canada/newfoundland & world war...
TRANSCRIPT
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Canada/Newfoundland & World War I
CH1201
November 2013
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Outbreak of War
When a million German troops poured into Belgium
and France in August 1914, Great Britain sent an
ultimatum to Germany to leave Belgium or else.
When that ultimatum expired without receiving an
answer at 11pm on August 4th, the British Empire
was at war.
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Stalemate: The Western Front
When the Germans marched deep into Belgium and
France, the French, Belgians and British struggled to
stop the Germany tide
In two months, the allies fought the Germans to a
standstill.
By Christmas 1914, a million men had been
slaughtered to create a stalemate. A 460 long series
of trenches known as the Western Front.
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Canadas Military Contributions
By February 1915, the newly formed Canadian 1st Division had left their training grounds in England for the trenches along the Western Front
Although inexperienced, over the next three years our volunteer soldiers will gain a reputation as very tough & determined fighters
Canada will play a major role in many of the major battles from 1915-1918
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Canadas Military Contributions
Ypres (April 1915)
The Somme (July November 1916)
Vimy Ridge (April 1917)
Passchendaele (October 1917)
The Hundred Days (Aug-Nov 1918)
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Ypres Salient
With the failure of their initial Schlieffen Plan, in
Nov 1914 the Germans made one last desperate
attempt to break through the deadlock & defeat
the allies
The result was the formation of a bulge in the
allied line around the medieval Belgium city of
Ypres, a bulge known as the Ypres Salient.
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Ypres Salient
Although the allies held this city, the Germans controlled the high ground surrounding it to the north, east, and south
From these high positions, German artillery shelled the city resulting its eventual destruction
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Canadians at Ypres (April 1915)
Following their arrival from England, the volunteers of the Canadian 1st Division were moved from their quiet sector to the Ypres Salient in mid April 1915
Their job was to hold the front lines along with French colonial forces & British troops
The Canadians would play a pivotal role in the coming days as the German forces attempted to break through the allied lines & capture the city
As they move here, Canadians find evidence of the earlier battle as the area is littered with the British, German, & French dead from the fall 1914 (German, Langemarck)
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Canadians at Ypres (April 1915)
What the Canadians dont know is that Germany is
preparing for another attack & that they were going
to use a secret weapon to capture Ypres
On April 22, 1915 the Germans attacked the French
colonial forces on the Canadian left with 160 tons of
chlorine gas
French defences crumbled & their troops died or
broke & fled leaving a four-mile gap in the Allied line
The Germans planned only a limited offensive &
dug in after a two-mile advance Canada & World War I 12
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Canadians at Ypres (April 1915)
For the Canadians, they had to fight to close this gap
to prevent the destruction of the Salient
A fierce counter-attack was launched by the
Canadians at night on April 23rd to try & remove
German forces from Kitcheners Wood with heavy
casualties & little ground gained
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Canadians at Ypres (April 1915)
On April 24, the Germans once again attempted to
destroy the Salient this time launching gas directly at
the Canadians.
At St. Julien, Canadian forces were subjected to a
massive artillery barrage followed by another
chlorine gas attack
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Canadians at Ypres (April 1915)
30,000 Germans against 8,000 Canadians
Fighting was brutal..jamming Ross Rifles,
shrapnel, machine-gun fire & the gas
Chlorine gas was designed to hug the ground which
killed men that were using shell holes or trenches for
safety
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Canadians at Ypres (April 1915)
There were no gas masks at the time so the Canadian
troops were ordered to urinate on their
handkerchiefs & use it to filter the gas
Under such difficult conditions, the Canadians held
the line while other allied forces retreated
Over 5200 Canadians were killed
1 in 5 was listed as KIA, MIA, gassed, or wounded
In Flanders Fields written by John McCrae
following this battle
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1916 The Stalemate Continues
As 1916 approached, there was still trench deadlock
on the Western Front
The massive frontal assaults against enemy trenches
over the previous two years had failed to bring any
substantial gains or military victories
The Allies intended to finally break through the
German positions by launching simultaneous
offensives on the Western, Eastern and Italian
Fronts
Success from this plan would end the war Canada & World War I 18
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The Somme: Background
The Allied victory plans were upset in Feb 1916
when the Germans decided to attack the French
fortress town of Verdun
The French would never let this location fall to the
Germans & would send thousands of troops to their
deaths in the defense of this city
Verdun was a slaughter that lasted from Feb Dec
1916 & tied down considerable French forces
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The Somme: Background
To keep the French in the war, the
British attempted to relieve
pressure from the French at
Verdun by attacking the Germans
at the Somme
This would be a British led
operation known as the Big Push
Commanded by Douglas Haig, it
was set to commence on July 1st,
1916
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The Somme: Planning
The British plan included a 7 day artillery
barrage of the German lines beginning on
June 24th in order to smash the German
trenches, the barbed wire, & troops stationed
there
Huge mines would be exploded underneath
the German positions
British troops will stay in attacking trench
until zero hour when they will go over the
top, line up in a series of waves, & walk at a
slow pace towards the German trenches
(Infantry Charge) Canada & World War I 21
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The Somme: German Defenses
All along the Western Front, the
Germans had developed deep
underground dugouts on the
ground they captured
During the week-long British
artillery barrage these dugouts
protected many of the German
soldiers on the Somme front
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The Somme.July 1st, 1916
By July 1st, 1916, 120,000 British
troops prepared to attack the
German positions & end the
trench stalemate
On 7:20am the British exploded
two mines underneath the
German front line trenches & the
artillery also stopped firing
http://www.ir459.org/images/somme/gb105.jpghttp://www.worldwar1.com/foto/fww1500.jpg
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The Somme.July 1st, 1916
For the Germans secure in their
dugouts, the mine explosion &
the artillery stopping signals that
an attack is about to commence.
They race up from their shelters
& set up their machine guns in
preparation of the British attack
At 7:30 the British forces go over
the top & prepare to cross no
mans land
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The Somme.July 1st, 1916
The opening attack turned into a slaughter & by 8
am British forces are being destroyed almost
everywhere along the front
At the end of the day approx 57,000 casualties with
20, 000 dead
While the Canadian Corps was not involved on the
action that day, the Newfoundland Regiment did see
action
This regiment would have the greatest losses on July
1st
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The Somme.July 1st, 1916
Newfoundland Regiment
The Newfoundlanders were to
be in the second wave of attack
to move into the German front
lines & capture enemy positions
near the French town of
Beaumont-Hamel
For these men waiting in their
reserve trenches .they cant see
what was happening but they can
hear the disaster that was
unfolding in front of them
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The Somme.July 1st, 1916
Newfoundland Regiment
Because of the failed opening British attack, the Newfoundland
attack was initially cancelled but this decision was reversed when
a white flare was seen coming from the German front line
It was believed to be a signal from British forces calling for
reinforcements when in fact it was a German flare redirecting
artillery fire on to the British attack
The Newfoundlanders were ordered to go & provide assistance
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The Somme.July 1st, 1916
Newfoundland Regiment
Because of the large number of wounded & dead
men in the communication trenches, the NL
commander orders his entire battalion to go over the
top from their reserve trench
With all of the other units either dead, wounded, or
taking cover, these men are the only targets the
Germans have to shoot at
As they attack down the slope towards the enemy
positions, they were highlighted against the sky
making easy targets for the German gunners Canada & World War I 28
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Canada & World War I 29
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Newfoundland & the Great War 30
German Positions
No Mans Land
Very few made it past the Danger
Tree that summer morning
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Newfoundland & the Great War 31
German Positions German Positions
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The Somme.July 1st, 1916
Newfoundland Regiment
Within 30 minutes the regiment had been destroyed
not one man was left standing
Out of a total attacking force of 801 men, only 68 are
available for roll call next morning
"It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour,
and its assault failed of success because dead men can advance
no further."
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Canadians on the Somme
The Canadians were moved from the Ypres Salient
to the Somme River region in September 1916
Courcelette was captured in two days by the
Canadians
It was during this assault on Courcelette that the
tank made its debut in war
In addition, the Canadians also had a tough time at
Regina Trench which was captured in early
November
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Canadians on the Somme
There were no further advances that year. The
autumn rains turned the battlefield into a bog and
the offensive staggered to a halt.
Despite 24,000 casualties in only two months of
fighting, the Canadian actions on the Somme
confirmed their reputation as hard-hitting shock
troops
For the remainder of the war they spearheaded the
assault in one great battle after another
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Results of the Somme
Approximately 58,000 casualties on the opening day
After 5 months of battle, total casualties for both
sides numbered 1.25 million (24,000 Canadians)
Called das Blutbat the blood bath by the Germans
British only advanced 11 km
Tanks introduced in warfare
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The Canadian Corps
By the end of 1916, Canada had 4 divisions fighting along the Western Front
1st, 2nd, 3rd , & 4th Divisions (Together these formed the Canadian Corps)
The leader of the Canadian Corps was Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng
Arthur Currie was the commander of the 1st Canadian Division
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The Battle of Vimy Ridge
1916 was a year of slaughter (Verdun & the Somme
produced a casualty toll of almost two million men).
Despite these losses, early in 1917 the allies had planned
for another major offensive to break the trench stalemate
Combined French / British attack
Battle of Arras (Vimy Ridge was just one small
component of this battle)
Because of the Canadian efforts at Ypres & at the
Somme, they were given the task of capturing this
position
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Vimy Ridge Defenses
Following the Somme, the Germans withdrew to strong
new defenses, the Hindenburg Line, & made Vimy Ridge
one of the strongest defensive positions on the Western
Front during this time
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Vimy Ridge Defenses
Advantageous b/c of high ground which gave the
Germans unrestricted views of allied movements in the
surrounding countryside
Strategically important for Germany & it was well
defended.(elaborate system of trenches, dugouts &
tunnels heavily protected by barbed wire, machine guns,
& German artillery)
B/t 1914 & 1916 the British / French had lost over 150,
000 trying to capture this area
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Canadians at Vimy
In early 1917 it was Canadas turn to attempt to
dislodge the Germans from this high point
Lessons learned from slaughter of the previous years
saw new attacking plans introduced
Byng & Currie went to both Verdun & the Somme &
looked at the tactics used there and devised new ones
to prevent needless slaughter and ensure a Canadian
victory
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Vimy Ridge Planning
Engineers dug great tunnels into the Ridge
Roads & light railways were improved
Simulations behind the lines
Aerial photographs
Troops practiced their roles until every man was familiar with
the ground & the tactics
Vimy Glidecreeping barrage
Men would go over the top and advance across No Mans
Land while under the protection of their own artillery which
was shelling the German trenches.
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Vimy Ridge The Battle.. April 9 , 1917
The attack (delayed by a day because of the weather) began at dawn on Easter Monday, April 9
All four divisions [with the 5th (British) Division under Byng's command] of the Canadian Corpsmoving forward together for the first timeswept up the Ridge in the midst of driving wind, snow and sleet (over 100,000 soldiers).
On that first morning, all the ridge had been captured except for the pimple & hill 145 which were capture several days later
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Vimy Ridge.. April 9 , 1917
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Vimy Ridge Reflection
Despite over 10, 000 casualties, Canadians gained
more ground, more guns, & more German prisoners
than were taken in previous 2 years of fighting
This was Canadas Coming of Age & our most
celebrated battle
Arthur Currie replaced Julian Byng as the
commander of the Canadian Corps
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Vimy Ridge memorial
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Passchendaele
Unfortunately, Vimy was not the last battle of the
war.
Against all advice the British general, Douglas
Haig, was determined to break through the
German front & he launched a disastrous drive
across Belgium in 1917
Despite heavy allied losses, in early October the
Canadian Corps was ordered to prepare for the
capture of Passchendaele.
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Passchendaele.Fall 1917
Known as the Third Battle of Ypres.it was
same area where Canadians were gassed in 1915
The battlefield was a sea of mud due to heavy
rains & the shelling which had destroyed dams
and drainage ditches in the region
Trenches filled with cold water & collapsed
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Passchendaele.Fall 1917
Shell holes overflowed with muck
Men, horses, or equipment that slipped off the
duckboards were sucked into the swampy mess
often never to be seen again
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Passchendaele.Fall 1917
The Canadians joined the battle to help the
British, who had been fighting there since July
On October 26, Canadian forces began to
advance on the enemy through often waist-deep
mud
They were constantly bombarded by German
artillery & machine-gun fire
It was a nightmare of dirt & death
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Passchendaele
http://www.worldwar1.com/pharc002.htmhttp://www.worldwar1.com/pharc002.htmhttp://www.worldwar1.com/pharc002.htmhttp://www.thegreatwar.ca/
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Approx 500,000 Allied casualties of which almost
16,000 were Canadian
Roughly 2 square miles of ground had been
captured
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Passchendaele.Fall 1917
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1917Beginning of the End
America entered the war after Germany resumed
unrestricted submarine warfare
Russian Revolution occurred which brought the
communists to power in that country led by Lenin
Lenin pulled Russia out of the war by signing a
peace treaty with Germany
With Russia out, now all the German forces could
be launched against France
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1917Beginning of the End
America entered the war after Germany resumed
unrestricted submarine warfare
Russian Revolution occurred which brought the
communists to power in that country led by Lenin
Lenin pulled Russia out of the war by signing a
peace treaty with Germany
With Russia out, now all the German forces could
be launched against France
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The German Drive 1918
In the spring of 1918 the German High
Command mounted a series of grand offensives
to break the Allied front and end the war with
victory or at least a draw before US troops could
enter the war.
This last attempt at victory ultimately failed
We now get the period from August 8 to
November 11, 1918, known as The Hundred
Days (Canadian forces were always spearheading
victory)