6/29/2023 0 Comments Last hundred days"When you consider trench warfare as it existed during the First World War, that's an unheard-of amount of ground to cover. Hynes said the entire corps doubled back in the dead of night to launch an attack which saw it gain 13 kilometres in one day. "The move was a feint that caused the Germans to think that an attack was going to be launched in that area (Arras)." "When the Canadians were in front of the Germans, the Germans knew they were going to be attacked," he said. Hynes said on the eve of the battle secrecy needed to be maintained, so Canadian units were actually moved away from the line and into an area near Arras. The beginning of the offensive saw the Canadians at the head of an attack on an important salient near Amiens. Casualties during the period accounted for almost one-third of all Canadian casualties during the war. Overall, Hynes said the 100,000-strong Canadian Corps paid an enormous price for its reputation - with more than 45,000 men killed and wounded over the last days of the war. He managed to take prisoners before being fatally wounded during an attack on a second machine gun nest. 8, at Amiens.Ĭroak was wounded in the arm while attacking a machine gun post. He said the Canadian contribution was marked by "great determination and valour" with 30 soldiers earning the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry for British and Commonwealth forces.Īmong the posthumous recipients was John Bernard Croak of Glace Bay, N.S., who was recognized for his actions on the first day of the offensive, Aug. "Canadian victories at Amiens, the Drocourt-Queant Line, Canal du Nord, and the Pursuit to Mons were among the most difficult and costly battles of the war," said Hynes. Ken Hynes, curator of the Army Museum at the Halifax Citadel, said during the last 100 days Canadian troops were "consistently in the vanguard of advancing Allied armies" and confirmed their reputation as some of the best shock troops in the British Expeditionary Force. The final push through Belgium and France that became known as Canada's Hundred Days was commemorated Wednesday, a century to the day it began, at a monument on the Halifax waterfront. HALIFAX - One hundred years ago, Canadian troops spearheaded the Allied offensive that would ultimately lead to the end of the First World War in November 1918.
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