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WWI
CANADA GOES TO WAR; MAJOR BATTLES
FIRST
Let’s check-in
CANADA GOES TO WAR
Canada automatically entered the war as part of the British Empire
Prime minister Robert Borden
(1911-1920)
• Sent a force of 25,000 men
• Called for volunteers
• 10,000 men did• And hundreds of women
CANADA GOES TO WAR
Why did Canadians volunteer?
Patriotism Adventure
Most volunteers were recent immigrants from Britain
War was the “great adventure”
TRAINING
Sir Sam Hughes
• Minister of Militia and Defense
Hughes was responsible for overseeing/coordinating the training and outfitting of Canadian troops
Training Camp set-up at Valcartier, Quebec
EQUIPPING
The Ross Rifle
• One of the best rifles for accuracy!
• Canadian made!
• Terrible in trench warfare
SAM HUGHES
The Ross rifle is an example of one of the major criticisms of Sam Hughes
Others included:
• Poor administrator
• Inefficiency and confusion
• Profiteer
• Allowed patronage• E.g. boots, shells
He was dismissed in 1916
THE CANADIAN CORPS
When Canadian soldiers arrived on the Western Front in 1915:
• They were formed into the Canadian Corps
• Canadians fought as one unit alongside (not within) the British units
• Pride at home; unity amongst the troops in Europe!
• What about Newfies? • Newfoundland was not part of Canada yet• Newfoundlanders joined the Newfoundland Regiment
• At first commanded by a Brit, General Julian Byng
• In 1917, command was given to a Canadian (!)
• Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie
SCHLEIFFEN
Didn’t work!
Germany made it through Belgium (with heavy resistance) but were stopped in Northeast France. Neither side could breakthrough.
One result:
• A two-front war
One outcome:
• A STALEMATE: The war would remain in Northeast France for the next three years!
STALEMATE
Trench warfare was the result of this stalemate
Protected from: machine gun fire
Vulnerable to: artillery, bombs, gas
Let’s look at the anatomy of the battlefield
BATTLE OF ATTRITION/TOTAL WAR
Two things that made WWI unique in world history
Battle of Attrition (or War of Attrition)
The name of the game (like Survivor) was OUTLAST
Grinding the other side down
Total War
All resources went towards the war. The home front (a new term to describe civilian society during the war) was
becoming as important as the battle front
FIVE BATTLES
Ypres, 1915
Somme, 1916
Vimy, 1917
Passchendaele, 1917
Last Hundred Days, 1918
GAS
FRONTAL
CANADIAN CORPS
MUD
WORN OUT