The
battle of Vimy Ridge began on Easter Monday 9 April 1917 when
the Canadian Corps under Lt Gen J H G Byng attacked what was
probably the strongest of German defensive positions in northern
France. It followed the three French actions around
Notre
Dame de Lorette which had failed to take the Ridge. The
Canadians rehearsed their assault and used miles of tunnels
to approach the enemy lines. By midday only the highest point
of the Ridge, Hill 145, remained in German hands and that
fell 24 hours later. Today the Canadian National Memorial
stands on that height. German casualties were about 20,000,
the Canadian losses were half that. Four VCs were won.
This
is the sort of very brief summary that precedes each of the
27 different battles covered in our two books Western Front
- North, and Western Front - South. A more detailed description
follows in the books with a point to point battlefield tour
as well as up to date photographs.
HOW TO FIND
OUT MORE ABOUT THE BATTLE
This
battle is described in Western Front - North and in our guide
book to the Somme. Please click
here
for the first book OR
here
for the second to go to details of the guide books in which
the Battle of Vimy Ridge is described.
