Canada's Failure Of Vimy Ridge In The First World War

There had been many battles that were crucial in both World Wars, but the battle of Vimy Ridge and Dieppe had proved Canada to be a strong and developing nation during the wars. Vimy Ridge was captured by Canadians when all attempts made by the British and French both resulted in failure. On the other hand, the Dieppe Raid’s mistakes taught the Allies the importance of preparation, as proven during in D-Day. Finally, during these battles, Canada has supplied the most soldiers, which often times, reached thousands. The battles of Vimy Ridge and Dieppe proved Canada’s significance to both World Wars because of its many soldiers they provided, their leadership, skills and military expertise.

Vimy Ridge was one of Canada’s most famous historical

battles in the First World War as it proved that Canada could handle intense military operations.

“Curtain Bombing” or the “Creeping Barrage” was a tactic created by Canadian General Arthur Currie, in which the massive artillery fired directly ahead of advancing troops. Strategies before this had the German army ready for the soldiers that were still making their way to the survivors, rendering the entire operation a failure: “The plan was put into use, and by nightfall, the ridge was taken by Canadian hands” (Bolotta, 54). This was important because Canada has sacrificed many of its soldiers in order to test out German defenses and to understand what military precautions that should be taken. Secondly, four individuals were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military achievement in the British ranks, to Canadian troops who showed courageous acts. The four men responsible were: Private William Milne, who stalked and took out two German machine-gun nests shortly before being killed. Lance-Sergeant Ellis Sifton, who charged a machine-gun nest single-handed, killed its entire crew and held off reinforcements until his own reinforcements arrived, before being shot by a dying victim of his. Captain Thain MacDowell, who during the fight for the highest point of the ridge “Hill 145”,

entered an enemy dig out and tricked a force of 77 guards to surrender because of a “large force” that was following behind him, only consisting 2 soldiers, and Private John Pattinson who jumped shell hole to shell hole 30 meters away to bomb a machine-gun crew and followed up by killing the rest of the survivors with a bayonet (Canada At War, 4). Billy Bishop also started his career as a fighter pilot as he shot down a balloon near Vimy earning him the Military Cross (Canada at War, 4). These four Canadians, along with Billy Bishop, displayed bravery and inspired the rest of the Canadian forces to fight with courage, as well as created an image of professionalism to the rest of the Allies. Finally, the four Canadian Corps divisions were put into play, and executed their assignments thoroughly, capturing both of the highest points of the ridge, Hill 145 and the Pimple. The capturing of Hill 145 was not easy since it was heavily defended by the Pimple, although Canadians stormed and captured it, as well ensuring the success of Hill 145. This, as well as the entirety of Vimy Ridge itself, provided cover for the British’s flank and showed that Canada had bright minds and brave individuals that contributed to key battles in the War.
The Dieppe Disaster taught the Allies that winning a battle requires preparation, skill, and knowledge, all of which was made up for in the famous D-Day battle. The Dieppe Raid was a form of a hit-and-run test scenario to see if the Germans were ready for a surprise attack on the French-occupied flank and to gain experience for future raids of Europe. The entire Allied force learned that if a raid was to be conducted, the “surprise” element needed to stay stealthy. By the time the troops got to the beach, they were destroyed by the prepared German forces who were awaiting their arrival. This was important because it taught them that to succeed at this point and time of the raid, they had to think ahead of time and make preparations to stay hidden. Also, the Allies needed much better communication between all forces and more experienced people leading the troops: “The Dieppe Raid demonstrated that it was imperative to improve communications at all levels: on the battlefield, between the HQs of each unit, between air, naval and ground forces” (Junobeach, 2). This was vital because it showed them that the communication and leaders behind the operation were weak, making the German army’s teamwork much more efficient. Finally, techniques that were shown in Dieppe needed to be well thought out. D-Day showed the world the mistakes made in the raid could not happen again: “The raid on Dieppe showed how important it was to use prior air bombings to destroy enemy defences as much as possible, to support assault troops with artillery fire from ships and landing crafts, to improve techniques and equipment to remove obstacles to men and tanks” (Junobeach, 2). This was a big lesson for the Allies as they finally learned to be more prepared and could not attack on the German-controlled beach. The Dieppe Raid was kept in the minds of all Canadians in future battles so they know not to make the same mistakes again. This was a major contribution to the war because Canada had sacrificed many of its people for the greater goods because the other nations would not take charge of the situation.
In both the battles of Vimy Ridge and Dieppe, Canada was always the leading contributor of troops and plans of action.

The battle of Vimy Ridge was a Canadian controlled battle with only a minor percentage of help from the other countries part of the Allies. Roughly about 20 000 Canadian soldiers were present at Vimy Ridge (Canada at War, 4). This was imperative because the victory at Vimy Ridge was greeted with enthusiasm in Canada, and after the war, the battle became a symbol of an awakening Canadian nationalism. One of the prime reasons is that soldiers from every region of Canada were fighting together for the first time as a single assaulting force in the Canadian Corps and had taken the ridge together. This was one of the most renowned battles in Canadian history as it united Canada together and created an efficient work environment. Another historical battle with Canada’s involvement was the Dieppe Raid. Although British and American newsprints barely mentioned Canadian involvement, Canada had a large impact. “Only 50 American troops were involved with the raid...US newspapers reported it as an American attack and barely mentioned Canadian involvement” (Bolotta, 151). This had a large impact because it sent the entire country into mourning and had individuals furious as large amount Canadian veterans lives were sacrificed and were not credited for. Finally, the Dieppe Raid was part of the turning point for WWII. Despite its failure, the raid provided valuable

lessons for the Allies. The harsh lesson that the Canadians learned from the disaster was an important step towards victory for the Allies in World War II: “These mistakes affected how D-Day was planned” (Bolotta, 151). If not for the Dieppe Raid by Canada, mistakes made at the Raid may have happened during D-Day, costing the Allies the War. Canada has contributed greatly in these battles with each of them having long-term effects. Canada’s contribution would not be forgotten with everything they had offered and given up.
The battles of Dieppe Raid and Vimy Ridge had major assistances from Canadian soldiers, ideas, and skills from Canada, proving its worth as a respectable military force. Vimy Ridge had made Canada understand and develop concepts and tactics to give to allies in order to prepare. As preparation was key, teamwork and coordination were needed to succeed. The capture of Vimy was more than just an important battlefield victory. For the first time, all four Canadian divisions attacked together: men from all regions of Canada were present at the battle. In addition, Canada provided the most soldiers, which helped significantly in both battles. As other nations feared and cowered; Canada had fought and learned from their mistakes. The battles of Vimy Ridge and Dieppe Raid had proved that Canada’s large contribution to both World Wars and displayed prominence in numbers and resourcefulness. As Canada’s respected battles will never be discredited or forgotten. This concludes that Canada has given and gained much from their efforts put into battles in World War I and World War II.