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APRIL, 1917 In 1917 the French were planning a major offensive near the northern town of Arras. To succeed, the high ground to their left around the town of Vimy would have to be secured or they would be in peril of being cut down by enfilade fire from German artillery. But there was a problem. The British had tried several times to take this strategic ridge and failed. The task was considered by some to be impossible. Not to be dissuaded, Canadian Expeditionary Force accepted the task Their success would hinge on these innovations: Tunneling Although tunneling had been used by the British in previous campaigns, the Canadians dug tunnels from far back of the lines in order to transfer men and equipment to the trenches out of sight of the enemy. The Creeping Barrage Through meticulous training, the Canadian troops were taught to walk, not run, advancing behind a creeping line of artillery explosions calculated to keep the enemy in their bunkers until they were surrounded. Leap Frog Intermediate objectives were given the troops. When one was gained, the troops would hold, letting fresh soldiers forge ahead to the next. Individual Battle Maps An unprecedented tactic was to give each soldier a map of the objectives and land marks in his sector. This was especially valuable when a leader was killed or wounded. The practice was a great success, and would be used in later campaigns By the end of the first day, April 9, the majority of the ridge had been taken, satisfying most of the French concerns. To hold the Ridge, the Northern sector near the town of Givenchy would have to be taken. It finally fell on April 12. The Canadian Corps suffered 10,602 casualties: 3,598 killed and 7,004 wounded; a terrible price to pay. It was the first instance in which all four Canadian divisions, made up of troops drawn from all parts of the country, fought as a cohesive formation. This feat of national unity and achievement gives the battle justifiable importance for Canada.
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