Canada was not an independent sovereign country from the very beginning. Canada was one of British colonies which was self-governing but had no power over foreign policy. During WWI Canada gained itself reputation of strong enough to have sovereignty by the battle of Vimy Ridge and many other events. Before WWI Canada was under control of the Britain, the Canadian Expeditionary Force listened to the orders that came from the British generals instead Canadian ones. After the bloody victory of the battle of Vimy Ridge, Canada proved to the world that it could do well on its own. The battle of Vimy Ridge helped Canada become an independent nation. In the following battle of Passchendaele, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps worked together
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(n.d.). Battle of Vimy Ridge. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vimy-ridge/ ] The Battle of Vimy Ridge is the first time the four divisions of the Canadian Corps fighting together. Under the command of British General Sir Julian Byng, and assisted by British and Canadian staff officers including the Corp's 1st Division leader General Arthur Currie, the Canadians carefully planed the assault. Troops were given detailed information on the location of enemy strong points, and were shown models and maps of the battlefield based on aerial photographs of the ridge. Those soldiers were no longer all be riflemen they were assigned specific tasks such as machine gunners or grenade-throwers.[ idem] After a week of intense bombardment, the Canadian Army attacked the Vimy Ridge at 5:30 am on 9 April which was known as Easter Monday. “Timing and co-ordination were critical — the troops moved up the long western slope of the ridge, just behind a rolling artillery barrage designed to keep the Germans hidden in their bunkers and away from their machine guns as long as possible”.[ Foot, R. (n.d.). Battle of Vimy Ridge. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vimy-ridge/ ] It was a stunning victory, but it costed a lot. “The horror of Vimy was officially recorded by the 2nd Division's 6th Brigade (the "Iron Sixth," comprised of Western Canadians), as they made their way into the fight at about 9 am on the opening day: ‘Wounded men (were) sprawled everywhere in the slime, in the shell holes, in the mine craters, some screaming to the skies, some lying silently, some begging for help, some struggling to keep from drowning in (water-filled) craters, the field swarming with stretcher-bearers trying to
(n.d.). Battle of Vimy Ridge. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vimy-ridge/ ] The Battle of Vimy Ridge is the first time the four divisions of the Canadian Corps fighting together. Under the command of British General Sir Julian Byng, and assisted by British and Canadian staff officers including the Corp's 1st Division leader General Arthur Currie, the Canadians carefully planed the assault. Troops were given detailed information on the location of enemy strong points, and were shown models and maps of the battlefield based on aerial photographs of the ridge. Those soldiers were no longer all be riflemen they were assigned specific tasks such as machine gunners or grenade-throwers.[ idem] After a week of intense bombardment, the Canadian Army attacked the Vimy Ridge at 5:30 am on 9 April which was known as Easter Monday. “Timing and co-ordination were critical — the troops moved up the long western slope of the ridge, just behind a rolling artillery barrage designed to keep the Germans hidden in their bunkers and away from their machine guns as long as possible”.[ Foot, R. (n.d.). Battle of Vimy Ridge. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vimy-ridge/ ] It was a stunning victory, but it costed a lot. “The horror of Vimy was officially recorded by the 2nd Division's 6th Brigade (the "Iron Sixth," comprised of Western Canadians), as they made their way into the fight at about 9 am on the opening day: ‘Wounded men (were) sprawled everywhere in the slime, in the shell holes, in the mine craters, some screaming to the skies, some lying silently, some begging for help, some struggling to keep from drowning in (water-filled) craters, the field swarming with stretcher-bearers trying to