As at Vimy, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps would see action. He tried to avoid having his men fight there but was overruled by his superiors. Canadian Corps commander Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie inspected the terrain and was shocked at the conditions he saw. Photo: William Rider-Rider / Library and Archives Canada / PA-002162 The Canadians at PasschendaeleĮarly in October 1917, the Canadians were sent to Belgium to relieve the battered ANZAC forces and take part in the final push to capture Passchendaele. Personnel of the 16th Canadian Machine Gun Company holding the line in shell holes during the Battle of Passchendaele. The main objectives of the offensive, however, remained out of reach. Despite these conditions, the Allied forces slowly gained much of the higher ground as the summer turned into fall. A heavy toll was taken on the attackers as they had to struggle through thick mud with little cover while German machine gunners in pill boxes (reinforced concrete machine gun positions) tore them to pieces. The battlefield soon became peppered with countless flooded craters, all too often containing wounded and fallen soldiers. Heavy rains came down the very night the ground assault was launched, however, and shell holes quickly filled with filthy water. British, as well as Australian and New Zealand (ANZAC) forces, opened the attack with a pounding artillery barrage. The campaign began at the end of July 1917. The National War Memorial symbolizes the sacrifice of all Canadian Armed Forces personnel who have served Canada in the cause of peace and freedom.
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