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.

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

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

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

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