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Ypres
Context
In mid-April, 1915, the ancient town of Ypres stood between the German army and
France and its vital ports like Dunkirk and Calais that were a gateway to England
and an important access point for Allied supplies. During the First Battle of
Ypres (October 31 to November 13, 1914) the Allies had captured the town back
from the advancing Germans and had effectively pushed a precarious bulge or "salient" into
the German lines. Since then, both sides had been locked in a deadly stalemate
that had cost the Allies 180,000 casualties from constant enemy barrages and
sniping. The salient, poking forward, was easily attacked by the Germans on three
sides. Ypres itself was being pounded to ruins by German artillery.
After the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle, the Canadian Division garrisoned in the
northern part of the Ypres salient. They were occupying trenches left behind
by the French and found them in dreadful condition; the stench of |
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excrement and decaying corpses filled
the collapsing ditches.
The Canadians settled in with the British and Algerians on either side of
them at the front. The week prior to The Second Battle of Ypres, the salient
was calm and relatively free of shelling and fresh death. On April 22, 1915,
that changed dramatically as the Central Powers tried out a new weapon and the
new Canadian Division was tested to its limit and beyond. |
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Canadians
passing through Ypres
The
village of Ypres lay within the Ypres Salient and within range of German heavy
artillery. During the course of the war the town, including the Cloth Hall and
Cathedral shown here, were almost completely destroyed. |
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