Forging a Nation: The Battle of Vimy Ridge

‘Furthermore, the campaign legitimized Canada as a political power on the international stage. Firstly, the campaign proved that Canada was militarily competent, and not a force to be trivialized. The battle, in conjunction with a British offensive to the south, would capture more ground, prisoners or guns than any other British offensive previously in the war. Canadian military commanders Julian Byng and Arthur Currie led the successful effort. It was the first time that all four of Canada’s divisions—consisting of soldiers from across Canada—would fight side-by-side in the war, and their performance would inspire both nationalist pride among Canadians and respect among the world’s powers. Secondly, Canadians at Vimy Ridge revolutionized warfare tactics, which helped the Allies’ effort towards victory. In a war that saw attrition tactics employed so frequently—particularly at the Allies’ nadir, the Battle of Somme—it was Canada, a mere dominion of the British Empire, that would refine the creeping barrage, an ingenious, systematic way of fighting to remove Allied troops from de facto stalemate positions they found themselves in. Intense artillery fire rained down on German lines, while the infantrymen moved at 100-yard increments and raided German soldiers who were still emerging from cover. Canada, through extensive preparation, had perfected the creeping barrage, which the Germans had learned to adapt on the Western Front by spring 1918, out of necessity to keep up with the Allies. Through its innovative planning and execution, Canada had proved its strength to both its enemies and allies. Lastly, Vimy Ridge was captured by Canadians after both France and Britain had failed to seize it: Previous attempts had failed and resulted in over 150,000 casualties, whereas the Canadians captured the heavily-fortified hill within four days, in their first attempt, with 11,000 casualties. The fact that Canada captured it so methodically, when two principal Allies had failed to in the past, illustrated their increasing formidability. It was evident that Canada had won the respect of its contemporaries, as its role became increasingly more significant in the war, culminating in the Hundred Days Offensive, which saw Germany’s defeat. Therefore, the triumph at Vimy Ridge legitimized Canada on the international stage for many world powers.’