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Defining Moments in Canada’s History Vimy Ridge By Hiba Madi Mister Craigs CHC 2D November 11th 2003 Canada’s Defining Moment in WWI The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 1917 The First World War is known for its destruction, people dieing, and many failures in the battles. Not many battles were successes and most of them turned into chaos and many people died basically like butchering. For example, in the battle of The Somme, 20 000 British soldiers were killed on the first day alone with 60 000 being wounded. The Somme ended on November 18th with the British losing 418, 000 and the Germans losing an amazing 650, 000 people. The amount of casualties was getting higher. People at home and on the front waited desperately for peace and harmony. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a success, and it was able to become a major victory. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, used lots of planning and thorough training to take Vimy Ridge. Many Canadians today see this battle as the birth of their nation and a defining moment in Canada’s history. One of the most important reasons why Vimy Ridge is a defining moment in Canada’s history is because of the independence it gave Canadians and most of all Canadian troops. The Canadian’s troops and soldiers did something that the French and the British troops could not do. For example, the French were an utter failure. They only had a quarter million men and seven thousand guns. In the beginning on April sixteenth, Nivelle, the general of the French troops sacrificed one tenth of his men in only five days. It was like butchery. General Henri Petain finally replaced Nivelle. As for the British troops, the further one moved south from Vimy Ridge, the more depth of British penetration diminished.
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