Vimy & Canadian Leaders
War in the Air & Sea
USA Enters the War
Canadian Heroes
Key Battles and Strategies
400

The year the gleaming white marble Vimy Memorial was unveiled, standing as a reminder of 11,285 Canadian soldiers killed in France who have no known graves

1936

400

These air battles involved pilots maneuvering to shoot down enemy planes with mounted machine gun

Dog Fights

400

The German policy that angered President Woodrow Wilson and was resumed in January 1917 in the belief that Britain could be starved in five months

Unrestricted Sub Warfare

400

This African-Canadian was promoted to the high-ranking position of officer, which was significant because it showed the army would not discriminate against the best soldiers

William White

400

This battle, which began on September 6, 1914, marked the beginning of trench warfare and saw additional French troops arrive by taxi

The Battle of Marne

800

This was the highest and most important feature of Vimy Ridge, captured in a frontal bayonet charge against machine-gun positions

What is Hill 145

800

A pilot earned this nickname, such as "The Red Baron," if they shot down five or more planes

ACE

800

The name of the German ambassador who tried to send a telegram offering Mexico money and weapons to invade Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico

Zimmerman

800

This Canadian Métis sniper was credited with 115 kills and was presented the Military Medal of Honour

Henry Norwest

800

This plan, named after a German Army Chief of Staff, assumed Russia would take six weeks to gather a large army and required France to surrender within that timeframe

What is the Schlieffen Plan

1200

The strategic approach implemented by the Canadians at Vimy that combined heavy artillery, tanks, and advancing troops to give Germans little time to counter-attack

Rolling or Creeping Barrage 

1200

Germany resumed this naval policy in January 1917, convinced they could starve Britain in five months, but risking the American entry into the war

Unrestricted Sub Warfare

1200

The British ship sunk in 1915 that had over 100 Americans on board, increasing tensions between the U.S. and Germany

Lusitania 

1200

This soldier was famous for being the most highly decorated Canadian soldier, credited with 374 kills

Francis Pegahmegabow

1200

Known as “The Bloodbath,” this 1916 offensive against the Germans by the British resulted in 58,000 British troops lost on the first day alone

What is the Battle of the Somme

1600

Born in Strathroy, Ontario, this brilliant commander was the first Canadian appointed to lead the Canadian Corps and helped plan the last 100 days of the war

Arthur Currie

1600

The German invention that allowed the machine gun to be synchronized with the propeller blades of an airplane

Synchronized Machine Gun

1600

Allied reconnaissance planes spotting a gap in German lines contributed to the success of the Allies at this early battle

The Battle of the Marne

1600

The controversial Minister of Militia and Defence who chose to forgo the established mobilization plan in 1914 and personally coordinate a speedy call-up

Sam Hughes

1600

The devastating artillery strategy implemented by Canadians at Vimy Ridge, which used heavy artillery, tanks, and advancing troops to force Germans into their deep dugouts

Rolling Barrage 

2000

The total number of Canadians killed and wounded during the capture of Vimy Ridge

What is 3,598 killed and another 7,000 wounded (or over 10,000 casualties)

2000

Who is the Canadian pilot credited with shooting down the German ACE, "The Red Baron"

Arthur Roy Brown

2000

The amount of troops the U.S. would mobilize and send to Germany once they declared war in April 1917

500 000

2000

This African-Canadian received the "Military Cross" for single-handedly pushing a huge field gun to an important location through heavy enemy fire

James Grant

2000

This battle, fought in Flanders, Belgium, in 1917, was fought on marshy land with poor drainage and was known as the “Battle of the mud”

What is the Battle of Passchendaele