My first defining moment in Canadian History is the battle of Vimy Ridge that took place in World War One. This battle involved Canadian forces to take part in an overall ten-day campaign. The reason this battle was a defining moment for Canada is because Vimy Ridge was the turning point of the "Great War", and it was the Canadians who captured the ridge. Also Vimy Ridge was the first time ever in Canadian history that all four of the Canadian divisions fought in the same battle. Another reason that Vimy Ridge was such a defining moment for Canada is that since the start of the war, French and British forces had been trying to capture Vimy Ridge from the Germans. The French and British had spent thousands of casualties and millions of dollars in their attempts to take Vimy Ridge and the Canadians came in and completed the campaign in a total of ten days.
(W.W.I - 1914 - 1918) Mark II female Tank Number 5...
English: Canadian machine gunners dig themselves i...
Canadians searching captured German trenches for h...The Canadians had a total of 11 297 casualties by the end of the battle. 3598 men lost their lives, 7104 men were wounded, and 595 men were reported missing in action. Vimy Ridge was so important to take from the Germans because Vimy Ridge was a key position in the German lines. Since the ridge had such a great view of the surrounding area, the Allies knew that if they were to take control of Vimy Ridge, it would expose German positions that the Allies could gun down from their new gained vantage point. As a result the entire area surrounding Vimy Ridge would become Allied territory. Another reason Vimy Ridge was such a defining moment is that for the first time ever the Canadians practiced taking Vimy Ridge months in advance to the actual battle date so that the Canadians forces would...