“Chaps, you shall go over exactly like a railroad train, on time, or you shall be annihilated,” warned Canadian Corps commander Sir Julian Byng. Despite this training and preparation, the key to victory would be a devastating artillery barrage that would not only isolate enemy trenches, but provide a moving wall of high explosives and shrapnel to force the Germans to stay in their deep dugouts and away from their machine-guns. To bring men forward safely for the assault, engineers dug deep tunnels from the rear to the front. These same soldiers underwent weeks of training behind the lines using models to represent the battlefield, and new maps crafted from aerial photographs to guide their way. To provide greater flexibility and firepower in battle, the infantry were given specialist roles as machine-gunners, rifle-men and grenade-throwers. To capture this difficult position, the Canadians would carefully plan and rehearse their attack. The Canadians would be assaulting over an open graveyard since previous French attacks had failed with over 100,000 casualties. Situated in northern France, the heavily-fortified seven-kilometre ridge held a commanding view over the Allied lines. The Canadian Corps was ordered to seize Vimy Ridge in April 1917. But it was a victory at a terrible cost, with more than 10,000 killed and wounded.

Canadian troops also earned a reputation as formidable, effective troops because of the stunning success. Many historians and writers consider the Canadian victory at Vimy a defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain and felt capable of greatness. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917

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