Throughout the 20th Century Canada has proved to be capable of being an independent country several times. The success of the Canadian forces at the battle of Vimy Ridge told the world that Canada is able to handle our own problems and win major battles. Which later lead to the birth of the Statute of Westminster. During World War II, Canada solidified their appeal with the victory at the Battle of Normandy. These three topics will explain Canada's pathway to independence during the 20th Century.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place on April 9th 1917. The battle field consists of a long, high hill located in northern France just 175 kilometers north of Parisi. The Germen forces captured this point early in the war and transformed it into a heavily fortified defense position. The French have tried multiple times to capture this point but all resulted in defeats with high casualties. In the April of 1917 the Canadian troops were ordered to seize Vimy ridge, the expectations for success were not high. The Canadians carefully planned out the attack, and rehearsed it over and over again. The attack began at 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917ii; an artillery barrage began moving steadily towards the German trenches. Not only did the barrage provide cover for friendly forces it also prevented Germans from using their machine guns. The Barrage, of course also has a downside. It forced Canadian troops to be very organized and attack with accuracy in order to prevent friendly fire with the rolling barrage. But with the careful planning and the endless rehearsals the Canadian troops broke through in the afternoon of April 10th. The battle of Vimy Ridge is considered to be a very important battle for Canada, and will play a major role in Canada's independence. .
Although the victory of Vimy Ridge came very quickly, it did not happen without a cost. 3,598 soldiers died out of the 10,000iii. However, that is a very small number compared to the prior offenses that took place.
