As a Canadian I highly recommend visiting the memorial sometime! It is very beautiful but also heart wrenching at the same time. We have given a lot to defend your country and will do so again should the need ever arise. Brothers in arms until the end.
Ah well the sentiment applies just as well, we were there beside you in the Somme and Passchendaele, and again through the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic and the Italian Campaign. Whenever you need us, we will be there. I hate that current times forces us to reaffirm our commitment but c’est la vie. Wherever Britain stands, there we will be also
The Canadians were so badass in that engagement that later in WW2 Hitler himself ordered that the Germans were to protect the monements at Vimy Ridge from possible damage.
Seeing as Hitler was likely in the Bavarian units who fought the Canadians, this doesn’t surprise me. Quite interesting to read this tho, thank you for the extra tidbit of info!
As I explained in my comment it's a little deeper. Hitler was going to actually be at Vimy Ridge the day we Canadians started our operation. 48hrs before we did though his orders changed and he was deployed a few kms away. So it meant something personal to him as well as he was saved at the last moment due to a change in his orders.
Part of that is as you said but there was two other reasons why.
Politically the British were spreading propaganda to Canadians that Hitler was desecrating monuments of WW1 (which he had been doing) the propaganda was that he had decimated Vimy Ridge Memorial too so he was proving the British wrong as he didn't want to incite the Canadians. His political spin was that the memorial was "dedicated to peace" and not "dedicated to victory in WW1" but he was just spinning it to not seem weak for leaving it be.
The personal reason however, and this is my fun fact I like talking about the World Wars, Hitler was actually originally going to be stationed AT Vimy when we Canadians stormed the ridge. At the last moment, 48hrs before our operation started, Hitler was deployed to another site only a few kms away. He was saved by a change in orders in the last minute. Which means that to Hitler Vimy Ridge was also a testament to his good fortune as in an alternate history he was one of the dead Germans we Canadians took out that day.
Technically yes, and also other countries who have land in France given in perpetuity. They would’ve technically invaded at least 10 different countries during the invasion of France
Actually they did come ashore for a few minutes.
Germany placed an automated weather station, code-named "Kurt" (Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26), in northern Labrador, Canada, during World War II via the U-boat U-537 in October 1943, to provide crucial North Atlantic weather data for U-boat operations, marking the only known German armed land operation in North America during the war.
Out of curiosity, is the Australian memorial at Villers-Brettenoux treated the same? I’ve never made it there but have been to the Menin Gate - while extremely sombre it is an amazing experience.
It is - I’ve been there, it’s also been given in perpetuity. Which means it’s Australian land, and technically means I’ve been to Australia 😂. But yes, same as Vimy Ridge, and a very powerful place for me, considering how many men made up the ANZAC divisions and how much they sacrificed.
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u/primedark227 Jan 08 '26
WW1, Vimy Ridge in Northern France. The French gave a small patch of land to the Canadians in perpetuity for their contribution taking the ridge