1917 9 April The RCR at Vimy Ridge

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Lest we Forget.

The Royal Canadian Regiment at Vimy


At exactly 0530 hrs on Easter Monday, 9 April 1917, there was a deafening roar as 983 guns and mortars supporting the Canadian attack opened up in unison.  The attack had begun.

15,000 Canadian troops stepped off as the first wave of the corps.  These soldiers carried only their fighting equipment.  As the 648  members of the Regiment advanced there was a slight mist that later turned to snow and rain.  All that could be seen was death and destruction.  "The Hun trenches and the ground," revealed one participant, "is in a terrible condition; the trenches practically cease to exist".

The two lead companies (C and D) crossed the 640 metres to their objective and captured it almost exactly in accordance with the planned timings.  By 0630 hrs the Regiment had captured its initial objective, made contact with flanking units and had done so with virtually no casualties.

As the artillery barrage pounded the next set of objectives, A and B Companies used the planned pause to pass through the consolidating RCR sub-units.  Once in place they waited until 0645 hrs when they pressed on in the wake of the barrage that once again resumed its forward advance.  However their progress was now hotly contested.  German machine guns and snipers in La Folie Wood skilfully held up the advance and caused heavy casualties.  The assaulting waves soon lost their coherence and form.  Nonetheless, the Royal Canadians drove on where they could and by 0900 hrs had reached the final objective and begun consolidating.  The Germans quickly regrouped and launched a series of counterattacks, which were all successfully repulsed.

The five-day endeavour cost the Canadian Corps 10,602 casualties.  The Regiment's share was 57 killed, 155 wounded and 65 missing--a casualty rate of approximately 43 percent..

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Vimy Ridge anniversary marked
By KATHLEEN HARRIS. SUN MEDIA

Vimy Ridge memorial in Vimy, France.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper paid tribute today to the Canadian soldiers who overcame “immense odds” to capture Vimy Ridge 92 years ago.

“The courageous soldiers of the Canadian Corps took part in a decisive battle that would help define both the course of the First World War and the course of Canadian history,” Harper said in a written statement. “This monumental success came at an immense cost to Canada, with nearly 3,600 Canadians losing their lives. Thanks to the sacrifice and ultimate success of our soldiers, Canada not only succeeded on the battlefield but came of age as a proud, united and independent country among its allies and, ultimately, among the nations of the world.”

The battle at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917 marked the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought along side. The historic victory is considered a turning point in the First World War and the “birth of a nation” for Canada.

At the towering Vimy memorial in France, a sunset service to honour the fallen was attended by Canadian and French officials, and in Ottawa, a wreath was placed at the National War Memorial.

Harper used the anniversary to urge Canadians to remember the sacrifice of battles past and present every day — not just on Nov. 11.

“We must always honour the Heroes of Vimy Ridge and the other conflicts of the Great War. We must always honour the Canadian service men and women who fought so bravely in the Second World War and in Korea or those who have served and continue to serve as peacekeepers in some of the most dangerous regions of the world,” he said. “Today, with Canadians once again serving bravely and sacrificing so much as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, we must renew our pledge to never take these sacrifices for granted.”

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Winni!



Long after the war to end all wars ended.

King George








Recently...



Mine detectors are still required.

[rong]

Mike , if anyone wants any info on the above photos, just ask..they are all genuine pics, likely by professional photogs, as good quality, and most men did not have camers  then anyway.. rong

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Vimy Ridge footage

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Vimy Ridge

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90th Anniversary.

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Vimy... where Canada fought and won!

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Tour of the German lines at Vimy

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Route of the Canadians

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Trenches and tunnels

[rong]

Wow, i hd no idea someone did this on Ypu Tube..great stuff..a must save for sure..thanks for puttinh them up here Mike..rong

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Pretty cool, eh? Who would have figured?

[rong]

For sure Mike, and i commend and thank whoever did this. It would have been a lot of work to produce and copy, after they found the material..i guess War Archives...rong