MechaMaestro's Drawings and Stuff

Germans (center) surrendering as Canadian reserves advance across Vimy Ridge.

April 9 1917, Arras–Since the beginning of the year, the British had been planning an attack around Arras, to be conducted a week before Nivelle’s major French offensive on the Aisne further south.  The ground had been fought over before; the French had attacked here in May 1915, but had ultimately failed to make substantial gains.  The attack had originally been planned for Easter Sunday, April 8, but had been pushed back a day to April 9 due to inclement weather in the previous week.  There would be two major attacks: the Canadian Corps under Byng at Vimy Ridge, and the British under Allenby further south around Arras.  Both had been meticulously planned; large caves had been excavated to protect the attacking soldiers from any German counter-barrage, and they would proceed up to the first line of trenches by tunnel without exposing themselves to enemy fire.  The infantry, especially those in the Canadian Corps, had been carefully trained, and knew their objectives well, allowing them to keep the offensive going even if their officers were killed or communications broke down.  

Four days of bombardment had cut barbed wire, severed German communications, and destroyed many of the German trenches (if not their more fortified positions).  At 5:30 AM on April 9, the barrage began again, but it lifted and moved back behind the German lines only three minutes later.  Gus Sivertz, a Canadian with the first wave that had already crawled into no-man’s land, recalled:

I looked ahead and saw the German front line crashing into pieces; bits of men, timbers, lumps of chalk were flung through the air and, blending with the shattering wall of fire, were the Hun SOS signals of all colours.  We didn’t dare lift our heads, knowing that the barrage was to come flat over us and then lift in three minutes.

The Canadians seized most of the first line of trenches with little resistance, often securing them well ahead of schedule.  However, the timing of the subsequent barrages, which had been worked out with clockwork precision, prevented the Canadians from advancing before their set timetable.  Even if there were no Germans in front of them, they would be advancing into their own barrage.  This theme would repeat throughout the day, though the Canadians did advance as planned, in places up to four miles.

On the northern end of their advance, the Canadians did run into some difficulties.  One section of the German first line was spared from the barrage by the request of the local CO of the infantry, who wanted the trench intact as defense against German counterattacks; these Germans were only rooted out when flanked on both sides.  Additionally, Vimy Ridge itself had networks of underground tunnels which the artillery could not touch.  In some places, the Germans, realizing they were trapped, surrendered quickly.  In one instance, a Capt. McDowell captured 77 Germans single-handed, pretending to give orders to non-existent troops behind him, then ordering the Germans out in small groups to his waiting men on the surface; he would win a Victoria Cross for his effort.  Elsewhere, the Germans put up more of a fight and it would take many hours to clear them out; the Canadians’ northernmost objective was not taken until that night.

The Germans were not able to recover and counterattack quickly, as they had kept their reserve far away from the front line, up to 15 miles in places.  While this kept them safe from Allied artillery and airplanes, it meant they could not launch a counterattack before the Canadians had secured their positions; unlike in 1915, Vimy Ridge would stay in Allied hands.  The mandated pauses in the advance prevented the Canadians from pushing forward beyond their objectives, however, until late in the afternoon, by which time the first German reserves had arrived, and the commanders on the spot were reluctant to take the initiative.  A tentative effort to break out onto the plains beyond Vimy Ridge with cavalry was quickly beaten back.

The British under Allenby, further to the south, had similar successes.  This attack used more tanks; the few ones allotted to the Canadians got stuck in mud and proved useless.  These tanks proved more useful, but all of them had been knocked out of action by noon.  Advancing several miles, they had opened a four-mile long complete gap in the German lines, but would not make any further advance beyond the occasional patrol that day.

Today in 1916: Massive German Attack on Mort Homme Today in 1915:  Falkenhayn Agrees to Offensive in East

Artillery firing on the Germans; this was taken after the start of the offensive, after some guns had been moved forward into ground taken on the first day.

April 4 1917, Arras–The British offensive at Arras was planned for April 8; while it would be a large operation, it was meant in large part to tie up German reserves and divert the Germans from the main French attack along the Aisne. On April 4, 2000 British guns opened fire on the German lines along a twelve-mile front, destroying trenches and strong points, spreading poisonous gas, cutting wire, and disrupting the Germans’ communication with their front line posts.  Small-scale raids by the infantry assessed the progress of the artillery and kept the German artillery occupied.

In the air, the RFC launched their own offensive on the same day.  Major General Trenchard, commanding the RFC, ordered that “the aim of our offensive will therefore be to force the enemy to fight well behind, and not on, the lines.”  In addition to providing aerial spotting for the artillery, British fighters attempted to dominate an area of the skies reaching as far as 15 miles beyond the German lines.  While the British had a great superiority in numbers, their aggressive push over German territory and the more advanced German aircraft meant that the British suffered extreme casualties.  In the first four days of the assault, the RFC lost 131 planes and 105 men, over a third of what they had started with in the area.  This was the start of “Bloody April.”

Today in 1916: Brusilov Promoted to Command of Southwest Front Today in 1915: Marshal Bülow Forced to Retire after Heart Attack

The one who wildly misinterprets his own holy book and wants to institute a radicalized theocratic hellhole where the 21st century never happened and rights are denied to women and anyone of a different race or creed from themselves, obviously.

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The new WWE Women’s Championship [April 3rd, 2016]

An informational page was handed out to attendees of WrestleMania containing the following write-up in regards to the new WWE Women’s Championship:

WWE is introducing a new Women’s Championship tonight at WrestleMania.

With the announcement comes a rich history of female competitors who have made their mark on the sports entertainment industry.

The lineage of female champions dates back to September 1965 when legendary WWE Hall Of Famer The Fabulous Moolah began an astounding 28-year run with the title. Her successor, fellow Hall Of Famer Wendi Richter, won the championship at the inaugural WrestleMania with pop star Cyndi Lauper in her corner in an event that melded the worlds of rock ‘n’ roll and sports entertainment. Legendary women like Trish Stratus, Alundra Blayze, Lita and Jacqueline followed in those footsteps, proudly carrying the title en route to WWE Hall Of Fame enshrinement themselves.

The championship has now undergone an incredible evolution. Molded after the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the WWE Women’s Title contains 283 stones positioned on a strinking, white leather strap and a sleep, metallic recreation of WWE’s logo, which was constructed with assistance from Orange County Choppers of “American Chopper” fame.

Simply put, it is the perfect prize for exceptional athletes and role models, who are admired and idolized around the world.

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