The War Continues: After Vimy

General Arthur Currie, surrounded by officers
Imperial War Museum

Led for the first time by a Canadian commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie, the Canadian Expeditionary Force was tasked with capturing a strategic dominating point near the city of Lens, Hill 70. The mission was a success.

The Battle of Passchendaele, also called the “Third Battle of Ypres” was fought in horrible conditions. Water and mud made the combat very difficult and slowed movements to a crawl. Casualties were similarly high for both sides: 275,000 for the Allied Forces and 220,000 for the Germans. The Germans had a harder time recovering, as the manpower of the United States, who had just joined the Allies, would soon arrive.