Famous Canadian battles of World War One

[Ransomed]

For my socials class I need to know world war one battles that Canadians fought in. Links and ant information would be helpful thanks.

 

[Michael OLeary]

You may find some info here to start with:

CONDITIONS OF AWARD OF BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919
http://regimentalrogue.com/battlehonours/firstworldwar-btlhnrs.htm

AUTHORIZED CANADIAN BATTLE HONOURS
http://regimentalrogue.com/battlehonours/auth-btlhnrs-1999.htm

Battle Honours of the Canadian Army - Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
http://regimentalrogue.com/battlehonours/rcac.htm

Battle Honours of the Canadian Army - Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
http://regimentalrogue.com/battlehonours/rcic.htm

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Go to the library and read a book instead of having us do your research for you.

Try Desmond Morton's book MARCHING TO ARMAGEDDON for a start.  

Good luck.http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol17no5/marchingtoarmageddon.html

 

[geo]

most obvious one you should think about readin & writin about is Vimy

The Newfoundlanders at Gallipoli OR Beaumont Hamel are also a great read.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

The Newfoundlanders at Gallipoli OR Beaumont Hamel are also a great read.

What does that have to do with Canadians in World War One?

 

[Infanteer]

What does that have to do with Canadians in World War One?

About the same thing as 1812 has to Canadian military history.  The Newfoundlanders are part of the CF now, so their heritage is part of ours as well.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

About the same thing as 1812 has to Canadian military history.   The Newfoundlanders are part of the CF now, so their heritage is part of ours as well.

You do realize that Canada became unified under that name in 1867, right?

That the Canadian Expeditionary Force was so-called because men were recruited from Canada?   Not to say the majority of soldiers in it had been born here, but was nonetheless a "national" force?

And that Newfoundland didn't join Confederation until 1949?

How, then, does your 1812 example serve as a true analogy?   Newfoundlanders were not Canadians in the First World War, nor did their soldiers serve alongside Canadian ones; ISTR that the Newfoundland (later Royal Newfoundland) Regiment served in British Divisions and not as part of the Canadian Corps.    

Not seeing your point.

 

[Infanteer]

You do realize that Canada became unified under that name in 1867, right?

That the Canadian Expeditionary Force was so-called because men were recruited from Canada?   Not to say the majority of soldiers in it had been born here, but was nonetheless a "national" force?

And that Newfoundland didn't join Confederation until 1949?

How, then, does your 1812 example serve as a true analogy?   Newfoundlanders were not Canadians in the First World War, nor did their soldiers serve alongside Canadian ones; ISTR that the Newfoundland (later Royal Newfoundland) Regiment served in British Divisions and not as part of the Canadian Corps.    

Not seeing your point.

I figured you wouldn't, but thanks for reminding me on the dates.   :

I also seem to recall that every Canadian Military text that I've looked over makes reference to the fighting forces, techniques, and battles of the Natives, the French, and the British.   Numerous articles in the CAJ look at the action of both regulars and militia soldiers in 1812 and other conflicts that happened prior to 1867, as does Graves' excellent volumes on Fighting For Canada.   Canadian military heritage exists prior to Confederation, and being that Newfoundland has been Canadian for over half a century, the heritage of the Newfs is just as valid as de Salaberry at Chateauguay (which isn't "Canadian", at least by your definition, either) when studying Canadian military history.

 

[geo]

Listen guys - the fact that Newfoundland only joined confederation in 1948 would make the fellas termpaper that much more interesting - throwing a bit of a twist that would / could earn some brownie points in the final grading.
The battles of Gallipoli & Beaumont Hamel are quite interesting in their own right - no need to get a hernia

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

Perhaps examine the evolution of the Canadian Expeditionary Force through the following battles:

   a.   Ypres (1915) - The Canadian Division's first battle (the PPCLI had already been in action).  "Green" troops face a German offensive complete with poison gas.

   b.   Vimy (1917)   - The Canadian Corps seize an important German position.  Some trace Canada's sense of nationhood to this battle.

   c.    Passchendaele (1917) - The Canadian Corps is committed to a stalled offensive.  Meagre gains in the mud at tremendous loss of life.

   d.    Amiens (1918) - The Canadian Corps is a major part of the offensive that breaks through the German lines and leads to the "last 100 days." 

There's lots of other battles and I've left out some major engagements (Mount Sorrel, The Somme), but a paper usually needs some focus.  The Canadian Army went from a tiny force to a large, professional body of "shock troops."  It took time and great loss to get there. 

The Marching to Amageddon book is an excellent start, while Vimy is an easy read.   Hit the library!

Good luck!

2B

 

[54/102 CEF]

2 Battalion History`s that I look after

The 54th Bn CEF - http://apollon_2.tripod.com

and

The 102nd Bn www.donlowconcrete.com/102

I would argue that nothing really developed until they got past Vimy Ridge in April 1917 - before that it was haphazard. Oh but we did so well on the Somme you say! Oh but we captured so little on the Somme I say. Effort vs gains were very lopsided.

Then we see very complex battles such as the squeeze of the Germans out of Lens and Hill 70 area

followed by Brits unable to master the terrain and using Passendale as a German Magnet to soak up enemy forces after the Germans cleared the Italian Front and captured 200,000 Italians at the Battles of Capporetto which set the stage for Amiens 1918 which followed the end of the German March - May 18 offensives. Amiens was just a part of a much larger Brit Offensive. I think its safe to say Canadians were BIG players in a Brit Strategy there then the march down the road from Arras to Cambrai and on to Valenciennes and Mons was only limited by the amount of Arty ammo they could push forward.

The 102nd Bn website was written by a unit Sergeant who was a journalist - so there's lots of observation - look for that a barrage looks like

We're going to start plotting the unit positions in latitude and longitude this fall so check back from time to time.

These positions are well known - but cryptic to most unless you have the Imperial War Musem Trench Map CD and modern day French and Belgian Map CDS which kick out lat and long.

The positions for most major activities of the 4th Cdn Div and their Bdes and Units are at http://apollon_2.tripod.com/mapping.htm

If you want a point calculated send money!!!!!

 

[JDFreeSoul]

If I was you, I'd write about the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was the biggest single Allied advance on the Western front up to that point in the Great war.
3,598 Canadians died during this battle.

Here's a little part...

The Battle of Vimy Ridge began at dawn on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, when all four divisions of the Canadian Corps attacked Vimy Ridge above the Douai Plain in France. The Commander of the Canadian Corps was Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng, who later became Governor General of Canada. The Commander of the First Division was Major-General Arthur Currie.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Allies' effort to push the Germans out of France. Vimy Ridge was key to the German defence system, and previous attacks by the French and British had failed.

http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/canadaww1/a/vimyridge.htm



(Edited by Moderator to ensure correct attribution of quoted material.)

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Listen guys - the fact that Newfoundland only joined confederation in 1948 would make the fellas termpaper that much more interesting -

So would pictures of Playboy centrefolds modelling their underwear, and would be about as relevant. 

I don't know, if I told a class to write on Canadians in the Great War, and someone turned in a paper on the Miracle of the Marne or the First Day on the Somme, I'd give him an "F" and question his comprehension and researching skills.  No matter how interesting it was.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I figured you wouldn't, but thanks for reminding me on the dates.   :

I also seem to recall that every Canadian Military text that I've looked over makes reference to the fighting forces, techniques, and battles of the Natives, the French, and the British.

And do they refer to them as 'Canadians'?  

Would you accept a paper on the US Marines that fought at Belleau Wood in 1918 as an example of "Canadians"?   After all, Britain founded all her North American colonies at the same time, and so we have a common history.   Right?   If not, tell me why not.

Numerous articles in the CAJ look at the action of both regulars and militia soldiers in 1812 and other conflicts that happened prior to 1867, as does Graves' excellent volumes on Fighting For Canada.   Canadian military heritage exists prior to Confederation, and being that Newfoundland has been Canadian for over half a century, the heritage of the Newfs is just as valid as de Salaberry at Chateauguay (which isn't "Canadian", at least by your definition, either) when studying Canadian military history.

None of which is relevant to the First World War; Canada already existed and was clearly defined as such, and Newfoundland was no more a part of it than Jersey, Guernsey, or the Alabama National Guard.

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

There is a risk of being overly pedantic here.  Newfoundland was not part of Canada at the time but they are now.  This makes the inclusion of their experience a much different case than that of the USMC.  Although sharing ancestory with the US our paths have since diverged.  On the other hand, the paths of Canada and Newfoundland have converged.

Whether or not the Newfoundland WWI experience would make sense in a paper on Canada and WWI would depend on the question being asked.  If it is about trying to trace Canada's sense of nationhood with her participation in WWI then it would be a stretch.  If it was on the war's impact on Canadian society then perhaps it would deserve mention. 

Cheers,

2B

p.s. When was the War of 1812?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

There is a risk of being overly pedantic here.   Newfoundland was not part of Canada at the time but they are now.   This makes the inclusion of their experience a much different case than that of the USMC.   Although sharing ancestory with the US our paths have since diverged.   On the other hand, the paths of Canada and Newfoundland have converged.

Whether or not the Newfoundland WWI experience would make sense in a paper on Canada and WWI would depend on the question being asked.   If it is about trying to trace Canada's sense of nationhood with her participation in WWI then it would be a stretch.   If it was on the war's impact on Canadian society then perhaps it would deserve mention.  

Cheers,

2B

Agreed.

The original question was "For my socials class I need to know world war one battles that Canadians fought in."

Taken literally, he just wants a list of battles that Canadians fought in.    His further request for "any info" seems pretty open ended; I took it to mean the usual things - dates, places, context.   In general, a basic understanding of what Canadians did in the First World War.  

The Newfoundland Regiment might deserve passing mention, but certainly no more in that context.

I'll pass on the 1812 question (I thought it was fought between 1811 and 1814, but Infanteer is the expert on pre-Confederation history, since he has apparently read "some books" on the subject. ;D   I'll defer the subject to him; perhaps even to another thread altogether).

 

[Infanteer]

I'll pass on the 1812 question (I thought it was fought between 1811 and 1814, but Infanteer is the expert on pre-Confederation history, since he has apparently read "some books" on the subject. ;D   I'll defer the subject to him; perhaps even to another thread altogether).

Sorry, didn't know I had to play dress up to be considered an expert....

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Sorry, didn't know I had to play dress up to be considered an expert....

Not sure I'm catching your reference, can you explain this?

 

[Infanteer]

Not sure I'm catching your reference, can you explain this?

Simply a barb for a barb.

Signed,

"The book reading expert"

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Here's another book recommendation - CENTURY OF SERVICE by Donald Graves, published this year by Robin Brass Studios.  It is the regimental history of the South Alberta Light Horse, but contains an excellent section on World War One that explains the entire Canadian participation in the war on the ground (doesn't touch on the navy or the air services, though Canadians were very prominent there, too). 

Rather than reading about Newfoundlanders getting machinegunned in droves, check out p 165. "In 1918, Brigadier General Raymond Brutinel's Independent Force, highly mobile and commanded by radio, was one of the most advanced combat formations in the world." Brutinel is mentioned in Pierre Berton's Vimy, and the Canadian Motor Machine Gun units were technologically and tactically advanced and sophisticated.  More interesting, to me, then the oft retold stories of senseless slaughter that Canadians like to wallow in.

By 1918, Canadian soldiers were using many if not most of the techniques that would make the German Army so successful in 1939-40, including infantry divided into small squad-sized groups of 10 men or so, the use of wireless (radio) to communicate, the co-ordination of supporting fires from artillery and machineguns, and even the use of tanks and armoured cars.  One of the few things the Canadians didn't have that the Germans did in 1939 was armoured troop carriers - and these were extremely rare in the German Army throughout the war. 

An interesting assignment at a university level would be to compare the Canadian Corps in 1918 to the German Army of 1939. 

As for high school (?) Social Studies, a look at that book would be most interesting and you will get an appreciation of what Canada did, at least from the perspective of the Army.  Graves is one of our best living historians - and holds his own against our dead ones, too. ;D

The WW I sections centre on an infantry battalion (the 31st) and a cavalry unit (Alberta Dragoons, later Canadian Light Horse), the latter of which served from 1915 to 1918.  Very well written, not a lot of "scholarly" words (ie isn't written at a university level so is rather accessible), and incorporates a lot of personal vignettes and stories to keep the story rolling.  Trouble is, it is expensive and esoteric enough that might not be easy to find in public libraries.