The battle of Vimy Ridge is one of the greatest battles in Canada’s history. For the first time in the Great War, all four Canadian divisions fought together on the same battlefield. Canadian valour and bravery brought about a fantastic victory, not only for Canadians but for the entire Allied force.

The goal of the battle of Vimy Ridge was to achieve the ever elusive breakthrough in the German lines. It was at Vimy Ridge that the German’s heavily fortified Hindenburg Line made a junction with many other trenches along the front. Behind the ridge there also lay many of German factories which were vital for the construction of munitions and other war materials. In the battle, it was the Canadians’ task to take a portion of the ridge and two important hills where the Germans had built strong defences.

Vimy Ridge was a formidable barrier for the Allies to breach. A natural hill and barren slope provided little cover for attacking troops and gave a good vantage point for fortified machine guns and artillery to fire on invaders. The Germans had built their own fortifications consisting of three layers of trenches, barbed wire, deep tunnels into the hill, and a light railroad to carry supplies to the front.

The Allied strategy was well thought out and extensive preparations were made. Lessons learned earlier in the war were used to develop an effective battle plan. Engineers built elaborate tunnels deep under enemy lines, a light railroad was constructed and defended, and heavy artillery was brought aid in the battle. The troops trained on sites behind the front on terrain very similar to that on which they would be fighting.

On April 2, 1917, artillery bombardment was stepped up to wear down enemy soldiers. Before the battle began, more than one million shells had been fired into German trenches. Early in the morning of April 9, 20,000 soldiers attacked in the first wave of fighting in the battle of Vimy Ridge. The Canadians were extremely successful and took the ridge by afternoon. In the next days they achieved all of their objectives.

Vimy Ridge proved to be a turning point in World War I. Canadians were an important part of this epic battle. They fought exceptionally and were awarded four Victoria Crosses for that single battle. The Victoria Cross is Canada's highest award fopr bravery. The entire Canadian contingent was commended as being an elite fighting Corps.