The Canal du Nord was fought September 27-October 1, 1918, in the Calais region, France. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.)
The attack was part of an Allied offensive to prevent the Germans from regrouping and launching their own attack.
“On 27th September, 1918, the day after the start of the Meuse-Argonne offensive began, Allied forces attacked the German frontline at the Canal du Nord,” Spartacus Educational explains. “The marshlands on either side of the Arras-Cambrai road and the high German position, made it the most difficult sector of the Hindenburg Line to attack.”
The nations involved were Canada, New Zealand and Germany.
Major Battle Events
- Canal du Nord was an incomplete canal near Cambrai. Construction began in 1913, but work stopped when the war began.
- On Sept. 2, the Canadians and British broke the Drocourt-Queant Line, a system of defensive lines built by the Germans.
- The Canadians led the attack, crossing a dry canal, and clashing with the Germans.
- The Germans retreated to their fortifications on the Hindenburg Line.
End Result
Canadian casualties totaled 30,000. Several Canadians received Victoria Crosses for their bravery.
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Updated: 26 October 2020
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