Vimy Ridge

Who was in command?

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Who was in command?
April 9th 1917
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Commanded by Lt.-General Sir Julian Byng and Major-General Arthur Currie, the Canadians were united into a single Corp and given the impossible task. The war to that point had been one bloody massacre after another. Very little territory was taken and no clear plan was developed to bring a successful end to the conflict. Byng and Currie inflicted the first allied victory of the war against the German lines. An offensive strategy had been developed, and it was a Canadian offensive strategy!

Currie and Byng had been working together since the battles at Ypres, Sanctuary Wood and Mount Sorrel of 1916. Currie had been a leader in the Canadian forces at St. Julien during the gas attacks in April 1915. They were not going to lead the Canadian Corps into battle, armed with the failing plans of the Somme or Verdun. They learned from their mistakes, and this time they were successful!

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Lt.- General Sir Julian Byng

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Major - General Arthur Currie