Two game-changer events occurred 100 years ago in the past week, both resulting in a significant impact on the outcome of the First World War.
Canada’s relatively successful involvement in the battle for Vimy Ridge has been widely commemorated, and for good reason.
The importance of the April 9 to 12, 1917, assault on Vimy Ridge went far beyond the success of Canada’s first major campaign as a distinct entity.
Although Canada’s four divisions had significant support from British artillery and engineers, Canada’s Lieutenant-General Jullian Byng was in charge.
Until then, Canadians were split up and fought under British commands. Canada’s independence from the United Kingdom 50 years earlier was largely ignored by the Brits. Indeed, when Britain declared war on Germany on Aug. 4, 1914, Canada was automatically included. There was some discussion in Ottawa… but it wasn’t our decision. We were at war.
For a variety of reasons, Vimy Ridge was a big step to Canada’s true autonomy – more than 60 years later.
Byng and his crew did more than put Canada on the map (in fact, the importance of Vimy Ridge in that respect would not be recognized till decades later). They changed the way battles were fought.
Instead of throwing the sheer force of men at each other, the Vimy Ridge battle was meticulously planned and executed.
French tactics at Verdun were carefully studied… and improved upon.
New technology was implemented to pinpoint enemy gun locations… and take them out.
Infantry moved quickly and methodically between rolling artillery barrages, enabling surprise attacks on German positions. This was the first “blitzkrieg” and the birth of “shock and awe.”
Terrain modelling gave soldiers a better understanding of where they were going and how they could get there. Junior officers were trained to take over from fallen seniors in mid-objective.
The result was success with far fewer casualties.
Together, the Canadian tactics constituted a sea change that, along with another development halfway around the world, helped bring the First World War to its Nov. 11, 1918, conclusion.
When the Americans finally declared war officially on April 6, 1917, they started shipping a lot of men across the ocean, and the morale boost to the Allies was monumental, as was the blow to German morale at the same time.
This week 100 years ago was the beginning of the end.