History Unit 1: Majour Canadian Battles Of The First World War Flashcards
What is the western front
- most Canadians saw action on the western front (north - eastern France and Belgium)
What is the battle of Ypres
- 1915 -> in Ypres Belgium
- > Canada first major battle
- first use of poisoned gas
- no gas mask -> used urine soaked rags
- Canada won. -> lost 6000 men in 48h
- after bottle, captain John mcCrae wrote Flanders field
What is the battle of Somme
July 1 to November 18 1916, France
- most disastrous battle ever fought by the British
- end of the day about 60000 casualties dead/wounded
- 5 months later 1.25 million people, 24000 Canadians were wounded/killed
Germans refer -> das bulbath - the bloodbath
British gained only 11kms
- Canada developed a fierce rep
-> now is assigned to take a on maj assignments
- Germans prepared for the worst while Canadians were present
In the battle of Somme what happened to Newfoundland and Labrador
It lost 90% of its members
At Beaumont hazel -> order to advance no mans land and capture German position ( but the land was uneven hard cross, Newfoundland got picked off one by one)
- began at 9:15: within 30 min regiment was decimated
-> next morning only 68 soldiers were present (710 killed, wounded, or missing)
- ppl in Newfoundland think July 1 as a day of morning
What is the battle of vimy ridge
Feb 1917, France
- first time Canada fought as a single unit
- tough assignment French lost 150 000
- strategically important, good vantage point
- Arthur Currie had a new strategy - the creeping barrage
- canna succeeded - lost 15000
- Canada won respect of allies, many consider vimy ridge as an important factor toward true nation hood
What is the battle of passchendaele
- oct 1917, Belgium
- one of the Most horrific battle
- condition was brutal - area became waterlogged
- thousands of solders and horses drowned in mud
- Canada won but lost 16000 soldiers
- original 20000 men, 4000 survived un scattered
