By: Ian Brackman, Usman Taj, Matthew Hart & Robert De Luca

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWjZAX0ZWpI

At 5:28 A.M. April 9 1917 the Canadians attacked Vimy Ridge

They began to put into action their highly practiced plan to work

Captured much of the ridge in the 1st day of the attack

- Most famous Canadian battle of WW1

- Mixture of tactical and technical innovation

- Meticulous planning

- Powerful artillery support

- Extensive training

The Canadian troops were lead by Lt.-General Sir Julian Byng and Major General Arthur Currie

Given (and overcame) seemingly impossible task

Big reason for the victory

Learned from previous battle mistakes

Byng studied the French failures at the Battle of Verdun as well as every detail of Vimy Ridge

Byng projected the Canadians could advance 4000m and have much of the Ridge by 1pm on the first day

Involved four colored objective lines

Canadians were incredibly well-prepared and trained

Distributed 40,000 topographic maps of Vimy so each group would understand its part

Located in Northern France

In the Pas-de-Calais region

Very near the Belgium border

There is a village there called Vimy

Key location

The high point is 110 meters and runs for 8-10 km

Germans had clear and perfect view of Douai Plain

Ridge was equipped with Barbed wire and machine guns

Many underground tunnels made at Vimy

Stable and easy to dig chalk ground

Canadians used tunnels to get across the no mans land

Ammunition Stores, water reservoirs, hospitals

The Germans had constructed decent living quarters underground

Key location

The high point is 110 meters and runs for 8-10 km

Germans had clear and perfect view of Douai Plain

Ridge was equipped with Barbed wire and machine guns

Forced the Germans to change their defensive strategy in the area

Instead of mounting a counter-attack, the Germans retreated to the Oppy–Méricourt line enforcing a scorched earth process along the way

The victory at Vimy Ridge was a turning-point for the Allies (Entente)

Canada was granted a separate signature on the Versailles Peace Treaty that ended the war for their efforts in the war

The battle, which included soldiers from across the country, gave Canadians back home a sense of national identity and unity

Canadian troops earned a reputation of being a formidable fighting force

It was significant as Canadians sensed like Brigadier-General A.E. Ross that, "in those few minutes [they had] witnessed the birth of a nation"

The Canadian Vimy Ridge Memorial was unveiled in 1936 to honour the 60,000 Canadian troops who gave their lives in the war

“It has often been said that Canada’s sons left their home as young colonials but returned as Canadians. Vimy is indeed the birthplace of “Canadian Nationhood”. The price was heavy: 10,500 casualties, including 3,598

dead.”

May They Rest in Peace - Never To Be Forgotten

http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=14742