During World War 1, Vimy ridge was a defining moment for Canadians. Vimy ridge made Canada an independent nation. In February 1917, in France, both the British and the French had failed attempts to remove German troops from high grounds. During Vimy ridge Canadians had a lot of firsts. Such as, the first Canadian general, general Arthur Currie. They also used the first curtain warfare. Moreover, it was the first all Canadian deployment. General Arthur currie took over vimy ridge through planning and scouting, and he also made a vimy mock - up. He also used sappers, soldiers who dug tunnels between trenches and under enemy placements. Those sappers ignited a massive explosion near vimy ridge that acted as a decoy. The victory came with a high price, over 10 000 Canadians died. After the war, the king knighted currie. Furthermore, Vimy Ridge won the most Victoria crosses - 4. Vimy Ridge was well planned; Canadian troops were organised in their own battalions and led by Canadian officers, under the command of Arthur currie. After Vimy Ridge Canadians were seen as professional troops who could be assigned to take any military objective. The importance of this victory was not lost on Canadians; this was the first total Canadian victory with Canadian troops fighting together under Canadian leadership. " This was a significant step in the growth of Canadian pride and nationalism" (Charles Hawkes, CANADA Face Of A Nation, (Canada: Gage Educational Publishing Company, 2000), p.54) In conclusion, if it wasn't for Vimy Ridge, Canada wouldn't have got a seat in the Treaty Of Versaille.
