1. Why was a victory like Vimy Ridge so important to the Canadian soldiers, the people back home in Canada, and indeed the Allies in general during the war?Vimy Ridge signified a turning point for the Allies during the war but more specifically for Canadian soldiers, as this was the first time that four Canadian divisions fought together on the same battlefield and were victorious. The capturing of Vimy Ridge was important to the Allies because prior the victory, the Allies tried to capture Vimy Ridge however all their attempts had failed.
By capturing the Ridge which was the key to the German defence system, it benefited the Allies because of its naturally strong defence (trench systems, and underground tunnels linking natural caves). Success was achieved by Canadians at Vimy Ridge because they studied previous attempts to capture the ridge and in doing so constructed a detailed and thorough plan, which was the reason for their won.The victory was important for Canadian soldiers because they had a lot of prove seeing as how they had developed a reputation for poor professionalism when it came to war, and by successfully constructing a plan which ultimately brought success, it changed their reputation. Even though they did not necessarily win based on their military strength, it was their knowledge and mental abilities which altered the overall view of Canadian soldiers. The victory was important to the people back home in Canada, because like the soldiers they wanted Canada to be seen as a decent military nation which could somewhat stand on their own feet from the British army.2. Was the experience of soldiers on Vimy Ridge as a glorious and exhilarating experience as they had likely been promised when they signed up for the war?The experience of soldiers on Vimy Ridge was bitter sweet.
On the one hand war was not at all as glorious and exhilarating as what was promised when a soldier signed up for it. The reality of living in trenches was not something a soldier thought to be glorious, often times they would go hungry for days in order to keep their cover and, the ground in which they fought on was slippery and muddy due to the cold climate. Although they had captured Vimy Ridge, the victory came with a cost as about 10,600 causalities fought, 3,600 were dead and 7,000 were wounded as a result of the success. In that particular battle the soldiers who were fighting could say that war was a glorious and exhilarating experience, as they saw victory first handed.
However overall, the majority if not all the soldiers would agree that nothing about war is wonderful; it’s something one must experience first before they can say it’s an exhilarating experience.
