1916 Ancre Heights/Somme The battalion was ordered to
Ancre Heights in October. Ancre Heights was the scene of Canada's first involvement in the
Battle of the Somme, which had begun on July 1 and which ultimately resulted in 25,000 Canadian casualties. Later, the 50th was ordered into the fighting and during the battle, the 50th Battalion's
non-commissioned officers (NCOs) suffered heavily. Positioned in the second wave, they were killed by hidden German machine-gun posts that had been bypassed by the initial assault.
1917 Vimy Ridge From the Somme, the battalion was moved northward to
Artois in November 1916, where they spent their winter and Christmas preparing for the offensive against
Vimy Ridge. From January to March, the 4th Division's artillery provided part of the pre-battle barrage. In March, the Canadian Corps changed the commander of the battalion, as Colonel E.G. Mason was transferred to another battalion and replaced Lieutenant-Colonel Page. In April, the Canadians made their three-day offensive, starting the
Battle of Vimy Ridge. and the
79th Reserve Division The 50th Battalion and the rest of the
4th Canadian Division were assigned to attack Hill 145. After many attempts to capture the hill, they finally managed to take it from the Bavarian Reserve force. For the next two days, the 4th Canadian Division and 50th Battalion tried to attack the little knoll known as the Pimple. Finally, the Bavarians, low on food and having suffered many casualties, surrendered the Pimple and retreated from Vimy. The 50th, having suffered heavy casualties, were taken out of the line and rested for a while.
Lens and Passchendaele After Vimy the 50th Battalion, with the rest of the
Canadian Corps, started preparations for the
Battle of Hill 70. They fought the Germans in the streets of Lens and in the generating plant, which a group of Germans had fortified. After a hard-fought battle there, the Canadians gained a reputation as elite or storm troops. During this battle, they were taken out of the line for a little bit, and put into billets. They stayed with French families in their remaining small houses. Field Marshal
Sir Douglas Haig then ordered them into the heavy fighting at
Liévin and Hill 65 in June and July 1917. After suffering low casualty rates, the Canadians were ordered to one of the costliest battles in the war, the
Third Battle of Ypres. The Canadians suffered 16,000 dead and many more wounded, while 50th Battalion lost a quarter of their fighting men. The Canadian Corps was successful, however, capturing the village of
Passchendaele. After the battle at Passchendaele, the Canadians finally got a break and they had Christmas dinner at
Château de la Haie. During the initial stages of the
German spring offensive that was launched in early 1918, the 50th Battalion, along with the other Canadian units, was out of the line conducting training and, as a result, missed the heaviest part of the fighting.
1918 Kaiser's Battle During this German offensive, dedicated to the German Kaiser, the Germans managed to penetrate the Allied front lines and push them back almost all the way to
Paris, but the Allies took advantage of the barrier provided by the Marne River situated just outside Paris, where they subsequently managed to halt the German advance. The Germans, wasted after having to sacrifice a large number of their troops during the offensive, could not withstand the strong Allied push that followed and which ultimately brought about an end to the war.
Llandovery Castle operations In 1918, a Canadian medical ship, was sunk by a German U-boat, even though
Llandovery Castle had a white flag put up. The Canadians, furious with the Germans, started an offensive dedicated to
Llandovery Castle. The 50th fought in
Llandovery Castle operations, during which they managed to liberate a few towns and villages.
Canada's Hundred Days The German advance to
Paris was halted by the
Second Battle of the Marne. After years of stalemate on the
Western Front, the war was finally coming to an end. In the last 100 days, the 50th Battalion fought at the
Battle of Amiens on August 8–10; the
Second Battle of the Somme (1918), which was also known as the Battle of Arras; the
Battle of Cambrai, where they helped recapture Cambrai and hold it against German attacks; the battle of
Drocourt-Quéant where the 50th Battalion helped to defeat the German defensive line; the
Battle of the Canal du Nord, where the Canadian Corps, with 50th Battalion crossed the canal; and the
Battle of Valenciennes, one of the last battles of the war, where Mons was captured. By then, the Germans were retreating from
France and
Belgium. On November 11, on the eleventh hour, the Germans agreed to an armistice, ending the First World War. == Perpetuation ==