Canada; An Illustrated Weekly Journal, 7 September 1918. ©Chinook Multimedia Inc

"Canadians Climbing the Side of a Sunken Road on a Tank," n.d.

 

Just as the United States entry into the war would help turn the tide of the conflict, so would the ingenuity of the Canadian army, which led the way in the development of new tactics and the employment of machine gun and artillery fire. Successes at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele proved the value of innovations such as meticulous rehearsal, creeping artillery barrages in advance of assaulting troops, and machines guns used in an indirect fire role.

Changing Tactics

With Russia out of the war and the United States in, German and Allied commanders began to experiment with new tactics and weapons to overcome the deadlock of the trenches.

Vimy Ridge

Employing new tactics which emphasized careful preparations and creeping artillery barrages, the Canadians succeeded where the British and French had failed: they took Vimy Ridge.

Passchendaele

Canadians crawled through mud to captured the town of Passchendaele and hold it for five days. They suffered heavy casualties and earned nine Victoria Crosses.

 

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