By mid-November, having captured the ridge, his estimate proved eerily accurate, with 15, Canadian fallen. The more populous Allies could better afford the losses, especially with the recent entry of the United States on their side, but the battle had delivered a blow to the collective morale of the British Expeditionary Force.
Passchendaele, often remembered as the low point of the British war effort, remains synonymous with the terrible and costly fighting on the Western Front. History Second Ypres Festubert St.
Canada and the First World War. Second Ypres Festubert St. Britain only had a small superiority in forces over the enemy. The only certainty was heavy loss of life. The Corps, fresh from its April victory at Vimy Ridge , was instead assigned the task of attacking Germans occupying the French city of Lens see Battle for Hill 70 in the hopes that this would draw German resources away from the main battle in the Ypres salient.
In mid-July, as the Canadians prepared to attack Lens, British artillery began a two-week bombardment of a series of scarcely visible ridges rising gently around the salient, on which the Germans waited. Previous fighting since had already turned the area into a barren plain, devoid of trees or vegetation, pockmarked by shell craters.
Earlier battles had also destroyed the ancient Flanders drainage system that once channelled rainwater away from the fields. The explosion of millions more shells in the new offensive — accompanied by torrential rain — quickly turned the battlefield into a swampy, pulverized mire, dotted with water-filled craters deep enough to drown a man, all made worse by the churned-up graves of soldiers killed in earlier fighting.
British troops, supported by dozens of tanks see Armaments and assisted by a French contingent, assaulted German trenches on 31 July. For the next month, hundreds of thousands of soldiers on opposing sides attacked and counterattacked across sodden, porridge-like mud, in an open, grey landscape almost empty of buildings or natural cover, all under the relentless, harrowing rain of exploding shells, flying shrapnel and machine-gun fire.
Few gains were made. By early September, Haig was under political pressure from London to halt the offensive, but he refused. Despite some limited gains, the result was mostly the same: the Allies would bombard, assault and occupy a section of enemy ground only to be thrown back by the counterattacking Germans.
Haig was determined to carry on despite the depletion of his armies and the sacrifice of his soldiers. In October, he turned to the Canadians. Currie objected to what he considered a reckless attack, arguing it would cost about 16, Canadian casualties for no great strategic gain.
Ultimately, however, Currie had little choice. The four divisions of the Canadian Corps moved into the Ypres salient, occupying sections of the front that Canadian troops had earlier defended in see Second Battle of Ypres. Two years later, the ground had been subject to so much fighting and continuous artillery fire that it still contained the rotting, unburied bodies of dead soldiers and horses from both sides.
Over the next two weeks, Currie ordered the removal of the dead, and the building and repair of roads and tramlines to help in the movement of men, armaments and other supplies on the battlefield. Even so, transporting troops to the front lines from which they would launch their attack was a treacherous business.
The battlefield was a vast expanse of mud, riddled with water-filled shell craters. Slipping off the tracks carried the risk of drowning in craters big enough to swallow a house. Amid these conditions, troops and officers were given time to position themselves and prepare for the attack, which opened on 26 October. For the next two weeks, all four divisions of the Canadian Corps took turns assaulting Passchendaele ridge in four separate attacks.
During the first two — on 26 and 30 October — Canadian gains measured only a few hundred metres each day, despite heavy losses. Under almost continuous rain and shellfire, conditions for the soldiers were horrifying.
Troops huddled in shell holes, or became lost on the blasted mud-scape, not knowing where the front line was that separated Canadian from German positions. To solve it I took off my boots once, and poured half the oil into each foot, then slid my feet into it. It was a gummy mess, but I did not get trench-feet. The mud gummed up rifle barrels and breeches, making them difficult to fire. It swallowed up soldiers as they slept. It slowed stretcher-bearers — wading waist-deep as they tried to carry wounded away from the fighting — to a crawl.
Ironically, the mud also saved lives, cushioning many of the shells that landed, preventing their explosion. Despite a leg wound, he led a few dozen of his men through heavy enemy fire across open ground to capture a strategically located farm.
They then fought off numerous counterattacks for more than a day, preventing the Germans from destroying the main advancing Canadian force from their vulnerable flank side. Canada's great victory at Passchendaele came at a high price. More than 4, of our soldiers died in the fighting there and almost 12, were wounded. The some , members of the Canadian Corps who took part in the battle were among the over , men and women from our country who served in uniform during the First World War.
Sadly, a total of more than 66, Canadians lost their lives in the conflict. The sacrifices and achievements of those who gave so much will never be forgotten. The Canadian victory at Passchendaele was truly impressive and added to our nation's growing reputation as having the best offensive fighting force on the Western Front.
This status meant that our forces would be at the forefront of the series of advances that eventually won the war for the Allies a year later. Canada's great sacrifices and achievements on the battlefields of Europe indeed gained our country a new respect on the international stage. This esteem helped earn us a separate signature on the Treaty of Versailles that formally ended the First World War. Facing the first poison gas attack of the war, Canadian troops helped hold the line against the Germans.
Canadians faced months of hard fighting at the Somme in the late summer and fall of Soldiers from Newfoundland suffered massive losses on one of the bloodiest days of the entire war. Canadians fought a major battle to capture Hill 70 and the town of Lens in northern France.
Newfoundland Regiment participated in the Gallipoli Campaign from September to January , where 30 were killed in action and 10 more died of disease. Battle of Passchendaele Canadian soldiers fought through hard rains, deep mud and heavy enemy fire to take Passchendaele. July 31 — 10 November Classroom materials Classroom materials main page. Lesson plan: Ages A Run to Remember. Lesson plan:Ages Remembering the Battle of Passchendaele. First World War stories People and stories main page Rachel Moss "You can read from history textbooks or look at pictures all day but it doesn't really resonate with you until you've been there.
Ethelbert 'Curley' Christian After suffering injuries in the Battle of Vimy Ridge that left him a quadruple amputee, Christian Curley helped establish a program for disabled veterans which is still offered today. Photo gallery Expand. First World War memorials Memorials main page.
Ottawa, Ontario Tomb of the Unknown Soldier The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honours the more than , Canadians who sacrificed their lives in the cause of peace and freedom. First World War medals Medals main page. Campaign Stars and Medals Star. First World War battles Battles and stages main page. Battle of the Somme Canadians faced months of hard fighting at the Somme in the late summer and fall of Battle of Beaumont-Hamel Soldiers from Newfoundland suffered massive losses on one of the bloodiest days of the entire war.
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