Why Vimy Ridge Is Significant to Canadian Identity

In my opinion, Vimy Ridge is very significant to our identity as Canadians for many reasons, mainly being the fact that we showed we should be taken seriously. This battle occurred on April 9, 1917 in Vimy, France at 5:30 AM. It was the first battle in history that all four of the Canadian Corps divisions fought together. In this battle it was our first being alone, just us against the Germans. The French and the British already attempted to take back Vimy Ridge, but both failed. It was a important German stronghold that was heavily defended… but after an artillery barrage the Canadian soldiers had pushed back the Germans within hours. Before the attack for almost a week the Canadian mortars were raining fire on the German trenches. There were 3,598 dead out of 10,602 Canadian casualties, and this was known by the Germans as the Week of Suffering. The capture of Vimy Ridge gave the triple entente a big advantage in morale and strategy. In 1922, the usage of the land, for the battlefield park which holds the Canadian National Vimy Memorial was granted to all of us by the French to the people of Canada. This battle was a big part of people recognizing canadians as their own identity rather than the british colony by displaying our strength and tactics in military warfare. There were many tactical innovations on the battlefield that week, invented by canadians such as the Artillery Preparation strategy. These strategies and meticulous planning were necessary for the victory of the Canadian soldiers, as Vimy Ridge was believed to be an uncapturable point by the British, French and Germans alike. The canadian corps record at Vimy Ridge was one of the main things that earned canadians their own separate signature on the Treaty of Versailles to end World War One.