Battles of World War I Canadas Role The

Battles of World War I Canada’s Role

The war begins. . . o By the beginning of August 1914 the major powers were at war. o Thousands of Canadians volunteered. o A huge training camp was set up at Valcartier, Quebec.

Trench Warfare o A stalemate forced soldiers to “dig in” to protect themselves from machine gun fire and shells. o Space between the trenches was called “no-man’s land”.

Ypres 1915 o Poison gas was used for the first time. o Canadian troops were the only ones to “hold the line”. o We lost 6 000 men.

Battle of the Somme 1916 o Canadians were fighting alongside the British. o Almost 60 000 men were lost the first day, the highest ever in one battle. o Artillery was not able to take out German machine guns. o The battle went on for 141 days despite a lack of progress.

Vimy Ridge 1917 o General Arthur Currie wanted to ensure his troops fought together and were wellprepared. o Artillery hit the German side for days before troops were sent in. o Canadians won the Ridge.

Passchendaele 1917 o The land was flooded and mud-choked because dams had been destroyed. o Canadians won the battle, took 7 km of land but it was soon lost to the Germans again. o Almost 16 000 Canadians were killed.

In the Air o Canadians joined the British Royal Flying Corps. o More glamourous than the trenches but also more dangerous. o Famous aces like the Red Baron and Billy Bishop battled in dogfights.

On (and under) the Sea o Germans used unterseeboots to cut off British supplies. o The sinking of the Lusitania helped encourage the Americans to join the war. o German ports were blockaded to prevent supplies from coming in.

The End o In early 1918 the Germans tried one last hard push to win the war before the Americans could mobilize their troops. o By the summer it was clear they had run out of supplies. o Germany surrendered November 11, 1918.