Канадский корпус в Первой мировой войне (1915–1919)

Military unit during WWI (1915–1919)

The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916. The organization of a 5th Canadian Division began in February 1917 but it was still not fully formed when it was broken up in February 1918 and its men used to reinforce the other four divisions. The majority of soldiers of the Canadian Corps were British born Canadians until near the end of the war, when the number of those of Canadian birth who had enlisted rose to 51 percent. They were mostly volunteers, as conscription was not implemented until the end of the war (see Conscription Crisis of 1917). Ultimately, only 24,132 conscripts made it to France before 11 November 1918. In the later stages of the war the Canadian Corps was regarded by friend and foe alike as one of the most effective Allied military formations on the Western Front.

Although the corps was within and under the command of the British Expeditionary Force, understandably there was considerable political pressure in Canada, especially following the Battle of the Somme, in 1916, to have the corps fight as a single unit rather than have the divisions dissipated through the whole army. The corps was commanded by Lieutenant General Sir E. A. H. Alderson, until 1916. Political considerations caused command to be passed to Lieutenant General Sir Julian Byng. When Byng was promoted to a higher command during the summer of 1917, he was succeeded by General Sir Arthur Currie, the commander of the 1st Division, giving the corps its first Canadian commander. Currie was able to reconcile the desire for national independence with the need for Allied integration. He resisted pressure to replace all British officers in high ranking positions, retaining those who were successful until they could be replaced by trained and experienced Canadians. The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April, 1917, in a daring attack that was a turning point in the war, and as Currie called it, "the grandest day the Corps ever had". During the German spring offensive of the spring and summer of 1918, the Canadian Corps supported British and French soldiers while they held the Germans back. Between August 8 and 11, 1918, the corps spearheaded the offensive during the Battle of Amiens. Here a significant defeat was inflicted on the Germans, causing the German commander in chief, General Erich Ludendorff, to call August 8 "the black day of the German army." This battle marked the start of the period of the war the French later named "Canada's Hundred Days". After Amiens, the Canadian Corps continued to help lead the vanguard of an Allied push that ultimately ended on 11 November 1918 at Mons where the British Empire had first met in conflict with Imperial German forces in 1914. At the end of war the Canadian 1st and 2nd Divisions took part in the occupation of Germany and the corps was eventually demobilized in 1919. Upon their return home the veterans were greeted by large and welcoming crowds all across the country.

+Canadian Divisions Unit Formation patch Active Commanders Duration Major battles 1st Canadian Division Established: August 1914 Disbanded: 1919 Edwin Alderson March 1915 – Sept 1915 Second Battle of Ypres Arthur Currie Sept 1915 – June 1917 Battle of Mont Sorrel Battle of the SommeBattle of Vimy Ridge Archibald Cameron Macdonell June 1917 – 1919 Battle of Hill 70 Battle of Passchendaele 2nd Canadian Division Established: May 1915 Disbanded: 1919 Sam Steele May 1915 – Aug 1915 None R. E. W. Turner Sept 1915 – Dec 1916 Battle of the Somme Henry Edward Burstall Dec 1916 – 1919 Battle of Vimy Ridge Battle of Passchendaele 3rd Canadian Division Established: Jan 1916 Disbanded: 1919 M. S. Mercer Dec 1915 – Jun 1916 (died in combat) Battle of Mont Sorrel Louis Lipsett Jun 1916 – Sep 1918 Battle of the Somme Battle of Vimy Ridge Battle of Passchendaele Frederick Oscar Warren Loomis Sep 1918 – 1919 None 4th Canadian Division Established: Apr 1916 Disbanded: 1919 David Watson Apr 1916 – 1919 Battle of Vimy RidgeBattle of PasschendaeleBattle of AmiensBattle of ArrasBattle of Cambrai 5th Canadian Division Established: Feb 1917 Disbanded: Feb 1918 Garnet Hughes Feb 1917 – Feb 1918 None

Following its formation in late 1915, the Canadian Corps readied to fight major battles as a unified entity, beginning in 1916. Additional actions were fought by one or more units of the corps (see separate listings for the divisions, above). Major battles fought by the corps were the following:

The military effectiveness of the corps has been extensively analyzed. The corps evolved steadily following the 1915 summer campaign. As Godefroy (2006) notes, the Canadian Expeditionary Force "worked ceaselessly to convert all of its available political and physical resources into fighting power." One striking feature of the corps' evolution was its unique commitment and ability to exploit all opportunities for learning. This was a corps wide activity, involving all levels from the commander to the private soldier. This ability to learn from allied successes and mistakes made the corps increasingly successful. Doctrine was tested in limited engagements and, if proven effectual, developed for larger scale battles. Following each engagement, lessons were recorded, analyzed and disseminated to all units. Doctrine and tactics that were ineffective or cost too many lives were discarded and new methods developed. This learning process, combined with technical innovation and competent senior leadership in theatre created one of the most effective allied fighting forces on the Western Front.

Bartholomew Bandy, hero of The Bandy Papers series of humorous novels by Donald Jack, initially served as an infantry officer in the Canadian Corps before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. A large part of Robertson Davies' 1970 novel Fifth Business is devoted to the protagonist's experiences as a soldier in the Canadian Corps. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel Rilla of Ingleside, (the 8th book in the “Anne of Green Gables” series), is one of the first successful commercial publications focusing on Canadian civilian and soldier World War I experiences. It is the only Canadian novel written of the First World War by a contemporary. It is also one of the first texts to mention the Gallipoli campaign as well as the ANZACs.