How Canada Won the Great War

In the annals of Canadian military history, the meteoric rise of Citizen soldier Sir Arthur Currie stands out as a defining moment.

Despite Canada's pivotal role in hastening the end of World War I—a feat largely unrecognized for a century—the Canadian Corps on the Western Front, under Currie's command, emerged as the premier Allied fighting force. Perhaps Canada's status as a Dominion, not yet a fully formalized nation at the war's end, contributed to this lack of recognition. Nevertheless, the Canadian Corps' military accomplishments during WWI are undeniable.

Taking command after the disastrous Somme operation, Currie orchestrated a brilliant strategy culminating in Canada's most significant military triumph: the capture of Vimy Ridge. Unlike their British counterparts, often referred to as "city boys," Canadian soldiers came from hard scrabble farms and logging camps, bringing with them innate survival and hunting instincts—qualities that proved indispensable in the Great War.