Canada 150

To me, the most important thing that we’ve learned in class from the past 100 years would be the Battle of Vimy Ridge. That battle was extremely important in the first World War and to Canada as a nation. With the battle lasting mere hours after the Canadians got involved, the ridge was taken-something the British and French couldn’t do prior. To capture this difficult position, the Canadians had to plan and carefully coordinate the attack (something previous battles didn’t have). Instead of sending soldiers “over the top,” the Canadian strategists opted for the “creeping barrage.” With the Allies constantly bombarding the enemy with artillery, day and night, they deprived them of their sleep, rest, and overall will. They would then send waves of troops covered by artillery fire smoke, as to not be seen, to the next trench to take it.  This tactic carried them all they way to the top of the ridge, in the middle of everything, leading them to capture it. Another tactic used was to dig tunnels underneath to the enemy trenches and attack from there, usually with explosives (keep in mind that the Germans were doing this too). Victory does not come without a cost though. There were over 10,000 dead or injured. But, this battle showed the world what Canada was capable of. The tactics were planned by Canadians, the battle was fought by Canadians, and the battle was won by Canadians. This battle was the first stepping stone laid out for us to become our own, independent nation. I think if this battle had not occurred, we would still be a British-governed nation. This is why I believe the battle for Vimy is the most important thing in Canadian history (that we have learned of in this past year).