Last Hundred DaysAugust 8,1918 to November 11, 1918

World War One

Canada’s Last 100 Days• August 4 to November 11,

1918 has come to be known as "Canada's Hundred Days" of World War One

• Allies launch a series of offensives along the Western Front

• Fast moving infantry, mass tank and artillery support, surprise attacks

• Canadian Corps play a significant role in leading attacks

• Germans were unable to concentrate efforts and lost morale

Canada’s Last 100 DaysResult•Demonstrated

Canadian military’s strength and leadership

•Allied victories led to the end of World War One on November 11, 1918 ▫ signing of the Armistice

Canadian Operations• The Battle of Amiens

8-11 August 1918• The Battle of Arras,

26 Aug – 3 Sept 1918• Canal du Nord &

Cambrai 27 Sept – 11 Oct 1918

• Capture Valenciennes1-2 November 1918

http://www.ling.gu.se/projekt/sprakfrageladan/english/varldskarta/europe.html

Canada & the Great War 1914-1918: A Nation Born, Veteran Affairs Educational Resource

The Beginning: Battle of Amiens • August 8-15, 1918 • Canadian troops moved secretly to Amiens

surprising the German forces• Australian & Canadian Corps broke through

German line ▫ Create 24 km gap German line

• Battle ends on 15 August 1918▫ Allies gained 22 km▫ From now until end of the war

the Germans are on the defensive▫ 9,074 Canadian casualties ▫ 30, 000 German Casualties

Canadian armoured car going into action. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=feature/hundreddays&filter=range&start=1

Battle of AmiensResult:•August 8, 1918 German morale depleted

“…the blackest day of the German Army in the history of the war.”

– German commander-in-chief, General Ludendorff•Canada’s victory at Amiens was “…the

finest operation of the war.” – British general Sir Julian Byng

•Canadians advanced 13 kilometres in the morning, taking over 5,000 prisoners at a cost of less than 4,000 casualties

Canadians on the Move• August 27 – September 2,

1918: The Battle of Arras▫ Canadian Corps launched

multiple attacks that broke through the German defenses

▫ Currie regarded the breaching of the line as "one of the finest feats in our history."

• September 3, 1918: Canal Du Nord▫ Currie planned and executed

a brilliant attack ▫ Canadian Corps controls all

ground west of the Canal du Nord

Canadians constructing a bridge across Canal du

Nord. Advance east of Arras. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=feature/hundreddays&filter=range&start=41

Canadians on the Move• Cambrai

▫ Stiff defense by the Germans▫ October 6th Canadians took

Cambrai ▫ October 17th Germans were in full

retreat• November 1-2, 1918:

Valenciennes▫ Canadians take the City with

coordinated use of artillery and infantry

• November 10-11, 1918▫ Canadians enter Mons and capture

the city• At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918

the Armistice was signed• Hundred Days solidified Canada’s

reputation for military excellence

Mons was the site of the first engagement of German and British forces leading General Horn to write to Currie,

“The capture of Mons at the last moment is a splendid crowning achievement on the part of the Canadian Corps. It is, I think, just about the best thing that could have happened.”

Sources• http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/firs

twar/canada/canada15• http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=feature/

hundreddays&filter=range&start=1• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days_Offensive• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canadian_troops_on_Arras-

_Cambrai_road-1918.jpg• http://www.brainerddispatch.com/history/pages/

640/640_Armistice_11111918.jpg• passchendaelethemovie.com/Canada_In_The_Great_War/

war_years_hundred_day_offensive.html• Canada and the Great War 1914 to 1918: A Nation Born

▫ Veteran Affairs Educational Resource