Battles of World War Battles of World War OneOne

The Role of the Canadian Corps

The Canadian Corps

Enlistment: The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was a volunteer army until 1917 when Conscription began

Training was outdated – troops were usually retrained by British and later, veteran Canadian, troops in France

The bulk of the CEF was made up of English speaking, often formerly British, men

Canadians Arrive on the Western Front

The Ypres Salient was a key “bulge” in the British Line – Canada’s 1st Division was deployed there in April, 1915

According to Gen. von Fabeck, the German commander, Canadians could be catagorized with the "Indians, Moroccans and other trash, feeble adversaries who surrender in great numbers if attacked with vigor."

Ypres: Chemical Warfare On April 22, 1915 the German Army released 168

tons of Chlorine Gas over a four mile front held by French Colonial Forces (Zouaves and Moroccans)

6000 troops were asphyxiated in the first 10 minutes – the FCF troops fled

1st Canadian Division moved into the gap in the line and held the line using primitive gas masks (handkerchiefs soaked in urine) until May 3rd

Canadian casualties were 1000 dead and 4975 wounded out of the original 10 000 men

On May 2nd Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields” in 20 minutes after his friend Lt. Alexis Helmer was killed by an artillery shell

The Battle of the Somme: 1916

The Canadian divisions (3 at this point) were still fighting in British formations at the Somme

Canadian troops participated in diversionary attacks on the southern part of the front

After the disastrous battle with 24,029 casualties, Canadian leaders insisted that the Canadian units fight as one group – The Canadian Corps, which was commanded by Lt. General Julian Byng

The first Canadian commander of this formation was Sir Arthur Currie. (summer of 1917)

Results of the Somme

British and Canadian troops were transformed from eager volunteers to battle harded veterans

After “The Battle of the Somme” Canadians were identified as “Shock Troops” – an elite battle formation

British Prime Minister Lloyd George stated “Whenever the Germans found the Canadian Corps coming into the line they prepared for the worst.”

Trenchfoot

The plague of Trenchmo

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Passchendaele: July – Nov. 1917

General Currie did not want the Canadian Corps to fight here, but British General Haig insisted

The plan was for a series of smaller attacks to slowly push the Germans back

The attack merely advanced into a swamp Canadians began their participation in October,

1917, and of the original 20 000 Canadians at the battle, 15 000 were killed or wounded