canada/newfoundland & world war i - yolamrparkspage.yolasite.com/resources/2.3_canadaww1.pdf ·...

Canada/Newfoundland & World War I

CH1201

November 2013

http://www.webquests.bc.ca/wqs/ss/komagatamaru/canada-map.gif

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.

Canada & World War I 2

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 ½ million men had been

slaughtered to create a stalemate. A 460 long series

of trenches known as the Western Front.


Canada’s 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


Canada’s Military Contributions

Ypres (April 1915)

The Somme (July – November 1916)

Vimy Ridge (April 1917)

Passchendaele (October 1917)

The Hundred Days (Aug-Nov 1918)


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.


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


http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=WSevx_agIqEj4M&tbnid=o5cSFYGf6dvYxM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.queensu.ca%2FExhibits%2Farchres%2Fwwi-intro%2Fwarfare.html&ei=ntmLUt_3N4Xb2QW394HgDA&psig=AFQjCNHYcWBXx8l7l-X5uaZa1wUEct9gqg&ust=1384982599465265

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)



What the Canadians don’t 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


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 Kitchener’s Wood with heavy

casualties & little ground gained



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



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



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


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

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



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

http://www.wspd.wellington.net.nz/music/greatpush.jpg

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


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


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.jpg

http://www.worldwar1.com/foto/fww1500.jpg



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

man’s land’


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




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 can’t see

what was happening but they can

hear the disaster that was

unfolding in front of them




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

http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/chapters/trenchoverhead.html



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

Newfoundland & the Great War 30

German Positions

No Man’s Land

Very few made it past the Danger

Tree that summer morning

http://www.thegreatwar.ca/

Newfoundland & the Great War 31

German Positions German Positions




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."


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


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


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


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

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

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

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

Canadians at Vimy

In early 1917 it was Canada’s 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

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 Glide…creeping barrage

Men would go over the top and advance across No Man’s

Land while under the protection of their own artillery which

was shelling the German trenches.

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 Corps—moving forward together for the first time—swept 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

Vimy Ridge….. April 9 , 1917

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 Canada’s ‘Coming of Age’ & our most

celebrated battle

Arthur Currie replaced Julian Byng as the

commander of the Canadian Corps

•Vimy Ridge memorial

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.


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



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



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


Passchendaele

http://www.worldwar1.com/pharc002.htm




Approx 500,000 Allied casualties of which almost

16,000 were Canadian

Roughly 2 square miles of ground had been

captured



1917…Beginning 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

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)

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