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Category: Battles

Battles of the Great War

On the Western Front in Belgium and France, Canadian soldiers distinguished themselves in many Great War battles, including Second Battle of Ypres, Battle of Vimy Ridge, and Second Battle of Passchendaele. In Canada’s Last Hundred Days of the Great War, Canadian soldiers the sharp end of the spear breaking through the enemy’s formidable trench defences, the Hindenburg Line.

Battle of the Somme

Only one action where the Canadian Expeditionary Force’s involvement negligible, but Canada’s contribution still resonates today.  The Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNR) and the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel, of particular interest to CEFRG.   The RNR suffered decimating casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. While Canada celebrates it’s birthday on July 1st every year, for the Province of Newfoundland, it is still a day of mourning.

British Expeditionary Force (BEF)

Canadian soldiers participated in many Great War battles not commonly associated with the CEF.  There are two reason for this, first, many Canadians served with elements of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) during the Great War.  Secondly, the Canadian Field Artillery (CFA) were often attached to the BEF, for they were Corps Troops not associated with the Divisional structure of the CEF.

Tools

Battle maps, trench map coordinate converters, aerial photos, and Google Earth image overlays essential collections and tools used to understand Great War battles.  An extensive collection of battle maps available at McMaster University, and the National Library of Scotland.  These maps  particularly impressive – stored in the .tiff file-format.  There is no loss in resolution when zooming-in on these extremely large images.

German O.P. at approximate position of 8th Bn. H.Q. on 22nd April 1915 (Second Battle of Ypres). April & May 1919. MIKAN No. 3397986

1915

  • BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE, 10 March
  • Action of St. Eloi, 14-15 March
  • THE BATTLE OF YPRES, 1915
    • GRAVENSTAFEL RIDGE (The Gas Attack), April 22
    • ST. JULIEN, 24 April-4 May
    • FREZENBERG RIDGE, 8-13 May
    • BELLEWAARDE RIDGE, 24-25 May
  • BATTLE OF AUBERS RIDGE, 9 May
  • BATTLE OF FESTUBERT, 17-25 May
  • Second Action of Givenchy, 1915, 15-16 June
  • THE BATTLE OF LOOS, 25 September-8 October
    • Action of Bois-Grenier, 25 September
  • Actions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt, 13-19 October
Battle of Mount Sorrel. Emplacement of two forward guns in Sanctuary Wood, captured by Germans and recaptured by Canadians, 22 June 1616. Sergeant William Alexander, Shot at Dawn, was promoted for his actions in this battle. MIKAN No. 352091
Battle of Mount Sorrel. Emplacement of two forward guns in Sanctuary Wood, captured by Germans and recaptured by Canadians, 22 June 1616. MIKAN No. 3520915

1916

  • Actions of St. Eloi Craters, 27 March-16 April
  • BATTLE OF MOUNT SORREL, 2-13 June
  • THE BATTLES OF THE SOMME, 1916
    • ALBERT, 1916 (Capture of Montauban, Mametz, Fricourt, Contalmaison and la Boisselle), 1-13 July
    • BAZENTIN RIDGE, 14-17 July
    • Attack at Fromelles, 19 July
    • Attacks on High Wood, 20-25 July
    • POZIERES RIDGE (Fighting for Mouquet Farm), 1-3 September
    • GUILLEMONT, 3-6 September
    • GINCHY, 9 September
    • FLERS-COURCELETTE, 15-22 September
    • THIEPVAL RIDGE, 26-29September
    • LE TRANSLOY RIDGES (Capture of Eaucourt l’Abbaye), 1-18 October
    • ANCRE HEIGHTS (Capture of Regina Trench), 1 October-11 November
    • THE ANCRE, 1916 (Capture of Beaumont Hamel), 13-18 November
This original photo showing the advance on Vimy Ridge, was later retouched by official photographer W.I. Castle for exhibition purposes related to the Canadian War Records Office exhibitions of battle pictures (see Mikan # 3192389 for retouched version). MIKAN No. 3233066
This original photo showing the advance on Vimy Ridge, was later retouched by official photographer W.I. Castle for exhibition purposes related to the Canadian War Records Office exhibitions of battle pictures (see Mikan # 3192389 for retouched version). MIKAN No. 3233066

1917

  • German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, 24-29 March
  • THE BATTLE OF ARRAS, 1917
    • VIMY RIDGE, 9-14 April
    • FIRST SCARPE, 1917, 9-14 April
    • SECOND SCARPE, 1917, 23-24 April
    • Attack on la Coulotte, 23 April
    • ARLEUX, 28-29 April
    • THIRD. SCARPE, 1917 (Capture of Fresnoy) 3-4 May
  • Affairs south of the Souchez River, 3-25 June
  • Capture of Avion, 26-29 June
  • BATTLE OF HILL 70, 15-25 August
  • THE BATTLE OF MESSINES, 1917 (Capture of Wytschaete), 7-14 June
  • THE BATTLES OF YPRES, 1917
    • PILCKEM RIDGE, 31 July-2 August
    • LANGEMARCK, 1917, 16-18 August
    • MENIN ROAD RIDGE, 20-25 September
    • POLYGON WOOD, 26 September-3 October
    • BROODSEINDE, 4 October
    • POELCAPPELLE, 9 October
    • FIRST PASSCHENDAELE, 12 October
    • SECOND PASSCHENDAELE, 26 October-10 November
  • BATTLE OF CAMBRAI, 1917
    • The Tank Attack, 20-21 November
    • Capture of Bourlon Wood, 23-28 November
    • The German Counter-Attacks, 30 November-3 December
Sir Douglas Haig congratulating 85th Battalion. Battle of Amiens. August, 1918 3405991

1918

  • THE FIRST BATTLES OF THE SOMME, 1918
    • ST. QUENTIN, 21-23 March
    • Actions at the Somme Crossings, 24-25 March
    • FIRST BAPAUME, 24-25 March
    • ROSIERES, 26-27 March
    • FIRST ARRAS, 1918, 28 March
    • AVRE, 4 April
  • Capture of Hamel, 4 July
  • THE BATTLES OF THE LYS
    • ESTAIRES (First Defence of Givenchy, 1918), 9-11 April
    • MESSINES, 1918 (Loss of Hill 63), 10-11 April
    • HAZEBROUCK, 12-15 April
    • BAILLEUL (Defence of Neuve-Eglise), 13-15 April
    • FIRST KEMMEL RIDGE, 17-19 April
  • Action of La Becque, 28 June
  • THE BATTLE OF AMIENS, 8-11 August
  • Actions round Damery, 15-17 August
  • THE SECOND BATTLES OF THE SOMME, 1918
    • ALBERT, 1918, 21-23 August
    • SECOND BAPAUME, 31 August-3 September
  • THE SECOND BATTLES OF ARRAS, 1918
    • SCARPE, 1918 (Capture of Monchy-le-Preux), 26-30 August
    • DROCOURT-QUEANT CANAL, 2-3 September
  • THE BATTLES OF THE HINDENBURG LINE
    • HAVRINCOURT, 12 September
    • EPEHY, 18 September
    • CANAL DU NORD (Capture of Bourlon Wood) 27 September- 1 October
    • ST. QUENTIN CANAL, 29 September-2 October
    • BEAUREVOIR LINE, 3-5 October
    • CAMBRAI, 1918 (Capture of Cambrian), 8-9 October
  • BATTLE OF YPRES, 1918, 28September-2 October
  • Pursuit to the Sells, 9-12 October
  • BATTLE OF COURTRAI, 1419 October
  • BATTLE OF THE SELLE, 17-25October
  • BATTLE OF VALENCIENES (Capture of Mont Houy), 1-2 November
  • BATTLE OF THE SAMBRE, 4 November
  • Passage of the Grande Honnelle, 5-7 November
  • Capture of Mons, 11 November
General Sir Arthur Currie, General Loomis and Officers in Grand Place, Mons, November 11th, 1918, taking the salute of the March past. MIKAN No. 3522365
General Sir Arthur Currie, General Loomis and Officers in Grand Place, Mons, November 11th, 1918, taking the salute of the March past. MIKAN No. 3522365
  • Gravenstafel, Second Battle of Ypres, in the Great War

    Gravenstafel, Second Battle of Ypres, in the Great War

    The First Gas Attacks, Second Battle of Ypres, 22-24 April 1915

    The video is a panoramic view from Gravenstafel (Sheet 28.D.9.c.8.3, the crossroads of Schipstraat and ‘s Gravenstafelstraat) on 17 April 1915, only five days before the German Army unleashed 150 tons of lethal chlorine gas against two French colonial divisions during the Second Battle of Ypres.

    The Ypres Salient

    The Ypres Salient developed during the First Battle of Ypres. Strong German forces moving west clashed with the B.E.F. and French units in a series of confusing, but fierce encounters between 19 October and 22 November 1914, from Langemarck in the north-east through Zonnebeke, Gheluvelt, Zandvoorde, Wytschaete and Messines in the south.

    On the first day of the Second Battle of Ypres, the front collapsed to the GHQ line, with the 10th and 16th Canadian Infantry Battalions successfully preventing a German breakthrough, thus preventing an early end to the Great War (and a German victory).

    Gen. Currie visits Cemetery in Andenne where 200 civilians were shot by Germans against a wall, 21st August 1914. MIKAN No. 3403394. Second Battle of Ypres
    Gen. Currie visits Cemetery in Andenne where 200 civilians were shot by Germans against a wall, 21st August 1914. MIKAN No. 3403394

    The 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade Commander, Brig.-Gen. Arthur William Currie promoted to Major-General following the battle. The Honour “Gravenstafel” awarded to Canadian units for their actions defending against the German attack.

    Greatest Act of the War

    Currie’s calculated decisions in the fog-of-war made the difference in the battle. But, it was the supreme sacrifice of the 10th and 16th Battalions that led the Supreme Allied Commander, Marshal Ferdinand Foch to declare following the Great War, their assault on an entire German Division was the “greatest act of the war”.

    Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge

    Gravenstafel, Second Battle of Ypres, 24 April 1915. This same area, the vicinity of the second Gas Attacks. On this occasion, the Canadian Corps holding the line as the cloud of green gas fell into their crude trenches. Men struggled to operate their jamming Ross rifles while peering through urine-soaked improvised masks.

    Note, in less than two years, this area is completely unrecognizable, and becomes for Canadians, in the words of Lt.-Col. Agar Adamson of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, “that God-forsaken land” during the Second Battle of Passchendaele.

    Today, Passchendaele is once again the same beautiful countryside it was in 1914.

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