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The Battle of Vimy Ridge
by Julien-Pier Hébert-Tremblay
Imagine that you're a young Canadian soldier who has enlisted in the army to serve his country. When you land in France, you are told that your mission is to retake Vimy Ridge. You are also informed that the British and French have already tried without success, losing over 150,000 Allied soldiers in the process. You think you're being sent out simply as cannon fodder, because you don't know yet that you will win this battle, which will be decisive not only for the outcome of the war, but also for Canada's world image.
Vimy Ridge had been taken by the Germans early in the war, in 1914. It was a very strategic position, providing a very good view of the trenches and protecting the Lens coal mines. Coal was very important to the German war economy.
Wanting to regain control of this strategic position, the Allied forces entrusted the mission to the Canadians. General Julian Byng was sent to command the troops during this operation. General Byng knew that preparations had to be made if carnage was to be avoided. Men should not be going to their death when they launched the assault and that is why the battle could not last weeks or even days. They had to succeed in taking the ridge in just a few hours. That's why Byng tried several new tactics: for example, instead of reinforcing weak spots where soldiers were having problems, he chose to strengthen the strong points. The advance was much too rapid to be encumbered with artillery guns, so each unit had specialists trained on German artillery.
On March 20, 1917, with half the artillery guns, they began to destroy all the enemy strongholds. Then on April 2, all 983 artillery pieces began firing on trenches, communication lines, roads, etc. On April 9, 1917, at 5:30 in the morning, cannon fire gave the signal. The battle began with all the available artillery bombarding the enemy, followed by an attack by 30,000 soldiers divided into four units. The battle plan was executed perfectly, except for Hill 145, the highest point of the ridge, which was more difficult to take. Everything else went as planned. Sadly, as in any battle, there were losses. Canada alone had over 10,000 dead and injured.
The battle was very important for the Allied victory, but it was also important for Canadians, because it enabled Canada to get out of Britain's shadow. After World War I Canada began to be considered as an ally in its own right, rather than just a part of the British Empire. Brigadier-General A.E. Ross declared, speaking of the Battle of Vimy Ridge: "In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation." At the end of World War I, Canada had a separate seat from the United Kingdom at the peace conferences. Between 1925 and 1936, a monument was erected on the site of the Battle of Vimy to commemorate the 66,000 Canadians who lost their lives in this war. After Canada's victory, General Byng was named Baron of Vimy. He was sworn in as Governor General of Canada on August 11, 1921, in Quebec City. He died on June 6, 1935.
World War I was a turning point for the whole planet and enabled Canada to make a name for itself. It was at the Battle of Vimy Ridge that Canada was best able to show off its' great ingenuity, its' courage and its' strength against the enemy. That is why we must commemorate these great moments in our history. We need to thank those who protected our nation, but we must also reflect on our past with the aim of not repeating it. In my opinion, violence only resolves problems in the short term; that is why we must begin to think of our children and our grandchildren.
