Vimy Ridge

Vimy Ridge overlooking the Douai plain of northern France had long been easily defended by the Germans. The occupiers controlled the ridge using a network of tortuous trenches along the crest and into the valley, which connected with another network of natural caves. 150,000 French and British soldiers had been killed in a previous attempt to take the ridge. It was believed to be impregnable.

The Canadians planned the battle meticulously for months in advance; every man through all the ranks was thoroughly taught and trained for the occasion. Replicas of the terrain and caves were created for rehearsal. 5 kilometres of tunnels were dug by miners in order to move Canadian troops and ammunition underground to the front. The tunnels were a creative tactic to avoid German fire. In the meantime the British heavy artillery continuously blasted the Germans with 2,500 tons of ammunition daily from over 1,000 diverse artillery pieces, including the use of gigantic British heavy mounted naval guns which exploded the concrete German bunkers. Craters the size of houses were the consequence. Precisely at three minute intervals the guns were aimed a little bit higher and the row of shell-fire advanced by 90 metres, firing behind and before the German lines. The trenches were flattened and 83% of the German guns were destroyed. The attack is said to have been so loud that the blasts could be plainly heard across the Channel.

At 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, the 27,000-man Canadian Corps attacked. The first wave of about 15,000 Canadian troops targeted positions defended by 5,000 Germans, followed by the second wave of 12,000 Canadians against 3,000 German reserves. It is estimated that 100,000 men in total were involved in the taking of the Ridge; those at the front were joined by those underground who broke through the surface of the ground in good time. By April 12 the Canadian Corps controlled the entirety of Vimy Ridge with a mere 3,598 men killed and 7,104 wounded. The German 6th Army, under General Ludwig Von Falkenhausen, suffered approximately 20,000 casualties and lost 4,000 as prisoners of war.

It has been said many times that the Battle of Vimy Ridge created a nation: For the first time in the Great War all of the Canadian troops were united, and a Canadian -Sir Arthur Currie- was delegated the power of planning after the British had failed so miserably. If it wasn't for the Canadian's success the country could still be only a Dominion of the British Empire. Success united the country in heart and created an identity. After the battle Arthur Currie was knighted for his service by King George V., and named Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, succeeding British commander Sir Julian Byng, to become the first Canadian commander of the Canadian Corps.

Vimy. November 11. By Burnett A. Ward

We shall not forget them; why should pylons raise
Mute appeal for reverence, rememb'rance and regret?
Spectral cold in early dawn, and rosy flushed at eve,
A warning and a promising -- we shall not forget.

We shall not forget them; though we be forgot,
We who blazed the trails of Hell from Souchez to the crest;
We who saw the gloaming creep that night across the ridge,
Who hollowed out the ancient chalk, and laid them to their rest.

We shall not forget them; we who saw the dawn
Shining cold on St. Eloi, where old wars linger yet;
Roman, Frank, and Spanish swords had rusted long ago,
Where our comrades' blades were piled; we shall not forget.

We shall not forget them; we who yearly come
Must'ring at the cenotaphs to call the roll again;
Closing tattered ranks again to hear the parson pray,
Sighing envy out to them, when all hope is vain.

We shall not regret them; Life to them was kind,
A coursing swift and eager 'twixt boyhood and the grave;
Reck they not of faith betrayed, or ken that profiteers
Ravish from the altar flame the offerings they gave.

We can not forget them, would we could forget!
Cast them to the limbo of the long-forgotten things.
The shibboleths they perished for, the Freedom of their dreams,
The honour they went surety for, the promises of kings.

We cannot forget them; soon they'll be forgot.
Patience grant, good gentlemen, our ranks are thinning fast.
Ye may loot our pensions safely when tattoo has beat for us;
We need just a little longer; we'll forget at last.

We shall soon be with them; these our last bequests;
Unto our sons, by grace of God, the youth we never knew;
To Canada, our faith she spurned, our bodies broke for her;
And -- the judgement of the people on those who grudged our due!

http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/82797-Burnett-A--Ward-Vimy---November-11


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