The battle of Passchendaele is important to Canada’s identity because it symbolizes the sacrifice Canada had to make, the legacy that Canada made and because it represents the Canadian valor. Canadians have made huge accomplishments through the battle of Passchendaele-It brought peace since the battle played a significant role in bringing World War I to an end and because achieving such great accomplishments came at a price. The success of the war was possible because of the sacrifice Canada had to make and because of the individual acts of heroism. Canadian soldiers had to endure exhausting months in trenches in terrible conditions, live in fear of possible surprise attacks from nearby enemies, develop trench’s feet, which is a nasty disease.
One of Canada’s largest military endeavors was the battle of Vimy Ridge during World War One. It was a fierce battle between Germans and Canadians. Canada was trying to take over the German controlled ridge, which ran from northwest to southwest between Lens and Arras, France. Its highest point was 145 feet above sea level, which was exceptionally helpful in battle because of the very flat landscape. Already over 200,000 men had fallen at Vimy, all desperately trying to take or defend this important and strategic ridge. As a result of its success in taking the ridge, Canada gained a lot more than just the strategic point. Canada was united as a nation, and the victory changed the way other counties viewed them. Canadians no longer
The Battle of Somme had a significant impact on Canadian nationalism by uniting people under a shared identity. This battle brought Canadians together against a common cause despite the intensity of the war and the heavy death toll. The majority of the deaths were young men from Newfoundland. The Battle of the Somme was a significant event in the First World War. The bravery and accomplishments of Canadian soldiers there helped establish their growing reputation as skilled defensemen who could face opposition in the face of heavy fire. Before WW1, Canada was merely a Federation that did not have the soul and unity of a nation. Residents did not identify themselves as “Canadians” until this momentous occasion in the war that helped cement the
As young men gathered and worked together at Valcartier for wartime training, they began to develop a sense of Canadian identity. During the war, Canadian soldiers gained social autonomy from Britain as Canada’s expeditionary force maintained independent from British units. For the first time, Canadian troops were chosen to lead an assault in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. They had captured more land, guns, and prisoners than any other British troop. Following this triumph, a Canadian, Arthur Currie, was selected to command Canada’s troops in the Battle of Passchendaele.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of the greatest military battles ever fought. This battle contributed to Canada’s coming of age as a nation. The taking of Vimy Ridge claimed more than 200,000 lives during the first World War and will forever remain in the history as one of the worlds great military triumphs. The Canadian Military used extensive planning, new innovative weaponry and relied on the tremendous courage and sacrifice of its soldiers in order to claim victory.
There were lots of reasons for why this battle happened. For starters at this point in the war Churchill was ready for a morale boosting victory. Also the canadian soldiers had been training for the past 2 years in britain so they were getting restless and hungry for battle. Finally the canadian soldiers were lacking experience
These men, who had fought so valiantly, were among the brightest and the toughest are land had to offer. No one soldier was spot lighted as an overall hero in the Canadian Corps, they instead worked as a strong unit; this was orchestrated by the Officer Corps to make sure that the fighting force was strong from the bottom up and not from the top down. This was a new concept and made the bonding between Officers and Men stronger than any other Army. Yes, we were a country, but what is a country? This was the first opportunity to rally together from all provinces in such great numbers since 1867, yes there was the Boer War but the numbers were small in comparison to WWI and Vimy and for the first time we were under command of a Canadian Brigadier General and not a British Field Marshall. For once united, from one end of the land to the other, brothers in arms we could nail down our Nationalism. Vimy was fought with Canadians, plans were devised by Canadians, and for once we took center stage in the world. To quote from Brigadier General A.E. Ross, “In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a
The first major event that impacted Canada’s legacy, as a whole, was the sacrificial battle of Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge was proven to be essential to the foundation of Canada as it signified the birth of a new nation and it was considered to be the greatest battle fought, in World War One. Firstly, the Battle of Vimy Ridge established Canada’s emergence as a newly born nation from under the shadow of Britain and gave a verification of Canada’s prominence on the international level. For instance, after successfully regaining the ridge, it displayed to the British superpower, that Canada are worthy of independence, that must be granted upon as a reward for a significant victory (Fonseca). As a result, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, marked the end of British soldiers commanding Canadian troops, as Canada showed tremendous resilience internationally, and also proved that we are independently, capable of leading a well-organized attack against other countries (Fonseca). This milestone was a huge accomplishment for Canadians, as eventually this was the catalyst for total autonomy of Britain (“History Now”). Secondly, the Battle of Vimy Ridge gave Canada justified independence on the international stage. As a result of winning the complicated battle, Canada was deservedly permitted to their own independent seat and signature at the peace talks after the war. This then allowed Canada, to participate in voicing their thoughts, and plans as a newly independent country. This was seen to be,
The War of 1812 was an influential event, which marks its place in Canadian history. The heroic efforts of Canadians helped to define who they are, determine what side of the border they live on, and the flag they salute today. Therefore, The War of 1812 is the most significant historical event that lay down the foundation for a nation. It united segregated colonies, secured borders with a strong militia, and achieved the fundamental objective of defense.
Losses like the Battle of Second Ypres where 60,000 Canadians died and Battle of the Somme where 600,000 of Allied troops were wounded had a big impact on Canada. The Canadian troops had started to doubt the British leaders. Since Canada had a lack of experience with wars they didn't have many commanding roles. This began to cause resentment but changed in 1916 when Canadians were promoted.
D-Day was a defining moment for Canada because they proved their power and abilities as a middle power, captured the heaviest defended beach, and covered the most land on the first day. Canada contributed a lot to the war effort during World War Two. I believe that D-Day was more significant to making Canada’s identity than their involvement at Vimy Ridge. Their victory at Juno Beach is known as a turning point which ended World War Two. It was one of the first times Canada fought independently and everyone in Canada including the French Canadian, African Canadian, and women were supporting the effort, which even sparked the change for equality.
The Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was a war between the Allies and Germany from July 31 1917 to November 6 1917. The Allied powers in this battle included France, Great Britain and Canada. The purpose of this battle was to get Germany’s attention off of France, to avoid a collapse of the western front in Belgium, undertaken by Britain. At the same time of helping France, this battle would gain the ridges South and East of Ypres for the allies. This battle was fought at Passchendaele, a town along the Western Front, 5 miles from Ypres. The location of this battle, chosen by Sir Douglas Haig, a British field marshall. This was a horrible location because of the fact that it was marshy and low lying, surrounded by hills with trees, which made a battlefield with poor drainage and hills where German artillery could watch the battlefield
Canada could have left Britain alone to fight their own war, but Canada showed support and helped them unconditionally. Also the Canadian soldiers went through so much pain and agony in the battle and prison camps. Lastly Canada provided a great deal of hope and support to the once hopeless people in Hong Kong. All these points proves the strength of this red and white nation, and make them a memorable piece of our world history. We should honor and carry on the legacy that the deceased Canadian soldiers left in the trenches and war camps, so that their death was not in
In my opinion, Vimy Ridge is a defining moment in Canadian history because it gave our whole country a sense of nationalism for one of the first times ever. This part of our history was all about World
Some of Canada’s greatest challenges and major contributions on land during the Second World War were centered in D-Day, Hong Kong, and the Italian
Many countries have tried but failed to capture this area. Both French and British armies tired but failed the Germans were too strong. This area was known as Vimy Ridge, which has many high hills and was located in France. The Germans had captured this area since September 1914, the Germans started to build artillery proof bunkers and trenches. Germanys had the advantage in every battle; Germanys had their bases on top of the long hills. Which lead them to look down on their enemies, which was easier for Germanys to kill their target. After countries failing to capture Vimy Ridge, Canada decided they were going to attempt to fight for Vimy Ridge. For the first time Britain asked for generals to lead Canada to victory for the battle of Vimy Ridge. Sir Julian Byng and Major Arthur Currie were asked to lead the Canadian Military to win the battle of Vimy Ridge. After months of practicing a strategy Canada was ready. April 1917, Canada went to battle with Germany for Vimy Ridge. This became one of the most devastating battles ¬in Canadian history. Canadians should remember that Vimy Ridge was not their triumph alone. British artillery and the elite 51st Highland Division helped make victory possible (Desmond Morton, Significance of Vimy Ridge). Vimy Ridge is considered a defining moment in Canadian history because, it was Canada’s first time using a general to plan tactics and strategy’s, Canada was the only country that succeeded on capturing Vimy Ridge, lastly all Canadian