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involvemen of canada in ww1
the influence of the battle of vimy ridge on Canada
canadian involvement in world war 1
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Vimy Ridge, even the name instills pride in Canadians. Why is that, you might ask. Well, I will tell you in this essay why, Canadians captured Vimy Ridge, when even the stoic warriors from other nations could not, why it was imperative that the Canadians fight as one, in order to achieve victory, and what differences were made to modern fighting tactics to accommodate for the new technology and Canadian troops.
While Canada had been a nation for over 40 years now, Vimy Ridge was where Canadians truly became a united nation, because it was the first time in which all four Canadian divisions, made up of troops drawn from all over the country, fought as one.
Vimy was an important part of the German’s plan because Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who commanded the group of German armies on this front, was determined to hold Vimy Ridge at all costs, because he considered that its loss would make the entire Douai plain untenable. Therefore the Canadians wanted to take it to make it more difficult for the Germans.
Canada was not in good fighting shape by the time 1917 came around. They had suffered through many incompetent and plain fooling commanders and generals. They also had to suffer through the Battles of Ypres and of the Somme under leadership that would not acknowledge the usefulness of modern day technology. Luckily, in this particular battle they did not suffer through the torture of having to use the Ross rifle, as Sam Hughes was already dismissed from his post.
The Canadian Corps had just been given a new lease on life, whether they knew it or not. Canadian Major-General Arthur Currie and Lt.-General Sir Julian Byng and the entire Corps had been tasked with an impossible task in some opinions. Tasked they were with ...
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... order to prove their military might and prowess as well as being able to come out of the shadow of Britain. It also gave them a higher sense of nationality and a stronger will to prove their military might.
It was important that machine guns were used as part of the Vimy strategy because of Lt.-Col R. Brtinel’s plan of shooting into enemy bunkers, day and night. Movement ceased in the German lines. Raids showed to be too dangerous and repair of barbed-wire nigh impossible. The machine-gun fire became a supporter to the artillery barrage. During the attack, the machine guns would be set up along with the Canadian advances providing cover and a true offensive power helping to keep the Germans from usual defense system.
In conclusion, The Canadians were able to take Vimy out of hard work, meticulous planning, intense training, and the proper use of information.
Planning is one of the, if not the most, important element of war. This is why the hard-work Canadian military forces put into planning for the attack on Vimy Ridge earned the nation much deserved respect in the eyes of other countries around the world. Germany captured Vimy Ridge early in the war and made it into a strong defensive position, consisting of a huge system of tunnels and trenches manned by soldiers with machine guns and artillery pieces. Previous Allied attacks on Vimy Ridge in 1914 and 1915 had cost the British and French hundreds of thousands of casualties and had been mostly unsuccessful.The planning and preparations for the attack were extensive, and time consuming. The Canadians were trained rigorously. Models of...
When the war broke out in August 1914, the highly regarded Currie was commanded of an infantry brigade. Currie fought with exceptional composure at Ypres in 1915 where his 2nd Brigade made a remarkable stand against the poison gas. Having impressed his superiors, Currie was promoted to command the “crack” 1st Canadian
Later on in his developing career, Currie met with a woman named Lucy Charworth-Musters, who would one day be his wife. With a paying job as a teacher, he decided to enlist in the militia as a lowly gunner in the 5th Regiment at the Canadian Garrison Artillery. In 1901, Currie married Lucy and found a better-paying job at an insurance firm at Matson and Coles (Dancocks, 1985). With great devotion to his wife and two children, the militia was still one of Currie’s priorities and he became a commander of the 5th Regiment of Artillery, winning the Governor-General’s Cup for efficiency (Hyatt, 1987). On the 4th of August in 1914, the British ultimatum to Germany expired and Canada was now automatically at war (Hyatt, 1987).
Canada was one of Great Britain’s empire who fought under British units or in the Canadian Corps, formed by the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. These Canadians who fought aside with Great Britain earned a recognition of becoming an independent strong fighting force. They earned this reputation through one of World War One’s battles called, Vimy Ridge. Canadian soldiers who were in the Canadian Corps had an awful General named, Sam Hughes who preferred to use the Ross rifle. This type of weapon was too heavy and often jammed too many times to be used as a rifle for upcoming horrific battles. Thus, a new general replaced Sam Hughes and that was, Arthur Currie. General Currie had the desire for the Canadian Corps’ four divisions to fight together to take hold of Vimy Ridge. Arthur Currie made precise plans of military tactics that no general had done to their troops. General Currie gave his troops maps and had a duplicate model of Vimy Ridge so that troops are able to have an ideal look of what they should be taking hold of. Als...
At daybreak, August 19th, 1942, the Allies began their raid on the French coastal city of Dieppe occupied by Germany. The raid has extreme Canadian significance, as it pertains to 5000 Canadians involved in the campaign, 3,350 of which became casualties and 916 died on the bloodstained beach at Dieppe. The Dieppe raid is widely considered a failure on every level and has left a dreadful mark in Canadian military history because of how poorly it panned out. Operation Jubilee remains one of the most hotly debated Allied aspects of the war. Tactically, it was a complete failure as little to no objectives were attained. This essay will explain that Dieppe failed because of the tactical errors on the part of the Allies, in conjunction with the fact the entire operation was very poorly planned out. It will do so by discussing 4 major points: poor allied planning, how Dieppe was a difficult place to attack, that the assault was launched for political rather than military reasons and finally, how it failed to upgrade morale.
One would have to admit that World War One did give Canada a reputation and Canadians pride. Canada’s accomplishments in the war, notably the victory at Vimy Ridge and Canadian troops holding against the German attack in the Second Battle of the Ypres, not only gave Canadians a reason to be proud of their country, but also let other countries to see that Canada was a very helpful and useful. Also, Canada representing itself in signing the Treaty of Versailles increased Canadian pride and further showed Canada’s contribution to the war. However, this increased Canadian pride and reputation came at a heavy price. As
... to Canada when deciding to participate in other wars, such as World War II. Despite the 21 year difference between the end of World War I and start World War II shows the amount of confidence the one battle gave to Canada. It proves hat Canada was proud of their actions and it allows one to realize how significant it was to the growth of Canada. The carry out of the victory plan during the Battle of Vimy Ridge conveyed confidence in the Canadian Army.
A big reason behind Canadian victory at Vimy is due to the preparations made beforehand. To understand the demand for such intense preparations made by the Canadians, it is necessary to understand why this Battle was so significant. “The taking of Vimy Ridge was very important offensively as it was a key position of the German line in Northern France, but it was even more important for the Germans to not lose Vimy Ridge”(Stephens). If the Allies are successful in capturing the ridge, German position on the battlefield would significantly weaken. Should the Allies take the Ridge from the Germans, they would have a clear view of German positions throughout the Douai Plain. For the Germans, winning this Battle was extremely important as the Ridge defended the Hindenburg line as well as the western front. The battle was important to win because Vimy Ridge was an important strategic point that gave a perfect opp...
Battles such as Vimy Ridge, the Second Battle of Passchendaele and the Battle of the Somme were some of the worst battles that the world can find Canadian's. Our northern nation had boasted over 600,000 soldiers to the battlefields whilst also providing vital manufacturing facilities and training soldiers from across the world. The strong imperial bond between Canada and the 'Motherland' was an important factor in Canada's decision to participate wholeheartedly in World War I, and influenced many in their decision to join the army. Most Canadians felt a strong connection to the British Emp...
Canada also became a leader internationally as well. With such an enormous military contribution during the war, other countries began to recognize the success of Canada. People wanted to know more about Canada. Consequently, the war advanced Canada’s sense of identity.
Canada’s contribution to the war effort, especially at Vimy Ridge earned the country international respect and emerged from the war as a country more independent from Britain, to illustrate; Canada won a separate seat at the Paris Peace Conference and signed the peace treaty as a separate nation, which marked a start in Canada’s autonomy from Britain. Borden demanded Canada have its own seat because Canada had fought longer and supplied more troops than other countries, and for the first time Canada was recognized as an independent nation. Also Canada was given representation in the new League of Nations. Furthermore, in terms of economic impacts of the Great War on Canada, for one, produced a boom in Canada’s industry: steel and munitions production and manufacturing rose dramatically. During the war almost everyone could find a job. The Canadian economy relied on industry as well as agriculture, lumbering, fishing and mining. Canada had been changed from an agricultural economy into a growing industrial
Canada's sacrifices and contributions to the war changed its history and enabled them to become more independent and they friendship with Britain grew stronger and stronger. Canada was first inducted into the World War 1 when Britain declared war on Germany, August 4, 1914. Canada being allies with Britain had to support those in the war even know they weren’t in there and fighting all on the front they were backup just in case the German soldiers broke through the trenches and head towards France. Later on the Governor General also declared war on Germany but the Canadians fought under the ruling of a Britain commander. The achievements of Canadian military during the First World War came during the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Passchendaele battles and what later became known as "Canada's Hundred Days". They help fight for the freedom and peace for the small village of Passchendaele and however as it was a muddy hell, they still persevered throu...
In the early years of Canada before Confederation Canada had been defended by the British Army, and some units known as the Canadian Militia. After a few years new units were created to defend Canada such as the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, the Royal Canadian Dragoons. These troops participated in many missions to protect Canada, one of them would be the North West Rebellion for Confederation in 1885 in which Canada fought against Saskatchewan to bring peace, and secure the province. In this battle 58 soldiers lost their life, 98 got wounded, and 26 were capture. For World at War 1 all this militias came together to create the Canadian Expeditionary force, this force was mostly full of volunteers there we around 619,646 soldiers in the force at that time in which they fought many battles during World at War 1. One of the most famous one is Vimy Ridge, at Vimy Ridge all the allied forces could not get through since the ridge Germany had a an advantage in a high location in which their army was placed. Canada as a young nation no one believed that Canada would get passed it. But on April 12, 1917 Canadian Soldiers had full control over the ridge, but this had not been achieve easily it cost the life of 10,602 Canadians. For World at War 2 in the 1940s The Canadian Militia was renamed to the Canadian Army. This new army was formed as part of NATO which is in charge of the protection of all North America. Canada also fought many battles in World at War 2 to free, and protect the liberty of other countries, and people specially the Jewish community. Since then Canada knew the great power they have to help people in need at the end of World War 2 In 1939, 20 Years later in 1956 Canada became part of the United Nations.
The battle of St. Mihiel ended on September 13, 1918 and because of this battle it was shown that the American Army and it’s commanders, were very much capable to handle an operation on their own. The St. Mihiel Salient which had stood for four years was now non-existent. The German front line had been drastically reduced. 15,000 Germans were captured along with 450 weapons. 7,000 Americans lost their lives, but this was deemed acceptable compared to the standards of this war.
Prior to World War I, Canada as a nation had an identity crisis. A key factor in Canada’s pursuit of an identity are the countries that have influenced it.Through the influences that other countries have had upon the nation of Canada, Canada has been able to create a unique identity. The nation was created without one, but it was able to create a unique nation that in turn, went on to influence those who’s influences it drew from originally. Canada’s national identity is attributed to our role in World War I. Due to our British and French Heritage, there was a conflict of interest concerning the nation’s expectations. In the 1920’s, Canada achieved independence from Britain, as seen in the Statute of Westminster in 1931. Even though Canada remains part of the Commonwealth, its independence was starting to be recognized globally, through foreign and economic relations with non-commonwealth countries. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, Canada was automatically enlisted in the war as well. Within three week, 45,000 Canadians had been enlisted, and John McCrae was one of them.1 McCrae was a Canadian physician and soldier. On Sunday May 2nd, 1915, Lieutenant John McCrae scribbled a rough poem on the battlefield of Flanders, France. The day before, his closest friend, Alexis Herlmer of Ottawa had been killed by a shell. McCrae performed the ceremony for his friend the night of his death. As the battle of Flanders continued on, wild poppies began blooming between the marked crosses that marked the various makeshift graves.2