
Vimy Ridge
Vimy RidgePrivate William Milne of the 16th Battalion
On April 9, the 24-year-old saw an enemy machine-gun firing upon fellow troops. Crawling on hands and knees he managed to reach the gun, kill the crew, and capture the gun. Milne later repeated this action against a second enemy machine-gun crew, but was killed shortly afterwards. Milne's body was not recovered from the battlefield.
Vimy RidgeLance-Sergeant Ellis Sifton of the 18th Battalion
During the attack in enemy trenches Sgt. Sifton's company was held up by machine gun fire. Having located the gun he charged it single-handed, killing all the crew. A small enemy party advanced down the trench, but he succeeded keeping these off till our men had gained the position. In carrying out this gallant act he was killed, but his courageous valour undoubtedly saved many lives and contributed largely to the success of the operation.
Vimy RidgePrivate John Pattison of the 50th Battalion
When the advance of Canadian troops was held up by an enemy machine gun, Private Pattison, with utter disregard of his own safety, sprang forward and jumping from shell-hole to shell-hole, reached cover within thirty yards of the enemy gun. From this point, in the face of heavy fire he hurled bombs killing and wounding some of the crew, and then rushed forward overcoming and bayoneting the surviving five gunners.
Vimy RidgeCaptain Thain MacDowell of the 38th Battalion
Captain MacDowell, with the assistance of two runners reached the German position ahead of his company. After destroying one machine-gun nest he chased the crew from another. MacDowell then spotted one German going into a tunnel. At the base of the tunnel, MacDowell was able to bluff the Germans to think he was part of a much larger force, resulting in the surrendering of two German officers and 75 German soldiers. He sent the prisoners up out the tunnel in groups of 12 so that his two runners could take them back to the Canadian line.
Vimy Ridge Memorial
Passchendaele
October 26, 1917
Passchendaele
Where: Belgium
When: Fall of 1917 (Specifically October 26, 1917)
Why: Also called the Third Battle of Ypres. Against all advice the British general, Douglas Haig, was determined to break through the German front. In early October the Canadian Corps were ordered to prepare for the capture of Passchendaele.
Passchendaele•Known as the Third Battle of Ypres – it took place in the same area that the Canadians were gassed in 1915
•The battlefield was a sea of mud due to heavy rains and the shelling which had destroyed dams and drainage ditches in the region• The area is actually below sea level
•General Currie argued that the muddy conditions made the task impossible
•Like many battles, the Germans were on higher ground so they were able to easily target the Allied forces
•The battle began with a huge artillery bombardment which warned the Germans and turned the battlefield into potholes and dust• It rained shortly after and turned the group into impassable mud
•Soldiers were often waist-deep in mud• Tanks, soldiers and horses were sucked down and drowned ending up lost in the mud
Passchendaele
•Because of all the shelling in the area, most of the trenches were destroyed which forced the soldiers to find shelter wherever they could, mainly in shell holes and craters in ‘no man’s land’
•By November 6 reinforcements arrived and 4/5 of the Allied troops were dead • 16,000 were Canadian
•The Allies only gained about 7km of mud• Considered Canada’s worst win in the war
Passchendaele
Prime Minister Robert Borden’s response to the British Prime Minister –
“Mr. Prime Minister, I want to tell you that, if ever there is a repetition of the Battle of Passchendaele, not a single Canadian soldier will leave the shores of Canada again…”
Passchendaele
Passchendaele - Before
Passchendaele - After
Passchendaele
VIDEO – Valour Road Heritage Minute
Canada’s Hundred Days•The period from August 4 – November 11, 1918
•During this time, the Canadian Corps suffered 46,000 casualties
•On the day the armistice ending the war was signed the Canadians had just entered Mons, Belgium
•George Prince was the last Canadian killed•He was killed by a sniper in Mons 5 minutes before the armistice was signed!
Canada’s Hundred Days
•A total of 619,636 Canadians served in the First World War
•66,655 gave their lives
•The Canadian and Newfoundland troops are remembered at 13 memorials across Belgium and France
