History 30
April 8th, 2013 Grade 12 Canadian& American Identity

Canada's Vimy Ridge 1914-1917

1.The battle of Vimy Ridge that had taken place during World War I is a very famous Canadian battle due to the fact it was the first time Canada had really shown itself a powerful military ally during World War I. It had taken place between the boarders of France and Belgium. This battle was not a very lengthy battle, however it had taken many years for the allies to prepare and to plan for. Initially the battle had taken place from the 9 of April to the 12 of April in the year of 1917. During the chaos many of our brave Canadian soldiers had fallen due to the heavy shelling and enemy gun fire and constant attack from the enemy. The estimate for the total losses for the Candians came to around the total of about 3,500 and around 7,000 wounded. The Canadians are not a very battle hungary country unlike our brothers to the south, but there is one thing that we are very famous for and that is the Battle of Vimy Ridge because of our bravery and willingness to push forward no matter what the odds. Since the fact that the Germans where so dug into their trenches, but we ushed forward and took the position anyway.

2. A few issues that came across in the Battle of Vimy Ridge was when Great Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, the Dominion of Canada which was part of the colony of the British Empire, it found it's self automatically dragged into the conflict. Shortly after Robert Borden sent in troops to become part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force to fight under the British crown. The Canadians weren't very fond of being part of this battle considering that they didn't really have a secure army base.

3. In the early morning of April 9th 1917, there was about 20,000 soldiers that attacked in the first wave of the fight. By the afternoon the two front lines had been taken by the Canadian troops. April 12th the entire Ridge become under control by the allies. Hill 145 is the highest feature on the ridge. The victory of the battle of Vimy Ridge did not come without cost. Canadians had about 10,602 and there was about 3,598 which were killed. The Germans had about 20,000 casualties. Canadians were awarded with the Victoria Cross to comment their bravery. The Overall affect of the battle of Vimy Ridge forced the Germans to reassess there defensive strategy in the area. This forced a retreat of the German Army.

4.The greatest achievement of the Battle of Vimy Ridge was that it was the first instance all for Canadian devisions where made up of troops from all parts of the country and fought as a single unit. The historical reality of the battle has been reinterpreted in a conscious attempt to give purpose and meaning to an event that came to symbolize Canada's coming of age as a Nation.