Orders of battle for the German attack on Vimy Ridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The German Attack on Vimy Ridge, 21 May 1916 (Unternehmen Schleswig-Holstein)
Part of Local operations December 1915 – June 1916 Western Front of the First World War
A.Y. Jackson: Vimy Ridge from Souchez Valley
Date 21–22 May 1916 Location Vimy Ridge, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France 50°22′24″N 02°48′41″E / 50.37333°N 2.81139°E / 50.37333; 2.81139 Result German victory
Belligerents
Germany	Britain
Commanders and leaders
General Erich von Falkenhayn	Douglas Haig
Strength
4 regiments (elts)	4 brigades (elts)
Casualties and losses
22–25 May: 1,344	22–24 May: 2,475

The German attack on Vimy Ridge was a battle during the First World War. It happened on 21 May 1916 on the Western Front in France. The Germans called this attack Unternehmen Schleswig-Holstein.

Vimy Ridge was an important high area of land. Earlier, in 1915, French soldiers had captured parts of the ridge. The German army was pushed back to the steeper eastern side. Both armies then started digging tunnels and mines underground.

In March 1916, the French army moved south to fight in the Battle of Verdun. British armies then took over the French positions at Vimy Ridge. The British were still setting up their defenses when the German attack began.

The German army wanted to capture British positions. They also wanted to gain more defensive space. This attack was also meant to stop the British from digging more mines. The German attack was successful. It made the British worry that a bigger attack on Arras was coming. The British planned a counter-attack, but it was cancelled. They needed to save their efforts for a major battle coming up on the Somme. The plans made during this time helped the Canadian Corps in their famous attack on Vimy Ridge in April 1917.

Who Fought: Armies and Commanders

This section describes the main forces involved in the German attack on Vimy Ridge. Both sides had many soldiers and different types of units.

German Forces

The German army divided their attack area into three parts: South, Centre, and North. Each part had strong infantry regiments. These were supported by special machine-gun and engineer units. The Germans also had two more infantry regiments ready as backup.

They used a lot of artillery for the attack. About eighty artillery batteries were ready to fire. This included heavy howitzers and different types of mortars. They had enough ammunition to fire many shells very quickly. German aircrews helped find 83 British artillery positions.

British Forces

In early 1916, British armies took over parts of Vimy Ridge from the French. The First Army and Third Army were involved. The British did not control the very top of the ridge. Their main goal was to protect Zouave Valley behind their front lines. This valley was important for moving supplies and soldiers.

German guns often shelled Zouave Valley. This could cut off British contact with their front lines. Different British divisions and brigades moved around to set up their defenses. For example, the 47th (1/2nd London) Division extended its lines. The 23rd Division also took over some northern defenses just before the attack.

Images for kids

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  Topography of the Arras–Lens area showing ridges