|
Post by wcarlson on Dec 7, 2010 10:47:08 GMT -5
Vimy Ridge was a Canadian won battle that gave Canadians respect. We won by rehersing the whole battle so we knew what to do and when. We used new tactics like the creeping barrage. This being said, how is it that French and British people never thought to try a strategy to take Vimy? They just sent wave after wave of allied men to run up a get gunned down by machine guns. This seems like a careless, massive waste of lives. Commanders should have thought more about tactics before they used them.
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Delainey on Dec 7, 2010 21:35:38 GMT -5
I mentioned this in class: the Europeans had an entirely different mindset when it came to tactics.
The British and French militaries each had long established histories. Also, I'd say the sense of military honour and doing one's duty without questioning or second guessing was a characteristic of the French and English soldiers (right up to the level of general).
Canadians (or North American's in general) are not hardwired like this. We question quthority. We are individualistic. We have a sense of duty I think but it is narrower in scope compared to the European, e.g. We have a sense of duty to our communities whereas the Europeans had a broader sense of duty to country and/or king.
Consequently, I see the differences in worldview (North American vs. European) as fundamentally responsible for the European tendency to apparently regard soldiers as something to be sacrificed on the alter of victory; however, the North American commanders--in particular the Canadians--were aware that we couldn't just throw men away; moreover, we were willing to try new/different approaches because we had a military with a short history and we were culturally more flexible. I suspect somewhere in what I've said approximates a potential answer to the question you've raised, Weston.
|
|