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World War 1 and Vimy
Ridge
On Remembrance
Day I’ve seen many people wearing poppies and all I know is that there
were poppies growing in the cemetery after the war but beyond that I know
very little of World War One. I feel I should. A very long
time ago many Canadians and allied soldiers suffered grueling pain in the
"war to end all wars!". Yet ironically, few years later there was a Second
World War.
It all started
a long long time ago, 1914 but for a long time before, the Europeans were
engaged in an arms race. Britain would build up it’s navy, Germany would
concentrate on it’s army. Yet this was not the full reason the war started.
A major factor on the situation was the Balkan crisis (another war Serbia
had just won), Serbia had become much larger and stronger after that. This
threatened Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary replied by becoming battle
ready. After that Serbia was threatened and called upon Russia for protection.
Remember the war hasn’t started yet, but all it would take to start was
a single spark.
That spark came
in the form of an assassination. The assassination consisted of an Archduke,
his wife, two bullets and a pair of assassins in the crowd. That pretty
much sums it up. A little historical irony is that during that people on
both sides were itching for a war, they thought a nice quick war
would fix them right up and somehow make life better, therefore the war
began in celebration until blood began to spill.
Soon after the
assassination Germany declared war on Russia, France and Germany declared
war on each other. Germany invaded Belgium (a neutral country)
to use it for transportation and made it’s protector Britain declare war
on them. Then when Britain declared war Canada was automatically
at war because it was a British colony. During the war the British
ruled the seas but had a much smaller army in proportion than any of the
other countries.
What we now call World War One started off with the name, of the
Great War, or The World war, the name World War One only came about when
the second started. In total, after the war a record was made and said
that during the war 65 000 000 were deployed for battle, 8 500 000 died
in action and 21 000 000 were wounded or missing in action. These
numbers mean that 1 in every 8 died and over 1 in 3 were wounded or missing
in action.
On April 9, 1917,
Canada began to fight the battle of Vimy ridge. The whole ordeal
started when Germany captured Vimy ridge for it’s fortifiability and mining
value. Both attempts failed when the French and British armies fought to
retake it. After there small advances and heavy losses Britain called in
the Canadian forces. The problem with Vimy is that it is elevated high
above the surrounding ground and the Germans could easily spot an oncoming
attack and eliminate it with various weapons before it became a threat.
Also with their elevated position the Germans could shell to much further
distances.
For the first few weeks the Canadian army would raid the German trenches
and gain information about their plans. This tactic came at a high price
on lives. Also
the normal method of ground attack would be very costly as well, France
and Britain already learned this. So to cope with that the commander
had tunnels dug, a popular type of attack during the war. The tunnels would
go from 8 to 12 metres deep and some were kilometres long. For three
long months during the night the soldiers dug through chalk. After time
even rooms were dug; dressing rooms, offices, sleeping quarters, dining
rooms, infirmaries and weapon lockers. These tunnels were literally underground
houses. The officers and highly ranked soldiers would stay down there for
days at a time with plenty of water and fully lit rooms. It is hard
to believe that in a time of despair the soldiers could create for themselves
such convience. Also, known as the "walking wounded" the tunnels provided
an escape route for the men wounded in battle to have a chance at recuperation
by getting to the underground infirmary.
The tunnels were
a safe environment and also a powerful advantage. To take out
major obstacles the digging soldiers would begin to just dig under the
chosen target. When the specific point is reached the soldiers would set
off huge explosives to destroy that obstacle and assist the men on the
ground. A little bit of trivial fact is that on the battlefield if it began
to rain it wouldn’t rain it the tunnels until three days later depending
on the depth of the tunnel. This is the reason that the underground rooms
would either have a short wall in between them and the tunnel or be slightly
elevated so that water would not drain into it. Overall the tunnels were
a safe environment and a powerful weapon which changed the possible end
result of the battle and gave the men an excellent advantage.
Even though the
tunnels were such an advantage it was not the only reason there was such
a low casualty rate at Vimy. Something was unique about the men at
the Battle of Vimy Ridge, they knew what they were doing. The commander
had reconnaissance planes flying overhead getting valuable information
of the landscape and enemy strongpoints. With that information the
men were able to construct a model of Vimy ridge and begin sketching up
battle plans for the divisions. The men were specifically trained for the
situation and practiced exactly where they would go, what they would do,
and when they would do it. Where as normal instructions given to
a soldier in past wars were very vague or not there. This special
planning saved lives and gave Canada a special standing in the world, and
also gave Canada something they never had before, it’s own country.
After the war Canada
became it’s own country, and well respected by it’s allies. Without the
efforts of those men so many years ago we may not have what we have so
long known, Canada the nation as opposed to Canada the colony.
Thirteen years after the war ended over 100 000 people gathered into
the Battlefield of Vimy ridge and witnessed the unveiling of the Canadian
national Vimy Memorial by King Edward VIII. It was a three day event. Also
many people do not know that to this day that little bit of land in France
is actually Canadian ground. Vimy ridge was given from France to Canada
for the Canadian war effort. The Vimy memorial was put up to honour those
men who died; on the outer walls of the memorial is carved the names of
all the Canadian men who died in the war and Canada had the least amount
of men die. And also in France there was a tree planted for every man who
died in France. There are 11 000 trees alone for the men who were lost
in action in the battle. That forest is planted along a field laden
with hundreds of hills made of the shell explosions in the battle. There
is also a fenced in area still with unexploded mines remaining as well.
This war was not only a European crisis but the birth of a nation.
Remember,
I put this progect of Vimy ridge in as an educational resource, not
for cut and copy!
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