The Canadian Capture of Vimy Ridge.

Category

Library Item

Item no

32725

Title

"There is Removed From Our Path the Great Barrier": The Canadian Capture of Vimy Ridge.

Description

From the Illustrated London News published April 21st, 1917, page 454-455. Photographs by Canadian War Records. Full title: "They went away at dawn": Canadian troops advancing at a steady pace over no man's land under heavy fire, at the taking of Vimy Ridge.

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1917

Size

39.6 x 53.4 cm

Type

Press cutting; Reproduction

Location

Reference Library

Beginning April 9th, 1917, Canadian troops moved across frozen battlefields in their successful effort to seize Vimy Ridge for the Allied forces. French and British troops previously experienced great defeats trying to reclaim Vimy from the Germans. In 1915, 130,000 French troops had been killed or wounded in an attempt to secure Vimy, which was one of Germany's most entrenched positions. The Canadian victory at Vimy Ridge was one of the most important triumphs for the Allied forces on the Western Front.

The victory is also remembered as a great tactical success. Canadian gunners employed a new strategy of shellbursting ahead of advancing Canadian troops; march too quickly and the troops would be hit by their own gunfire, but in keeping a steady pace the Canadians were able to confuse and overpower the Germans and capture Vimy for the Allied forces.

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