Battle of the Canal du Nord (1918)

In August 1918, near the end of the First World War, the Canadian Corps was tasked with dislodging the enemy from a maze of defensive positions considered to be almost impregnable. It was given the objective of crossing the Canal du Nord in northern France, just to the east of the Drocourt-Quéant Line, breaking through several trench systems, and capturing the city of Cambrai. It would be an extremely dangerous operation. The Germans had flooded much of the region around the canal, but on 27 September the corps succeeded in breaking through via a narrow gap of dry land, with foot soldiers overrunning enemy trenches and capturing villages. There were no easy victories, but by 1 October the Canadians were on the edge of Cambrai.