Tactics

These were first inflated and their baskets loaded with men and photographic equipment...(Observer of kite balloon testing telephone before ascending. September 1916. Library and Archives Canada.)

...before being launched...(A kite balloon behind the Canadians at Vimy Ridge. December 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

...high up above the battlefield. Incidentally, they were known as kite ballons because they remained moored to the ground (look carefully and you can see the guide wires).(Two kite balloons in mid-air behind the Canadians. April 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

...and used in combination with a new technique called "sound ranging" to pinpoint the enemy's big guns and destroy them.(Vimy Ridge before the battle. Library and Archives Canada.)

Lieutenant-Colonel Raymond Brutinel also brought something new to the battlefield. Wealthy before the war, he gathered several of his rich friends (among whom was Timothy Eaton, founder of Eaton's department stores) and independantly funded the 1^st Canadian Machine Gun Brigade. Oddly enough, because of this, Canada went into war with more machine guns than the British. His brigade pioneered the use of machine gun indirect fire, basically using machine guns the same way one would normally use artillery.(Personnel of the 16^th Canadian Machine Gun Company holding the line in shell holes. Library and Archives Canada.)

The First World War, from a technological standpoint, was a war caught between ancient and modern warfare. Brand new communication technologies were used but in some cases, techniques as old as time also proved helpful.(His Majesty's Pigeon Service. The birds' mobile home behind the line. November 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

Carrier pigeons were raised and transported to the trenches in baskets...(His Majesty's Pigeon Service. Dispatch Rider starting out with birds for service in the trenches. November 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

...where important messages were written...(His Majesty's Pigeon Service. Writing the message previous to fastening on bird. November 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

...and sent back behind the lines by "pigeon express."(H.M. Pigeon Service. The bird leaving the trench with a message. May 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

Other battle tactics were not so successful. Among them, a pedal bike battalion the members of which, given the mud and the hilly landscape, had to give up their steel horses.(Cyclists - 2^nd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Library and Archives Canada.)

Eight tanks (relatively new technology at the time) were assigned to the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge to support the infantry advance and cut wire over the ridge. But again, given the terrain and weather conditions, the experience was a failiure. They got bogged down in the mud of No Man's Land and never made it up the hill. The only support they could give was to attract enemy fire away from the foot soldiers.(One of the tanks used in the Vimy Ridge advance. Library and Archives Canada.)

He believed in neglecting nothing. "Take time to train them," (back) he once said, speaking to other officers about the men who would go over the ridge.(Lieutenant-General Sir A. Currie, Commanding Canadian Forces. Library and Archives Canada.) Note: this photo was taken later in his career. He was a Major-General in April 1917.

Practice trenches and battleground miniatures were built and used to rehearse. Before Vimy, maps were for officers only – but not any more! Maps were handed out to every soldier (40,000 in all) and each man knew his precise objective and approximate time of arrival before going into battle.(Model reproduction of German lines. Library and Archives Canada.)

This care and attention to detail, meant that soldiers knew what to do and how to do it, even if their leaders became casualties. It also let them move forward with confidence, and was a major reason why our men got to the crest of this previously impregnable hill.Note : According to oral tradition, when a French soldier heard the ridge had been captured he exclaimed C'est impossible! But after learning the Canadian Forces had accomplished it, he replied Ah! Les Canadiens! C'est possible!(Looking over the crest of Vimy Ridge on the village of Vimy. Library and Archives Canada.)

Though Vimy is rarely thought of as an aerial battle (back), some planes did take part in the fight, and kite balloons were an essential part of the operation's success.(Repairing a kite balloon which was slightly damaged on a gusty day. October 1916. Library and Archives Canada.)

Once up there, aerial photos of the battleground and German positions were taken...(Trenches behind Canadians at Vimy Ridge. Photograph taken from a kite balloon. November 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

This new technique was pioneered by Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew L. McNaughton, a 29-year-old McGill University engineering professor. A bit of an eccentric (he actually brought a lion cub to the battlefield as a mascot), he recruited the help of British scientists whose advice on this topic had been previously refused by the British Army. They placed microphones in No Man's Land. Whenever the enemy fired, McNaughton and his crew could geometrically calculate how long the sound would take to reach each microphone. They could pinpoint enemy guns in less than 5 minutes and within 28 yards (they could even tell the calibre of the guns)!(Brigadier-General A.G.L. McNaughton, Commander, Canadian Corps Heavy Artillery. Library and Archives Canada.) Note: this photo was taken later in his career, when he was a Lieutenant-Colonel in April 1917.

Knowing where the enemy was and whether or not they were coming was essential.The Canadians and the Germans made use of every trick to stay on top. Observation posts and sniper nests were set up in the few remaining living trees...(Tree used by German Snipers which overlooked our trenches. April 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

...and other posts were constructed specifically to look like the thousands of dead stumps strewn throughout the area.(Observation post at Vimy. Library and Archives Canada.)

According to many, this man was also greatly responsible for the success of the April 9^th assault. He is Major-General Arthur Currie, Canadian Commander of the 1^st Division.(Sir Arthur Currie – portrait. Veterans Affairs Canada.)