This essay discusses Canada’s military actions in aiding the British and allies win the first world war, and how those actions helped gain Canada recognition as a separate power rather then just a nation under the British empire which overall helped them become more autonomous as a nation.
Canada and the First World War
World war one is a tragic part of Canada’s history and the bloodiest conflict Canada has even known. Out of the 630,000 soldiers who enlisted, most of whom were volunteers, 172,000 were wounded and more than 60,000 killed in the line of duty. Canadian soldiers fought in the war for the entire four year duration of the conflict. It was the British Empire that first declared war on Germany and its allies on August 4, 1914 …show more content…
Vimy Ridge itself was a very important strategic point as it provided a vantage point where networks of trenches from both sides could be seen plus the space between enemy lines or “no man’s land”. Under the command of British General Sir Julian Byng the Canadian Corps learned new platoon tactics, were assigned specialty weapons, studied the terrain, and rehearsed the assault as many soldiers had died already from trying to take Vimy Ridge from the Germans proving that the old tactics needed to be revised. Allies spent the entire week before the assault bombarding the Germans in hopes it would help the Canadians break through the ranks. The Canadians went one to, at that point in the war, accomplished the greatest singled allied advance on the western front. The battle itself took place from April 9 to 12 in 1917 with an estimated 20,000 German casualties and 10,500 Canadian casualties, 3,598 of them deaths. This victory was thanks to more than just new tactics and weapons, but many brave soldiers who personally sacrificed themselves to take down charged machine gun nests. Four of these Canadian soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross, the British Empires highest award for military …show more content…
The battle started at 4:20 a.m. on August 8 and lasted till August 11, which the Germans referred to as “Black Day”. It was known as the worst defeat the Germans had since the start of the war as the Canadians managed to push them back as many as twelve kilometers, a huge accomplishment since wars are often fought over meters. The Canadians lost 1,036 soldiers, 2,803 were injured, and 29 were taken prisoner but the Germans lost more than 26,000 to casualties and the Canadians captured 5,033 prisoners and some
Canada and the First World War
World war one is a tragic part of Canada’s history and the bloodiest conflict Canada has even known. Out of the 630,000 soldiers who enlisted, most of whom were volunteers, 172,000 were wounded and more than 60,000 killed in the line of duty. Canadian soldiers fought in the war for the entire four year duration of the conflict. It was the British Empire that first declared war on Germany and its allies on August 4, 1914 …show more content…
Vimy Ridge itself was a very important strategic point as it provided a vantage point where networks of trenches from both sides could be seen plus the space between enemy lines or “no man’s land”. Under the command of British General Sir Julian Byng the Canadian Corps learned new platoon tactics, were assigned specialty weapons, studied the terrain, and rehearsed the assault as many soldiers had died already from trying to take Vimy Ridge from the Germans proving that the old tactics needed to be revised. Allies spent the entire week before the assault bombarding the Germans in hopes it would help the Canadians break through the ranks. The Canadians went one to, at that point in the war, accomplished the greatest singled allied advance on the western front. The battle itself took place from April 9 to 12 in 1917 with an estimated 20,000 German casualties and 10,500 Canadian casualties, 3,598 of them deaths. This victory was thanks to more than just new tactics and weapons, but many brave soldiers who personally sacrificed themselves to take down charged machine gun nests. Four of these Canadian soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross, the British Empires highest award for military …show more content…
The battle started at 4:20 a.m. on August 8 and lasted till August 11, which the Germans referred to as “Black Day”. It was known as the worst defeat the Germans had since the start of the war as the Canadians managed to push them back as many as twelve kilometers, a huge accomplishment since wars are often fought over meters. The Canadians lost 1,036 soldiers, 2,803 were injured, and 29 were taken prisoner but the Germans lost more than 26,000 to casualties and the Canadians captured 5,033 prisoners and some