Page "Battle of Vimy Ridge" Paragraph 42

The attack was to begin at 5: 30 am on Easter Monday, 9 April 1917.

The attack was originally planned for the morning of 8 April ( Easter Sunday ), but it was postponed for 24 hours at the request of the French.

During the late hours of 8 April and early morning of 9 April the men of the leading and supporting wave of the attack were moved into their forward assembly positions.

The weather was cold and later changed to sleet and snow.

Although physically discomforting for everyone, the north-westerly storm provided some advantage to the assaulting troops by blowing snow in the faces of the defending troops.

Light Canadian and British artillery bombardments continued throughout the prior night but stopped in the few minutes before the attack, as the artillery recalibrated their guns in preparation for the synchronized barrage.

At exactly 5: 30 am, every artillery piece at the disposal of the Canadian Corps began firing.

Thirty seconds later, engineers detonated the mine charges laid under no man's land and the German trench line, destroying a number of German strong points and creating secure communication trenches directly across no man's land.

Light field guns laid down a barrage that advanced in predetermined increments, often every three minutes, while medium and heavy howitzers established a series of standing barrages further ahead, against known defensive systems.

During the early fighting the German divisional artilleries, despite heavy losses, were able to maintain their defensive firing.

As the Canadian assault advanced, it overran many of the German guns because there was no means of moving them to the rear on account of many of the horses being killed in the initial gas attack.