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Vimy Ridge...
A little known fact: When Hitler invaded the area in WW2, he and his troops toured the memorial. He even assigned SS to guard the memorial against vandalism.
So, to the men who died at Vimy...we will not forget.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of the opening battles in a larger British campaign known as the Battle of Arras during the First World War. It is also considered a major event in Canadian history for the primary role the Canadian Corps played in the attack.
Background
The German army fortified Vimy Ridge with tunnels, three rows of trenches behind barbed wire, massive amounts of artillery, and numerous machine gun nests. The French and British had suffered thousands of casualties in previous attempts to take it; the French alone lost 150,000 men in 1915. [1]
The Allied commanders decided to launch another assault in 1917. The duty was given to the still relatively fresh, but previously successful, Canadians. For the first time, all four divisions of the Canadian Corps were brought together. They were joined by the British 5th Infantry Division.
The Canadian Corps' commanders were determined to learn from the mistakes of the French and British and spent months planning their attack. They built a replica of the ridge behind their lines, and trained using platoon-level tactics, including issuing detailed maps to ordinary soldiers rather than officers or NCOs alone. Each platoon was to be given a complete picture of the battle plan and given a specific task, rather than vague instructions from an absent general. This new approach in battle planning, a departure from generations of British military protocol, came from the French experience at the Battle of Verdun in 1916.[2] They also employed older techniques such as the detonation of large mines under the German trenches, as well as the digging of long "subways" (tunnels), the ends of which were detonated at zero hour, giving waiting platoons closer access to the German line.
[edit] Battle
On April 2, 1917, the Canadian Corps initiated the largest artillery barrage in history up to that point. They shelled the German trenches for a week, using over one million shells. The German artillery pieces were hidden behind the ridge, but by observing the sound and light from their firing, the Canadians were able to locate and destroy about 83% of the German guns. The Canadians also made many night trench raids during this week, although General Arthur Currie thought this was a stupid risk and a waste of men. The German troops called this period the "Week of Suffering". The attack was so loud, the sound of guns could be heard plainly in southern England, some one hundred miles from the front.[3]
At dawn on Easter Monday, April 9, the 27,000-man Canadian Corps attacked. The first wave of about 15,000 Canadian troops attacked positions defended by roughly 5,000 Germans, followed by the second wave of 12,000 Canadians to meet 3,000 German reserves. Nearly 100,000 men in total were to take and hold the ridge.[4] The first wave advanced behind a creeping barrage, known specifically for the battle as the Vimy Glide. This tactic had been used earlier by the British at the Battle of the Somme, but there it had outpaced the soldiers. The Canadians perfected the technique. The troops walked across no man's land, just behind a continuous line of shells (an improvement over previous battles, in which both sides had often shelled their own troops). On the experience of advancing under heavy machine gun fire from the rear, Corporal Gus Sivertz of the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles said,[5]
“ We were dancing a macabre dance as our nerves just vibrated to the thousands of shells and machine gun bullets... whizzing over. I felt that if I had put my finger up, I should have touched a ceiling of sound. ”
Several new and untested methods of counter-battery fire were also used successfully at the start of the battle. This disabled a large portion of the German artillery and protected the advancing infantry. The Canadians also used a new technique, indirect fire with machine guns, which pinned German troops down in their trenches and provided cover for their own troops.
After less than two hours, three of the four Canadian divisions had taken their objectives; the 4th Division, however, was held up by machine gun nests on the highest point of the ridge, known as Hill 145. The 87th Battalion suffered 50% casualties. The 85th Nova Scotia Highlanders, who had been intended to function in a supply and construction role, were sent in as reinforcements and the hill was captured by the end of the day.
It is said that upon learning of the victory, a French soldier exclaimed, "C'est impossible!.", and upon learning it was the Canadians who had won it, replied "Ah! les Canadiens! C'est possible!." [6]
[edit] Results
Canadian machinegun squad on the plateau above the ridge.
Canadian machinegun squad on the plateau above the ridge.
By April 12, the Canadians controlled the entire ridge, at a cost of 3,598 men killed and 7,104 wounded. The German Sixth Army, under General Ludwig von Falkenhausen, suffered approximately 20,000 casualties. The Canadians also took 4,000 Germans as prisoners of war. The loss of the ridge forced the Germans to retreat to the lower plains that were far more difficult to defend. The attack and objective had more limited grand-strategic significance as the simultaneous British and Australian attack to the south was unsuccessful.
However, in a war in which, battle after battle, thousands died for gains measured in yards, the breakthrough had tremendous tactical significance: it relieved the city of Arras from the immediate threat of attack and proved that the front lines could be moved forward once again, after years of bloody stalemate.[7] Vimy Ridge was the first Allied victory in almost a year and a half and it was especially demoralizing for the Germans who had viewed the ridge as one of their most impregnable strongpoints.
A year later, in April 1918, the fact that Vimy Ridge continued to be held even as the final German offensive to try and win the war pushed deeper into France and into the outskirts of Paris was also significant. The ridge provided a leverage point behind the lines from which an extremely effective Allied counter-attack was launched. (see Technology during World War I) The counterattack would ultimately lead to victory over Germany by November 1918.[8]
[edit] British forces
Vimy is considered a Canadian victory. While the Canadian Corps planned the battle and provided the majority of the soldiers, British participation was also sizable.
* British I Corps provided 132 heavy artillery pieces and 102 field guns alongside the 863 of the Canadian Corps, or 21 percent of the artillery involved.[9]
* Of the 13 brigades of infantry employed in the assault, one entire brigade was British (the 13th Brigade of the British 5th Division).
* 16 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps employed 24 aircraft as artillery spotters from 1 April to 13 April, losing three.
* Considerable support for the assault was provided by British logistical units.
[edit] Legacy
To Canadians, the name Vimy Ridge has been very meaningful historically. It was the first time in the nation's history that a corps-sized formation fought as a unit. The success of the attack, resulting from detailed planning and a variety of innovative tactics standing in stark contrast to what had happened at the Somme only months earlier, sealed the reputation of the Canadians as among the finest troops on the western front. The capture of the ridge by the Canadian Corps, under the command of British General Julian H.G. Byng, with Canadian General Sir Arthur Currie acting as Chief-of-Staff (responsible for tactics and planning), was a turning point for the allied forces. The success of the Canadian forces here, at Passchendaele, and in Canada's Hundred Days helped earn Canada a place at the Versailles peace negotiations. Some have suggested that Canadian unity was fostered - all nine provinces were represented in the order of battle of the Canadian Corps - but as Pierre Berton points out in his seminal work, Vimy, the taking of the ridge achieved legendary status very quickly, and with it the attendant myths.
In all the battles at Vimy Ridge in World War I, there was a staggering cost in dead and wounded on both sides. Across 16 kilometres of ridge, approximately 200,000 men perished: French, British, Canadian, and German. Considering that typically there were three wounded to every man killed, the total casualties at Vimy during the War can be estimated at 800,000.[10]
[edit] Vimy Memorial
Vimy Ridge commemorative nickel (Canada), featuring the memorial, marking the battle's 85th anniversary in 2002
Vimy Ridge commemorative nickel (Canada), featuring the memorial, marking the battle's 85th anniversary in 2002
The battle is commemorated by the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, set atop Hill 145 near Vimy and Givenchy in the French Pas-de-Calais. It is the largest of Canada's war monuments.
The 1937 documentary film Salute to Valour shows the dedication of the memorial by King Edward VIII (prior to his abdication). In recognition of the great sacrifices made by Canada, the French government formally granted Canada a portion of the ridge in perpetuity. Since the memorial officially stands on Canadian soil, it is tended by Veterans Affairs Canada.
The plot of The Stone Carvers, a 2001 novel by Canadian author Jane Urquhart, revolves around the construction of the Vimy Memorial.
On April 9, 2007, over 25,000 people, primarily Canadians, attended a ceremony at the Vimy Memorial to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the battle. The official party included Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Queen Elizabeth II, who rededicated the restored memorial.[11]
There has been a movement by the Canadian Legion and some veterans to have a historic Canadian Red Ensign flown at the memorial alongside the current Canadian Flag. According to a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid, 79 per cent of respondents support the idea of flying both at the monument during the April 9 ceremony in Vimy, France. It was presumed that government protocol dictated only the current Canadian flag adorn federal monuments. However, on March 30, 2007, it was announced that an 1868-design Canadian Ensign would be flown at the memorial on April 9, 2007, and that an ensign of some type would be flown year-round in addition to the current Canadian flag. [1]
Background
The German army fortified Vimy Ridge with tunnels, three rows of trenches behind barbed wire, massive amounts of artillery, and numerous machine gun nests. The French and British had suffered thousands of casualties in previous attempts to take it; the French alone lost 150,000 men in 1915. [1]
The Allied commanders decided to launch another assault in 1917. The duty was given to the still relatively fresh, but previously successful, Canadians. For the first time, all four divisions of the Canadian Corps were brought together. They were joined by the British 5th Infantry Division.
The Canadian Corps' commanders were determined to learn from the mistakes of the French and British and spent months planning their attack. They built a replica of the ridge behind their lines, and trained using platoon-level tactics, including issuing detailed maps to ordinary soldiers rather than officers or NCOs alone. Each platoon was to be given a complete picture of the battle plan and given a specific task, rather than vague instructions from an absent general. This new approach in battle planning, a departure from generations of British military protocol, came from the French experience at the Battle of Verdun in 1916.[2] They also employed older techniques such as the detonation of large mines under the German trenches, as well as the digging of long "subways" (tunnels), the ends of which were detonated at zero hour, giving waiting platoons closer access to the German line.
[edit] Battle
On April 2, 1917, the Canadian Corps initiated the largest artillery barrage in history up to that point. They shelled the German trenches for a week, using over one million shells. The German artillery pieces were hidden behind the ridge, but by observing the sound and light from their firing, the Canadians were able to locate and destroy about 83% of the German guns. The Canadians also made many night trench raids during this week, although General Arthur Currie thought this was a stupid risk and a waste of men. The German troops called this period the "Week of Suffering". The attack was so loud, the sound of guns could be heard plainly in southern England, some one hundred miles from the front.[3]
At dawn on Easter Monday, April 9, the 27,000-man Canadian Corps attacked. The first wave of about 15,000 Canadian troops attacked positions defended by roughly 5,000 Germans, followed by the second wave of 12,000 Canadians to meet 3,000 German reserves. Nearly 100,000 men in total were to take and hold the ridge.[4] The first wave advanced behind a creeping barrage, known specifically for the battle as the Vimy Glide. This tactic had been used earlier by the British at the Battle of the Somme, but there it had outpaced the soldiers. The Canadians perfected the technique. The troops walked across no man's land, just behind a continuous line of shells (an improvement over previous battles, in which both sides had often shelled their own troops). On the experience of advancing under heavy machine gun fire from the rear, Corporal Gus Sivertz of the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles said,[5]
“ We were dancing a macabre dance as our nerves just vibrated to the thousands of shells and machine gun bullets... whizzing over. I felt that if I had put my finger up, I should have touched a ceiling of sound. ”
Several new and untested methods of counter-battery fire were also used successfully at the start of the battle. This disabled a large portion of the German artillery and protected the advancing infantry. The Canadians also used a new technique, indirect fire with machine guns, which pinned German troops down in their trenches and provided cover for their own troops.
After less than two hours, three of the four Canadian divisions had taken their objectives; the 4th Division, however, was held up by machine gun nests on the highest point of the ridge, known as Hill 145. The 87th Battalion suffered 50% casualties. The 85th Nova Scotia Highlanders, who had been intended to function in a supply and construction role, were sent in as reinforcements and the hill was captured by the end of the day.
It is said that upon learning of the victory, a French soldier exclaimed, "C'est impossible!.", and upon learning it was the Canadians who had won it, replied "Ah! les Canadiens! C'est possible!." [6]
[edit] Results
Canadian machinegun squad on the plateau above the ridge.
Canadian machinegun squad on the plateau above the ridge.
By April 12, the Canadians controlled the entire ridge, at a cost of 3,598 men killed and 7,104 wounded. The German Sixth Army, under General Ludwig von Falkenhausen, suffered approximately 20,000 casualties. The Canadians also took 4,000 Germans as prisoners of war. The loss of the ridge forced the Germans to retreat to the lower plains that were far more difficult to defend. The attack and objective had more limited grand-strategic significance as the simultaneous British and Australian attack to the south was unsuccessful.
However, in a war in which, battle after battle, thousands died for gains measured in yards, the breakthrough had tremendous tactical significance: it relieved the city of Arras from the immediate threat of attack and proved that the front lines could be moved forward once again, after years of bloody stalemate.[7] Vimy Ridge was the first Allied victory in almost a year and a half and it was especially demoralizing for the Germans who had viewed the ridge as one of their most impregnable strongpoints.
A year later, in April 1918, the fact that Vimy Ridge continued to be held even as the final German offensive to try and win the war pushed deeper into France and into the outskirts of Paris was also significant. The ridge provided a leverage point behind the lines from which an extremely effective Allied counter-attack was launched. (see Technology during World War I) The counterattack would ultimately lead to victory over Germany by November 1918.[8]
[edit] British forces
Vimy is considered a Canadian victory. While the Canadian Corps planned the battle and provided the majority of the soldiers, British participation was also sizable.
* British I Corps provided 132 heavy artillery pieces and 102 field guns alongside the 863 of the Canadian Corps, or 21 percent of the artillery involved.[9]
* Of the 13 brigades of infantry employed in the assault, one entire brigade was British (the 13th Brigade of the British 5th Division).
* 16 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps employed 24 aircraft as artillery spotters from 1 April to 13 April, losing three.
* Considerable support for the assault was provided by British logistical units.
[edit] Legacy
To Canadians, the name Vimy Ridge has been very meaningful historically. It was the first time in the nation's history that a corps-sized formation fought as a unit. The success of the attack, resulting from detailed planning and a variety of innovative tactics standing in stark contrast to what had happened at the Somme only months earlier, sealed the reputation of the Canadians as among the finest troops on the western front. The capture of the ridge by the Canadian Corps, under the command of British General Julian H.G. Byng, with Canadian General Sir Arthur Currie acting as Chief-of-Staff (responsible for tactics and planning), was a turning point for the allied forces. The success of the Canadian forces here, at Passchendaele, and in Canada's Hundred Days helped earn Canada a place at the Versailles peace negotiations. Some have suggested that Canadian unity was fostered - all nine provinces were represented in the order of battle of the Canadian Corps - but as Pierre Berton points out in his seminal work, Vimy, the taking of the ridge achieved legendary status very quickly, and with it the attendant myths.
In all the battles at Vimy Ridge in World War I, there was a staggering cost in dead and wounded on both sides. Across 16 kilometres of ridge, approximately 200,000 men perished: French, British, Canadian, and German. Considering that typically there were three wounded to every man killed, the total casualties at Vimy during the War can be estimated at 800,000.[10]
[edit] Vimy Memorial
Vimy Ridge commemorative nickel (Canada), featuring the memorial, marking the battle's 85th anniversary in 2002
Vimy Ridge commemorative nickel (Canada), featuring the memorial, marking the battle's 85th anniversary in 2002
The battle is commemorated by the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, set atop Hill 145 near Vimy and Givenchy in the French Pas-de-Calais. It is the largest of Canada's war monuments.
The 1937 documentary film Salute to Valour shows the dedication of the memorial by King Edward VIII (prior to his abdication). In recognition of the great sacrifices made by Canada, the French government formally granted Canada a portion of the ridge in perpetuity. Since the memorial officially stands on Canadian soil, it is tended by Veterans Affairs Canada.
The plot of The Stone Carvers, a 2001 novel by Canadian author Jane Urquhart, revolves around the construction of the Vimy Memorial.
On April 9, 2007, over 25,000 people, primarily Canadians, attended a ceremony at the Vimy Memorial to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the battle. The official party included Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Queen Elizabeth II, who rededicated the restored memorial.[11]
There has been a movement by the Canadian Legion and some veterans to have a historic Canadian Red Ensign flown at the memorial alongside the current Canadian Flag. According to a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid, 79 per cent of respondents support the idea of flying both at the monument during the April 9 ceremony in Vimy, France. It was presumed that government protocol dictated only the current Canadian flag adorn federal monuments. However, on March 30, 2007, it was announced that an 1868-design Canadian Ensign would be flown at the memorial on April 9, 2007, and that an ensign of some type would be flown year-round in addition to the current Canadian flag. [1]
A little known fact: When Hitler invaded the area in WW2, he and his troops toured the memorial. He even assigned SS to guard the memorial against vandalism.
So, to the men who died at Vimy...we will not forget.
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