April 9, 1017, Vimy Ridge - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Canadian troops begin battle to reclaim Vimy Ridge in France.On a ridge 12 kilometres northeast of Arras, France, in September 1914, the German Army constructed and fortified a site with bunkers, caves and artillery-proof trenches. Vimy Ridge’s height gave them such good observation powers that attacking forces failed to penetrate it for years. While the Germans destroyed Arras with heavy artillery, French attempts to seize control of the ridge cost them some 150,000 casualties. In early April 1917, British troops commenced heavy artillery fire on the Germans in hopes of wearing them down and influencing them to concentrate defences in the wrong location. Then Canadian troops, which had been practicing to attack the ridge under the command of British General Julian Byng, struck. At dawn on April 9, 1917, four Canadian divisions consisting of 20,000 men attacked Vimy Ridge, recapturing much of it within hours and completing the task within three days. Although the victory came at a cost of 10,602 wounded and 3,598 killed, it has long been regarded as a defining moment for Canada as a nation. In 1922, the French government gave Vimy Ridge to Canada in perpetuity, and in 1936, Canada unveiled a large sculpture, the largest of Canada’s war monuments, near Vimy honouring the 66,655 Canadians who lost their lives during World War I. Another 172,950 Canadians were wounded.

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