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Significance and Losses
Canada marched into World War I as a distant British dominion. It had
no voice in world affairs and was not taken seriously as a power. But, through
battle after battle, Canadians distinguished themselves as rough 'n' ready, brave
and resilient warriors. Even the Germans considered them an elite fighting force
they would rather avoid than confront.
At Vimy Ridge, fighting together for the first time, Canadians from coast to
coast had won a remarkable victory, a victory the Allies desperately needed.
Many of the Corps' first soldiers had joined because they were British-born and
were fighting for the motherland. The soldiers of Vimy Ridge now were fighting
for Canada and they were proudly Canadian. When the peace talks took place after
the war, Canada had earned a place at the table and on the world stage. But it
was an identity forged in blood. At Vimy one in ten soldiers – |
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3,598
men – died. Seven thousand more were wounded.
The French called Vimy Ridge "Canada's Easter gift to the French." There
would be no bloodier battle for the Canadians until Passchendaele. In 1922, France
gave Canada 91 hectares at the top of Vimy Ridge. There Canadians erected the
Vimy Memorial. Its walls contain the names of the over 11,000 Canadians who died
in France during the First World War and have no known grave. |
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The Battle of Arras
Interactive Map
Meant to be a diversionary attack as part the Vimy Ridge
assualt, the Battle of Arras was carefully planned and succeeded thanks to intense
artillery bombardment prior to the infantry moving in.
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