Wall of Fire ~ The Battle of Vimy Ridge

Author Michael Krawchuk begins the story of Vimy Ridge by describing the conditions of trench life in The Great War as it was then known.  Life was dirty and dangerous.  New weapons such as the machine gun cut down swathes of men as they crossed No Man's Land.  Artillery was no longer at the front, but fired from behind the trenches.  Men could recognise the types of shells by their sounds as they flew overhead or were incoming.  Dead bodies were everywhere, and death was continually imminent.

Although artillery was long range, its range wasn't long enough to support the troops once they had advanced in the enemy's trenches.  Nor was it easy to move the artillery through the churned up battlefield.  As a result, the enemy was able to retake their trenches.  So why attack?  It was a matter of politics; the Germans had taken prime territory from France and Belgium.  Germany couldn't be allowed to control Europe.

Both the Germans and the French had large standing conscripted armies, whereas the British relied on their navy and a small volunteer, professional army.  It would take them a couple of years to build up a large volunteer army.  However, Britain did have a strong, loyal empire including Canada.  Unfortunately Canada's army was tiny, and it would take a couple of years to make a substantial contribution.

On July 1, 1916 the British started the Battle of the Somme, in part to alleviate the German pressure on Verdun.  Although it was carefully planned out, it went badly right from the start.  The artillery stuck to its predetermined schedule, and advances far ahead of the infantry.  The Germans were able to come out of their trenches and pour withering machine gunfire on the advancing infantry.  The shells that were supposed to destroy the barbed wire failed to do so and many men were hung up on it, badly exposed.  The 1st Newfoundland Regiment had 91% casualties.  It would be the worst day in history for the British Army.

The summer on the Somme was a time of attrition on both sides.  Attacks and counter attacks cost thousands of men on both sides.  In September the allies would introduce the tank with limited success.  That fall, the Canadians were taken out of the Somme and placed below Vimy Ridge where they began preparations for a spring assault.

Vimy Ridge has a gentle slope from the west to the crest in the east.  Below the crest is a sharp drop off to the Douai Plain.  The Germans were able to look down on their enemies.  The place their artillery below the crest.  Both the British and French had tried to take this stronghold to no avail.  The ridge was badly churned up by shell holes and trenches.  In some cases the trenches were close enough that opponents could here their opposition as they went about their routines.

Artillery played an integral part in the war.  After the Battle of the Somme, the British and Canadians had more guns, shells and fewer duds.  Spotters in balloons, planes and on the ground would offer a target to the gunners and telephone in corrections until the target was hit.

The winter of 1917 on Vimy Ridge was a time to use other weapons, such as rifle grenades, trench mortars and machine guns.  The Canadians were also adept at patrolling No Man's Land.  Different types of patrols had different purposes.  Above, airplanes were busy in reconnaissance missions, gathering information and taking photos of the German trenches.  Integral to the preparation for the spring battle were raids, which varied in size from a few men to several hundred.  The purposes behind the raids was multiple; to take prisoners, to gather information, to destroy the enemy's trenches and to develop coordination between the infantry and the supporting artillery.

The battle for Vimy Ridge was not a battle in isolation.  It was part of a larger allied plan intent on pushing the Germans out of France.  The Canadians developed a plan to use a creeping barrage of artillery fire that would advance about 100 yards ahead of the infantry.  It would lift and advance every five minutes, the the Canadians would enter the German trenches and kill any remaining enemy.  The Canadians also used their machine guns to good effect, firing over the heads of their own men, forcing any Germans who came out between lifts to keep their heads down.

Extensive training prepared the Canadians for the battle.  They rehearsed their objectives on land taped out to replicate German lines in platoon order.  The men were shown maps and given the opportunity to learn all the weapons in their platoon and continue to operate should their officers be killed.  Never before had soldiers been so prepared for a battle, they were going into battle as intelligent soldiers.

In the weeks preceding the attack on Vimy Ridge tunnels were dug under the ridge to hide and protect the soldiers.  Within the tunnels were dugouts and first aid stations.  Ammunition was brought up by night, including artillery shells and rifle rounds.  No Man's Land virtually became a possession of the Canadians.  For the German command, that didn't matter because, even though they knew that an offensive was coming at some time, they were sure that the ridge was impregnable.

The weather leading up to the assault was miserable; rainy, snowy and cold.  Despite that, the morale and the spirits of the 30 000 men who were about to attack was high. Each man was alone with his thoughts as Zero Hour; 5:30 a. m. April 9, 1917 approached.

The artillery barrage was intense, lighting up the sky making it impossible to hear.  However, the officers waved the men over the top.  The first wave of soldiers were to take their objective and the next wave would leapfrog them onto the next objective with a third and fourth wave doing the same until all objectives had been achieved.  The artillery barrage would 'stand' on a target and then advance after three minutes allowing the soldiers to advance.  This kept the Germans hunkered down.  Following the waves were soldiers whose responsibility was to mop up any Germans who survived the artillery and infantry.

The author goes on to describe the battle in detail, examining the actions of individuals and individual units as the battle progressed through the day.  By 7:30 a. m. the crest of the ridge in the centre was taken, and by 11:00 a. m. most of the right side objectives were secured.  Unfortunately on the left, Hill 145 was still held by the Germans, and they pressed home counter-attacks.  Losing the left side of the ridge could result in a catastrophe for the Canadians.

Fortunately a frontal attack later in the evening aided by a flanking attack helped to secure most of Hill 145.  The remainder of the hill and The Pimple would have to be secured the following day.  It was now time for the infantry to consolidate their positions and for the artillery to advance.  Hill 145 was secured on the 10th, but it wouldn't be until the 12th that The Pimple was in Canadian hands.  Where both the British and French had failed, the Canadians had triumphed.

But at what cost?  Almost 11 000 casualties, of whom almost 3 600 were dead.  Vimy Ridge was the first time the Canadians had fought together as an army.  They now had a Canadian commander in General Currie.  They developed an "esprit de corps", and through the remainder of the war would go on from success to success.  Vimy was the building block of nationhood for our young country.  Canada was one of the nations which would be involved in the Treaty of Paris.

Author Michael Krawchuk has written an excellent book about the Battle of Vimy Ridge.  It is very detailed and intense.  I have two concerns, however.  Firstly there could have been more maps detailing the phases of the battle, and the author should know that the past tense of lead is led.  There were a number of times lead was used incorrectly.  All-in-all a very good read for history fans and fans of Canadian history in particular.