The positive outcome that Canadian soldiers experienced in the Battle of Vimy Ridge came from lessons that they learned in two previous battles, the Battle of Second Ypres, and the Battle of Somme, namely the first day of this battle, the Battle at Beaumont-Hamel. In the battle of Second Ypres, there were two Canadian Brigades fighting during the battle. This battle began with a chlorine attack on the French, which just narrowly avoided Canada’s forces. This attack resulted in the French having to retreat, leaving a hole in the Allies lines. The Canadians fought for three days to protect their land from an exposed position. The Canadians soon faced a direct chlorine attack, but they fought through it to help buy time for British troops to arrive. …show more content…
On July 1, 1916, the battle began. The Newfoundland regiment was sent to seize enemy lines; a seemingly easy task turned into a series of miscommunications. Although carefully planned, the battle had many fatal flaws. The pre-battle week long bombardment did not weaken the German forces, and the bombing during this same week levelled no-man's land, meaning there was no protection for the approaching soldiers. Reports from the front lines were conflicting, causing confusion for the British. There were many mixed messages, especially regarding signals, “Making matters even worse, divisional commanders mistook German flares for a signal of success from attacking the 87th brigade.” (Beaumont-Hamel: July 1, 1916. Heritage Newfoundland.). These two battles helped lead Canada to victory in the battle of Vimy Ridge, in 1917. This battle was won through the knowledge that Canadian commanders had from the previous battles. The Canadians were given a seemingly impossible task: the actual assault on Vimy Ridge. The Canadians used their prior knowledge to gain the positive outcome of Vimy Ridge. Their plan was for the soldiers to follow directly behind an infantry