We have fought through many battles throughout this war. Although I was still back home, the lucky men who have survived the Battle of Ypres, Verdun and the Somme haw told me the terrifying tales.
Alfred a new colleague of mine told me the tales of the three battles which I did not take part of. The Battle of Ypres was the first time Canadians had experienced trench warfare. Poison gas was used for the first time in this battle and the French and Canadian troops had to retreat. Canadian troops had prevented the Germans from totally breaking the lines. The Battle of Verdun was a German attack and horrible casualties were faced. French itself had lost 500,000 men. The Battle of Somme was an attempt to draw the Germans away from Verdun. This attack was not successful and over 1.25 million casualties were caused. These battles are horrifying.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge is one I can speak for myself. This was my first battle and I am thankful I made it out alive. Germany had control of the Ridge for three years. The French and the Britain had all taken attempts to regain the Ridge but were unsuccessful. Our planning was immensely thorough. Specialist roles were given such as machine gunners, riffle-men and grenade-throwers. After weeks of training using aerial photographs of the battle field. There was an artillery barrage that had isolated the enemy trenches and a moving wall of explosives which force the Germans to stay in their dug outs. This was the first time the four Canadian Divisions had attacked together and it proved to be successful. Unfortunately we experienced the loss of over 3,000 men and 7,000 injured. I am proud that I fought in a battle where Canadians were united for the first time and the bravery of our troops was shown to everyone.
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