Battle of Vimy Ridge?

1 ANSWERS

1. GiGi
   

   The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military offensive by the Canadian Corps against elements of the German Sixth Army in the First World War. The battle took place along the Western Front in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, from 9 April 1917 to 12 April 1917. The Canadian Corps attack was part of the opening phase of the Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the French Nivelle Offensive. The Corps' objective was to take control of the German-held high ground at the northernmost end of the advance to permit the southern flank of the Arras offensive to advance without suffering enfilade fire.
   
   Supported by a creeping barrage, the Canadian Corps captured most of the ridge during the first day of the attack. The town of Thélus and, after overcoming considerable German resistance, the crest of the ridge fell during the second day. The final objective, a fortified knoll (the Pimple) outside the town of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadian Corps on 12 April after which point the German forces retreated to the Oppy-Méricourt line.
   
   The success of the Canadian Corps in capturing the ridge is attributed to a mixture of technical and tactical innovation, meticulous planning, powerful artillery support, and extensive training. Another major factor was the failure of the German Sixth Army to apply the defensive doctrine of elastic defence. This was the first occasion where all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force participated in an action as a composite formation. The battle thus became a Canadian nationalistic symbol of achievement and sacrifice. A 250-acre (150 ha) portion of the former battleground now serves as a preserved memorial park and site of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Brigadier-General Alexander Ross, a batallion commander during the battle remarked during his speech at the unveiling of the Vimy Memorial: "It was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade. I thought then . . . that in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation.

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