CHC2D - Major Battles of World War I

CHC2D Grade 10 Academic History – WW1 Major Battles Major Battles of WWI Second Battle of Ypres: -April 1915 -first involvement of Canadian soldiers in WWI -6 000 Canadian soldiers died -Canadians join British/French fighting -Canadians stopped the German advance -earned respect from both allies and the Germans -historical significance: Canada gained reputation for being a “Shock Troop” -Shock Troop: able to take and absorb any pressure or attack -Germans used a new weapon: chlorine, mustard gas -the chlorine, mustard gas which was poisonous caused eyes and lungs to burn, victims to choke and gag and suffocate to death -both sides launched gas, both sided began equipping their troops with gas masks -the gas was not a successful weapon since a gas attack could backfire and harm the troopsthat initiated the attack if the wind changed. The Somme: -July to November 1916 -AKA “The Big Push” -France, Britain, Canada against Germany -24 000 Canadian soldiers died -allies suffered about 650 000 casualties to gain just 545 square kilometers of territory -largest artillery shell -led by British commander General Douglas Haig

-deadliest battle of WWI -purpose: attempt to break lines and relieve the city of Verdun -war’s most intense artillery barrage: 1 million shells, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -2cm of land for every allied man killed Vimy Ridge: -April 9, 1917 -Canada’s Crowning moment -birth of nation -Canada fought alone as a nation for the first time -200,000 French and British failed, then Canada attempts and succeeds -bomb then soldiers crept up and after 2H, Canada owned Vimy Ridge -all four Canadian divisions fight together as one unit Canada (Canadian Corps) -first time Canadian soldiers led by Arthur Currie who was British -Vimy Ridge- a ridge on high land in north west France -Germany spent 2.5 years reinforcing their position of the ridge -concrete + steel + machine gun nests = fortified trenches -after success at Vimy Ridge, Canadians start to think of themselves as Canadian first: distinct who are proud of their nation -Canada took charge to plan stuff out. Arthur Curie made the creeping barrage -Lord Byng led Arthur Currie to plan attack -Creeping Barrage: precision timed artillery attack designed fall in front of advancing soldiers soldiers lag behind an artillery barrage closely. The soldiers surprise the adversary when theshelling stops. -flash spotting: a machine used to identify and target German machine guns -sound ranging: used echoes of German artillery guns to locate and destroy them before attack Passchendaele:

-November 6, 1917 -third battle of Ypres -rain turned no man’s land into a muddy swamp pocked with deep water-filled craters -Haig ordered allied troops to try and break through the German lines (near Ypres) Canada’s Hundred Days: -August 8, 1918 to November 11, 1918 -lasted one hundred days -led by Currie -august: Currie + Canadian Corps spearhead (lead) an allied attack of the French city of Amines. push Germans back 13 km in a war characterized by little movement -Canada’s Hundred Days was a series of attacks made along the Western Front by the Canadian Corps