Land Battles

The CEF in Battle

WW1 • Was fought from July 28, 1914 to Nov 11,

1918

• Italy• Was supposed to join the war with central

powers in August 1914. But on April 26th 1915 Italy joined the Allies.

• Plan was to divide the central powers again

The Western Front• After the Battle of Marne on the Western

Front, Germany realized the Schlieffen Plan had failed

• Germany decided to ‘hold’ their positions on the Western Front, so they could focus on fighting the Russians on the Eastern Front

Battle of Marne

The Western Front• The Western Front became a stalemate

• Stalemate is a term from the game of chess.

• When it is obvious that neither side has enough offensive power to win

The Battle of Ypres, April 1915

• Some of the bloodiest battles were fought around Ypres (city in Belgium)

• Ypres was in the Flanders district of Belgium

The Battle of Ypres, April 1915

• First time Canadian soldiers were in trench warfare

• French and Canadian troops retreated when the Germans used chlorine gas

• This was the first poison gas attack in history

The Battle of Ypres, April 1915

The Battle of Ypres, April 1915

• Over 6,000 Canadians lost their lives before reinforcements arrived

• Use of gas for military purposes had been banned in an international agreement since 1907

• Neither side gained much from the battle of Ypres

Battle of Verdun,February 1916

• Germany attacked the French in February 1916.

• Lasted 6 months with French alone losing over 500,000 men

• Battle of Verdun and the Battle of Somme were the two battles that had the greatest impact on the war.

Battle of Verdun,February 1916

• Both Somme and Verdun were planned wars of attrition

• An attacking strategy that wears down an enemy with constant attacks

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• While Germans were busy fighting the French at Verdun, the Allies tried to end trench warfare with a huge attack on the German trenches at The Battle of Somme

• The attack was not successful

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• The Germans were not pushed back

• Over 20,000 Canadians were killed

• 90% of the The Newfoundland regiment was killed

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• After 5 months of fighting, the Allies had only gained a few kilometres of territory

• The casualty total was 1.25 million

• The Battle of Somme was a disaster for many reason

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• 1. The Allies shells were too weak to damage German concrete bunkers buried deep underground

• 2. Allied troops were overloaded with 25 – 60 kgs of gear

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• 3. A nearby mine was detonated ten minutes before the attack, which warned the Germans

• 4. The attack was delayed and happened in daylight, rather than at night

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• 5. The attack was ordered to continue, even though most soldiers were dying

• 6. There were 23 Canadian men who were ordered ‘shot at dawn’ because they would not return to the front

Shot at Dawn Memorial

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• General Douglas Haig was in charge of this offensive. He used an old war tactic of marching soldiers into battle

• As more and more troops were ordered to march across open fields they were shot down by German machine guns.

Somme

Somme

Shell Shock• A psychological disorder that resulted from the

stress of warfare

• Were constantly afraid of an attack, even when not in the trench

• Troops who would not fight because of shell shock were put in a firing squad

• Shell Shock Shell Shock

The Battle of Somme,July 1916

• The 90% of Royal Newfoundland Regiment (over 700 men) were killed within 3o minutes of fighting.

• Armoured tanks were first used in the battlefields of Somme

• British Commander Haig claimed victory, but little was gained

The Battle of Vimy Ridge,April 1917

• Since first attack by Germans in 1914, the Germans had control. In France, near Belgian border

• French had tried 3 times to take Vimy back

• Important strategically, as it could be easily defended and very dangerous to attack

The Battle of Vimy Ridge,April 1917

• In April 1917, Canadian troops attacked the Germans at the Battle of Vimy Ridge

• The Allies had been bombing the ridge for 3 weeks to weaken their enemies

The Battle of Vimy Ridge,April 1917

• Preparations for the attack were very thorough

• Plans were practiced over and over

• Attack was successful, but Canadians still lost 3,000 men and 7,000 injured

The Battle of Vimy Ridge,April 1917

Sappers (army engineers) made tunnels to secretly move troops to forward positions.

– April 9, 1917 (Easter Monday) Canadian troops began to attack the Germans

– On April 10th the Canadian captured ‘Hill 145,’ the highest point on the ridge

– On April 12th Canadians took ‘the pimple’. The last German position

The Battle of Vimy Ridge,April 1917

• This was the turning point of the war for the Allies

• This was the first time Canadian units had fought together without the British

• Canadians now recognized as some of the best troops on the Western Front

The Battle of Vimy Ridge,April 1917

• General Arthur Currie was promoted to replace British General Byng

• Canadian soldiers were no longer commanded by British soldiers

Vimy Ridge

Passchendaele, October 1917

• Allied advances were slowed in the mud of the Western Front at the Battle of Passchendaele

• 1917 General Currie and the CEF were going to try and take over Passchendaele Ridge in Belgium.

• General Currie had said that this was not possible because of the mud, but he was forced to attack anyways

Passchendaele

Passchendaele, October 1917

• Previous assualts on Passchendaele left massive shell craters in the ground

• Rain turned into a huge marsh land

• Some horses and soldiers drowned in these conditions

Passchendaele

Passchendaele

Passchendaele, October 1917

• Canadians took the town

• But only 1 of every 5 Canadians survived the battle

• 16,000 died, 500,000 in total

• Gained a few kms of mud, but Germany soon won back

Passchendaele

Passchendaele

“Going over the top”• When infantry climbed over the top of

the trench and entered into no man’s land

The order of the Battles on The Western Front

1. The Battle of Marne, September 1914

2. The Battle of Ypres, April 1915

3. The Battle of Verdun, February 1916

4. The Battle of the Somme, July 1916

5. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917

6. The Battle of Passchendaele, October 1917

WW1• WW1 over the years