Ypres and the Somme
Trenches - Follow Up On the Western Front it was typically between 100 and 300 yards (90 and 275 m), though only 30 yards (27 m) on Vimy Ridge. For four years there was a deadlock along a 1,000 kilometre long front of impregnable trenches. The first Canadian troops to arrive in France, the "Princess Pats" landed in December 1914, and were introduced to trench warfare in February 1915 by veteran British troops.
The Second Battle of Ypres April 22, 1915 to May 24, 1915 First major battle that the Canadian forces were a part of. At Ypres, the Germans were planning their first use of Poison Gas; Canadians specifically targeted since we held the middle of the lines ( seam ) between French and British soldiers; major communication problems between leaders and their soldiers; observers/marksman would spent hours studying troops movements
The Battle Begins Following an intensive artillery bombardment, they released 160 tons of chlorine gas from cylinders dug into the forward edge of their trenches into a light northeast wind. As the cloud of chlorine gas reached the French lines, the French troops broke and ran (some mutinied) leaving a gap in the defences nearly four miles wide and Canadians were left to defend on their own The German army, however, did not provide protection for their troops and could not exploit the weakness they created; troops were afraid of their own weapon
The Canadian Defense For the first day, Canadians were: Outnumbered Facing machine gun and artillery fire Had Ross Rifle issues Violently sick, gasping for air, and using muddy handkerchiefs to prevent burning in their lungs We held out for a whole day without any assistance 1925: League of Nations bans use of Chemical weapons in war 1993: United Nations bans use, development, creation, stockpiling of Chemical weapons Answer: Zyklon B, a form of cyanide gas, was used in Nazi death camps
Results of the Battle In the first three days of fighting, the Canadians suffered massive losses as 6037 soldiers were killed or wounded; over half of whom served in the trenches The Battle of Ypres continued until May 24 with 35,000 German casualties and nearly 70,000 British & French casualties.
Praise for Canada King Edward and PM Borden publicly praised the Canadian efforts as newspaper reports flooded Canadian cities with descriptions of the heroism, casualties and horrifying experiences of its soldiers. Earned our reputation as Storm or Shock Troopers; inspired allies and struck fear in enemies
Background: Battle of the Somme July 1 1916 - Nov 18th 1916 1915 saw both sides in the war attempt to break the stalemate which developed in the fall of 1914. They tried to bring new allies into the war as Italy joined the Entente and the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. * (Italy switches sides)
War of Attrition & The Somme The new goal of war was known as attrition, kill more of the enemy than you lose, or, wearing down the enemy slowly The British agreed to assist their French allies by attacking the Germans near the Somme river. 1916 would become the most tragic year for the average soldier of World War I.
The Plan The Somme was a massive battle fought along nearly 30 kilometres of trenches. For eight days before July 1, the British were constantly bombarding the German trenches hoping to destroy the barbed wire and concrete bunkers defending them; they had not destroyed as much as they hoped Their advance was screened by a creeping barrage, a slow moving artillery bombardment meant to be just ahead of the infantry to protect them from German defenders.
September 1916 September 15 saw the Canadian forces join the battle and the British began to use a new technology, the tank. Britain planned to use 50 tanks, but only had 24 available due to mechanical and other problems.
Canada s Role Canada was only involved for the final two months but played a large role in the Battle of the Somme. Official statistics list 24,029 casualties (killed, captured, lost or wounded). Despite this, the tenacity of the Canadian soldiers earned them a reputation as hard hitting shock troops in the eyes of the British; some enemy soldiers feared and attempted to avoid Canadian soldiers.
Result The Allies had suffered some 650,000 casualties, and both sides had about 200,000 killed. The Germans refer to the Battle of the Somme as das Blutbad the blood bath. Only 6 miles gained by Britain The brave members of the Newfoundland Regiment who went into action near Beaumont-Hamel were hit especially hard, with only 68 of the more than 800 men who had taken part being able to answer the roll call the next morning.
Ypres vs. Modern Warfare In small groups, pick one of the following events in moreso recent Canadian History; compare and contrast between one the events listed below and the Battle of the Ypres: - Chemical Weapons and the Gulf War: http://tinyurl.com/gulfcan1 & http://tinyurl.com/gulfcan2 - Chemical Weapon Attacks in Syria: http://tinyurl.com/cansyria1 & http://tinyurl.com/cansyria2 - Think about: change and continuity, Ethical dimensions (why did we fight now? Why did we fight then?), What was Canada s role? Why are we respected now versus then?