World War I Chapter 2 Canadians in Battle

 

Canadians in Battle

War on Land

World War I would be home to some of the worst fighting conditions and battles of the 20th century. These battles, and the conditions they were fought in, would claim the lives of thousands of men, all while no land was being claimed by either side.  It would take a great deal of planning, tactics, and bravery from the soldiers for the bloody stalemate to be broken.  In late 1914, German forces began a rapid advance through Belgium into northeastern France with the intent of taking control of Paris before Britain and Russia could get their soldiers moving to counter the threat. In a matter of weeks, German forces had nearly made it to the outskirts of Paris. In a rapid response, British and French forced used every vehicle they could find to rush their men to combat against the Germans, including taxis. Now that the two main forces had met, the trench warfare would soon follow.

Trench Warfare

A WWI trench.

The main style of fighting that would take place on land during WWI was trench warfare. As each army would try to make the best use of their machineguns and heavy artillery, their enemies would look for the best way to avoid them.  The most effective way of avoiding large artillery blasts and concentrated machinegun fire, which would scythe down exposed infantry, would be to hide where you cannot be seen or hit, in trenches. The digging of trenches started when the British and French armies made contact with the Germans and halted their rapid advance. With no more ground to be gained, both armies dug in during October of 1914. To ensure that the enemy would not circumnavigate their trench defenses, both sides began to expand these systems outwards. In the following months, the trench lines, a mere 25 meters apart at times, had stretched from the English Channel all the way up to Switzerland.
    

These trenches were separated by an area of land celled no-man’s land since no army was in control of it. This area was covered in barbed wire, and often had landmines lying in wait for any soldiers who attempted to cross.  Since no-man’s land offered no cover from enemies, it was very dangerous to try and cross. Soldiers who went to attack enemy trenches would often strike at dusk or dawn, or during the night. These times offered the most protection, as the low lighting helped hide the soldiers. Unfortunately, many soldiers would get caught in the barbed wire if they did not cut big enough holes in the tangles of barbed wire. Many of them would be hit by artillery blasts or hit by machinegun fire. The wounded were often left in no-man’s land, since many more men would get wounded or die if a rescue attempt was made.

Soldiers are posing with their catch of trench rats.

The trenches, which at first seemed to be a life-saver, would also prove to be a threat to the men. If a soldier were to try to look out above a trench, he had a high chance of being shot at by a sniper. Anyone who raised their head above trench level made themselves an immediate target, since they would not blend in. Trenches also had a tenancy to flood during heavy rains, which meant soldiers could end up knee-deep in water. These wet conditions also led to trench foot, a condition where flesh between and around a soldier’s toes would rot. Soldiers would also suffer from an infection called trench mouth. Other threats came from body-lice, rats which fed off the garbage the soldiers discarded. It was during WWI when the mental effects of war were seen. Shell-shock was a severe nervous breakdown that many trench-dwelling soldiers suffered from. This was caused in part by the constant threats the soldiers faced, and even the sound of incoming artillery, which could have a devastating psychological effect. The only time when the conditions changed was every few months, when soldiers were allowed to leave the trenches at the front for a while. This provided the soldiers with a chance for a dry sleeping place, decent rest, a good meal, and a place to wash and clean up. After this time, it would be back to the trenches.

Battles on the Western Front

A simple map showing major Canadian battles of the war.

In mid-April of 1915, the first Canadian soldiers were positioned on the front lines alongside their allies, mostly the British and French. In the following years, another 600,000 Canadians would join them. For the Canadian soldiers, there would be no avoiding major battles along the Western Front. The Canadian soldiers would go on to fight at some of the most important and well-known battles of the war, such as Ypres, Festubert, the St. Eloi  craters, Mount Sorrel, the Somme, Courcelette, Vimy Ridge, the Scarpe, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, the Canal du Nord, and Cambrai. Though these battles would cause a great loss of life, and bring much sadness to Canada, they would help shape Canada’s identity as a nation independent from Britain.

The Gas Attack at Ypres 

     The first major battle that Canadians participated in was fought in 1915, near the city of Ypres in Belgium. The task of the Canadian soldiers was to hold on to a 3.5 km stretch of the front line against a large German attack. The battle would have been difficult to start with, but it would not even be that simple, as the Germans were to release a new type of weapon, chlorine gas. As the battle begun, a wall of yellow-green gas floated forwards and began to fill the trenches. This gas caused the eyes and throat to burn, and destroyed unprotected lungs. Amidst the confusion and chaos, a Canadian medical officer realized the gas was chlorine (since they could only tell it was some form of gas), and ordered the soldiers to cover their faces with urine soaked rags. This quick solution was said to have helped save many soldiers, although there is some dispute on exactly how it did the job. After the gas had swept through, the Canadians were the only soldiers left holding their position, and made a successful counterattack, though over 6000 men died.  As bad as the chlorine gas was, both sides would end up using poison gases, most notably mustard gas. The mustard gas would burn the skin and respiratory tract, and cause blindness.

Battle of the Somme 

     On July 1st 1916, the British army suffered their most disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Somme. British General Haig commanded a combined force of Canadian and British soldiers, and by nightfall, casualties were numbered at 57, 470. This was the highest number of casualties ever in a single day’s fighting, and those were just the Canadian and British soldiers. The soldiers that came from Newfoundland and Labrador suffered the worst, as their regiment faced an especially tough German defence at Beaumont Hamel. The bombardment that was meant to clear barbed wire had not worked, and the soldiers were caught in the open, resulting in a 90% casualty rate in the regiment. Today, July 1st is still a memorial day, since it recalls the worst tragedy in the 500+ year history of Newfoundland. Even with the extensive losses, little ground was taken, and Haig commanded the attack to continue. The battle would go on for 141 long days, and end with a combined casualty number of 1.25 million soldiers, of which 24,000 were Canadian. In the end, the British advanced a mere 11 km, making the casualty rate some 114,000 combined (German included) casualties per kilometer taken. One thing of note was the heroic actions of the Canadian soldiers, who gained a reputation as elite shock troops. For the remainder of the war, they would be sent where the fighting was the worst, in hopes they would break through. Many people blamed Haig for his foolish actions in following through with the battle for 5 months. It is also noteworthy that tanks were first employed during the Battle of the Somme.

Vimy Ridge

The Vimy Ridge Memorial.

     In February 1917, a Canadian General, Arthur Currie, was given the order to take Vimy Ridge. The position on Vimy Ridge seemed invincible, but Currie was a strategist, and he was determined to put together a plan of attack to cause minimal casualties while succeeding. Currie became a respected strategist during the war, and was the first Canadian to become a general. He also worked to keep all Canadian regiments together, and at Vimy, all the Canadian Divisions would be fighting alongside each other.  His planning involved a full-scale model of the area, and careful practice of the soldier’s manoeuvres over and over. As well, planes flew scouting (reconnaissance) missions, small railways were set to move artillery, and tunnels were dug to move men and supplies without being seen by the Germans. At the day of the battle, every man knew his role. The soldiers followed directly behind the creeping artillery barrage, which would traditionally last for days in an attempt to soften up the enemy lines. This gave the element of surprise, and helped the Canadians gain the only significant victory for the Allies in all of 1917. This was to be a turning point in the war and in the global view of Canada as a nation. This aided Canada in gaining an independent seat in post-war peace talks. Now, a large memorial stands near the site of the battle, in memory of the Canadians who died in World War I. 

Passchendaele

     General Currie was knighted following his command at Vimy, and was placed in charge of the entire Canadian corps (pronounced as ‘core’, not ‘corpse’). In October 1917, Currie was called upon by Haig (the half-wit) to devise a plan that would work for the capture of Passchendaele. This was Belgian territory that was once located beneath the North Sea, but artillery shelling had caused the area to flood and become waterlogged, resulting in a battlefield that was like quicksand. Despite attempts at placing wooden boards for walkways, thousands of soldiers and horses who slipped into the mud could not be pulled out in time, and were sucked in, where many drowned. Trains would sink down to the tops of their boilers, and the massive, slow tanks were easily bogged down.  Eventually the troops managed to take the ridge they were fighting for, but the victory was not a happy one.  Nearly 16,000 Canadians died at Passchendaele, and only 7 km of mud was won, but even this was quickly lost as the Germans regained control.  Upon seeing the battlegrounds at Passchendaele, one British official was quoted as saying the following, “Good God! Did we really send soldiers to fight in that?”

The War in the Air

At the start of the war, aircraft were a new invention, and were untested in the field of war. Many commanders felt that such a craft would never have a place in war. Canadian Colonel Sam Hughes reported said, “The airplane...will never play any part in such a serious business as the defence of a nation.” By war’s end, this view would be proven very wrong. Canada did not have an air force at the start of the conflict, and the Royal Canadian Air Force was not to be formed until 1924, but this did not stop eager Canadians from finding a way to fly. Many young men joined the British Royal Flying Corps, and went on to serve as pilots, gunners, air crews, and mechanics. Due to the large number of Canadians joining the flying corps, Britain set up a pilot training program in Canada. By the year 1918, 40% of the pilots in the British Airforce were Canadian. These pilots also had a reputation for their bravery and skill in battle.

     At the early stages of the war, German had an edge in the aerial aspect of fighting. They had more planes than Britain and France combined (400 vs. a total of 269). By late 1915, Germany had developed the successful Fokker fighter plane, which had a timing gear allowing the nose mounted machineguns to time their shots so the bullets would fly through the spinning propeller blades without shooting them off.  Germany also employed large hydrogen-filled airships called Zeppelins for observation and bombing. It was only by 1917 that the British developed the Sopwith Camel, a decent fighter plane. The British were also late on developing a system to shoot between the propeller blades, and it took them salvaging a functioning example from a crashed German plane to be able to copy it properly.

The air force drew in many young men as it had a reputation for offering glory. Compared to trench war, it offered better food, better pay, nicer uniforms, and even warm, dry beds. This came at the cost of a very high percentage of deaths, higher than any other military branch. In late 1916, the average lifespan of a pilot was said to be only 3 weeks. This was partially due to the dangerous nature of the combat, which was a close range aerial duel called dogfights. The pilots would fly their planes in dangerous manoeuvres trying to shoot their foes. If a plane was hit, there were no parachutes; the men would fall to their deaths. If the pilots were lucky they could survive the inevitable crash landing, but many were not so fortunate.

The Fokker Dr.1 is the plane most associated with the
Red Baron, and was an agile fighter.

     Any pilot who managed to shoot down five enemies was called an ace. The greatest air ace of all the war was a German pilot Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. He is credited with downing 80 planes during the war. Canada also had its share of aces, such as Billy Bishop, and Roy Brown. Captain Roy Brown is the man officially credited with shooting down the Red Baron, when he managed to get behind the German ace who was busy chasing Wilfred “Wop: May, another Canadian pilot. This event led to the death of the Red Baron at the young age of 26, though recent findings show that an Australian anti-aircraft gunner by the name of Cedric Popkin shot down the feared German ace using a Vickers machinegun. There was also a group of very successful Canadian pilots during the war that were called the Black Flight. On a single day in June of 1917, this group managed to shoot down a total of 10 German planes. By war’s end, Canadian fighter pilots shot down 438 enemy aircraft, and 4 of the top 7 aces in the Royal Air Force were Canadians.

Billy Bishop

Billy Bishop.

One of the greatest fighter pilots flying for the British, Billy Bishop lived in Owen Sound, Ontario as a boy. At first, Bishop joined the Canadian Mounted Rifles, but decided that the cavalry was not to his liking, so he transferred to the air force and became an observer.  It was only during 1916 that he finally became a fighter pilot, but even then his first dogfight would take place in March of 1917. On this first day, he shot down one plane, but would later become more successful. At a later time, he would go on to destroy 13 planes in a period of only 5 days. Although it was unsafe, Bishop often chose to fly along. On one such occasion, he shot down 3 planes, and drove off another while attacking a German air base near Cambrai, France. Although very successful, Bishop was often depressed at the deaths of his fellow pilots, and almost died once as well. On a mission, his plane was hit and on fire, but he managed to crash land in a tree in friendly territory. Billy Bishop was awarded the Victoria Cross by Britain and the highest honours from France, and he was among the top three Allied aces. Later, he would become Director of Recruiting for the Royal Canadian Air Force, in 1940.

The War at Sea

Germany knew that Britain, being an island nation, was dependant on outside sources for supplies such as food.  Aware that their navy’s ships we no match for those of Britain, which were more numerous and skilled, Germany developed a new weapon. The U-boat (Unterseeboot) was a new threat to the British, even as they tried to blockade the German coastline. Soon, Germany was sinking any ship sailing in enemy waters, as they had warned. In 1915, the luxury lines Lusitania was hit by a torpedo and sunk, killing 1198. Many of these were Americans, and civilians, but the ship had been known to carry war munitions, so it was not an unprovoked attack. This greatly angered America, so Germany held back, trying to avoid drawing them into the war. But, since the war was still going on in 1917, Germany again resorted to unrestricted submarine warfare, the sinking of any ships approaching Britain. In 4 months, over 1000 Allied ships went down.

The sinking of the Lusitania caused great public outcry.

    Soon however, a system was developed to counter U-boats, called the convoy system. Boats would travel in a large convoy, and be escorted and protected by destroyers, which were on the lookout for the submarines. Since Canada only had 2 warships at the war’s start, they bought up yachts and other boast, outfitting them with guns and pressing them into navy service.  Once the war ended, Canada had 112 warships, with a crew of 5500 people. Several thousand more Canadians also had joined the British Royal Navy, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve, and the Royal Naval Air Service. Though U-boats did tons of damage to Allied shipping, it was not enough as America would join the war in 1917, turning the tide of the war.

The Last Hundred Days

In spring 1918, Germany’s leaders realized they had reached a critical point in the war. The U-boats had not managed to force Britain out of the war, America had joined in, and Germany’s two main allies, Austria-Hungary and Turkey were both at the point of collapse. The last resort was a large offensive attack towards Paris. As thousands of German forces piled into France, the Allied forces fought back, and the Germans were halted only 80km from Paris. Now came the “Hundred Days” until the end of the war. On August 8, 1918 the Canadians were called in to spearhead the main offensive. With full support of fresh soldiers, new enthusiasm and fighting as a combined force with tanks and aircraft, the Allied attack was unstoppable. The Germans were pushed back 130km over only 6 weeks, which was very different from the land gains during the early war. With this, the Allies had freed France and Belgium, and reached German borders by November. In a pre-dawn ceremony on November 11, 1918, Germany formally announced its surrender.  Hostilities stopped at 11:00 am, but only 5 minutes before this the last Canadian dies in the war. His name was George Price, and he was killed by a German sniper at 10:55 am. For Canadian soldiers, the war seemed to end on the streets of Mons in Belgium, where the Belgians flew their own flags for the first time in years, and shouted, “Vive les braves Canadiens!”

An unjust peace is better than a just war.-Marcus Tullius Cecero

Homework for this chapter