Land Battles

Ms. Campbell

Socials 11

Second Battle of Ypres

The Canadian Expeditionary Force arrived in France February 1915 and began fighting on the Western Front

One of the first major trench battles for Canadians came at the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium

Second Battle of

Ypres

On April 22, 1915 French and Canadian troops were blinded, burned, or killed when the Germans used chlorine gas– This had been outlawed by an international

agreement in 1907

Second Battle of Ypres

Second Battle of Ypres

“[We noticed] a strange new smell… A queer brownish-yellow haze was blowing in from

the north. Our eyes smarted. Breathing became unpleasant and throats raw… Some fell and choked, and writhed and frothed on

the ground… It was the gas.”

What do you think would be your first reaction to a gas attack?

Second Battle of Ypres

The battle continued for one month but neither side gained much ground and more than 6,000 Canadians were killed, wounded, or captured

One of the doctors was Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and after the battle he wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields”

Battle of the Somme

In July 1916 the Triple Entente launched a massive attack (The Battle of the Somme) trying to end trench warfare; however, this attack failed– The German line had been shelled for days but

the defences and barbed wire were not destroyed– Marching across open fields was useless– The attack continued even after heavy losses on

the first day of battle

Battle of the Somme

The Somme was the first battle to use tanks and after five months the battle was over

Battle of the Somme

The Triple Entente (The “Allies”) captured only 13 kilometers at a cost of more than 1.25 million casualties – and almost 24,000 Canadians– The Newfoundland Regiment lost about 90% of

its men and every officer was either killed or wounded

Shell Shock was very common The stress of war

The Battle at Vimy Ridge

In late 1916 Canadian troops were chosen to lead an assault on Vimy Ridge – a place the French and British had been trying to capture for two years– The attack was planned by Lieutenant-General

Julian Byng, a British officer– On April 9, 1917 Canadians began their attack– By April 12, 1917 they had captured the German

position

The Battle at Vimy Ridge

Vimy Ridge was the first time Canadian divisions had attacked together– The Success was a source of national pride– Canadians got a reputation of being an elite

fighting force

Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie replaces General Byng as commander of Canadian forces

The Battle at Vimy Ridge

Battle of Passchendaele

In October 1917 the Canadians were asked to break through German lines and capture Passchendaele in Belgium

General Currie warned that casualties would be high but he was overruled– “Victory” resulted in more than 200,000 casualties

on each side and 16,000 Canadians– The Allies gained 7 or 8 kilometers that were

quickly recaptured by the Germans

Battle of Passchendaele

At Passchendaele the mud was a huge challenge for troops

Other Battles

The Battle of Verdun– A defining battle– High levels of

psychological damage for French troops

The Gallipoli Campaign

World War One Final Project

Your job is to choose, research, and present your findings about one of the key land battles for Canadian troops during World War One. You may do this by creating a poster, a newspaper, a comic strip, or a film.

Your assignment will be marked on:1) Content2) Research3) Presentation

You may choose: The Second Battle of Ypres, The Battle of the Somme, The Battle at Vimy Ridge, or The Battle of Passchendaele

You may work by yourself, or in groups of NO MORE than three people. Your final project will be due in class on Thursday April 28.