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New Developments
Neuve-Chapelle was the first major planned offensive by the Allies in the Great
War. It was also the first time aircraft had been used effectively for aerial
photography and strategic planning (and also for bombing). The Royal Flying Corp
had bombed German reserves and railway lines. The aerial photography used for
intelligence was good but had not advanced to the point where it could spot key
artillery strongholds or machine gun nests.
It also proved that offensive gains could be made with intensive shelling and
coordination with infantry advances. Unfortunately, one of the criticisms of
the offensive was that the shelling, as intensive as it was, wasn't long enough.
In fact, the criticism of the lack of shells sparked what is known as the Shell
Crisis of 1915, which caused the ouster of the Liberals and the election of a
new coaltion government in Britian. It sparked the realization on the part of
Britain and its Dominions that almost the entire manufacturing
output of the Allied countriesneeded to be focussed on the war |
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effort. This
sparked dozens of lucrative shell contracts for Canadian factories. Ironically,
it was also at Neuve-Chapelle that troops complained that the Ross rifle, manufactured
in Canada, was jamming during rapid firing. It would later be discarded in favour
of the British Lee-Enfield rifle.
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General view of machine
shop
The concerns raised about the lack of shells available
for the Neuve-Chapelle offensive sparked lucrative manufacturing contracts in
manufacturing shops across Canada like this one in Vancouver. |
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