Human Rights A Day

Canadian troops begin battle to reclaim Vimy Ridge in France.On a ridge 12 kilometres northeast of Arras, France, in September 1914, the German Army constructed and fortified a site with bunkers, caves and artillery-proof trenches. Vimy Ridge’s height gave them such good observation powers that attacking forces failed to penetrate it for years. While the Germans destroyed Arras with heavy artillery, French attempts to seize control of the ridge cost them some 150,000 casualties. In early April 1917, British troops commenced heavy artillery fire on the Germans in hopes of wearing them down and influencing them to concentrate defences in the wrong location. Then Canadian troops, which had been practicing to attack the ridge under the command of British General Julian Byng, struck. At dawn on April 9, 1917, four Canadian divisions consisting of 20,000 men attacked Vimy Ridge, recapturing much of it within hours and completing the task within three days. Although the victory came at a cost of 10,602 wounded and 3