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The battle of Vimy Ridge did not display Canada as a nation separate from Britain by fluke. There were months of preparation before the battle itself actually occurred. Nearly a year before the battle in May of 1916 General Haig of the British forces made the decisive move to veto General Wilson's motion to launch on all out offensive on the Germans. General Wilson had just suffered major losses days before and was looking for thoughtless revenge. Haig, thinking with a cooler head, decided to halt this attack because of a potential threat to Arras if another defeat of Vimy was to occur. This situation was presented to the British Commander-in-chief who ordered preliminary plans for the capture of Vimy Ridge to be made. These plans would include the full force of the Canadian army to fight their way to victory and sovereignty!.
The attack on Vimy Ridge would consist of the first, second, third and fourth divisions of the Canadian Corps with the fifth Imperial division in support. The French army was in the back lines; they would almost be left behind in the battle because of the speed at which the Canadian army was advancing. The Canadians were led under Sir Julian Byng, which was somewhat ironic considering he was British. Alongside Byng would be General Currie, a Canadian soldier. This was a big promotion for Currie; in times of World War I the British did not consider Canadian soldiers "Fit enough to command anything larger than an infantry brigade"(McKee, p.25). Sir Julian Byng was told not to let another repeat of The Somme to happen where 25,019 Canadian soldiers were killed. To avoid this Byng implemented a very strategic plan to take over the ridge, which would include the smallest detail for each soldier. The "Viscount of Vimy" also brought new technology to the war, a young engineer by the name of Andrew McNoughton of McGill University. This man would specialize in accurate shell launchings and pinpointing German guns.
