[Gunnair]

http://io9.com/sobering-images-show-famous-world-war-i-battle-sites-a-1581624280

[bootlegga]

Nice find, although I wish they had an aerial photo of Vimy Ridge as well.

[martin14]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Nice find, although I wish they had an aerial photo of Vimy Ridge as well.

All the pot marked areas, fenced off, you can't walk through.

View from the ground..

[GreenTiger]

Thank you for these images. It is hard to think that 100 years later you can still see images like this. It is hard to imagine the horror of this.

I remember the first few times I started going up to Canada regularly. I recall seeing all the WW I memorials and thinking that there are a lot more in Canada than in The States then the obvious hits me. Canada was in WW I in 1914 while we sat it out until late 1917. A lot of killing went on between 1914 and 1917, at least it is a better world between then and now although we still have a long way to go.

[Hyack]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Nice find, although I wish they had an aerial photo of Vimy Ridge as well.

[BartSimpson]

GreenTiger GreenTiger:

Canada was in WW I in 1914 while we sat it out until late 1917.

Sorry to correct you, but we did not 'sit it out'. Until 1917 it was not our war. Also to be noted is that just prior to the onset of the war the two nations Americans most considered to be our enemies were France and Britain.

This is partly due to the fact that both Britain and France actively took sides with the Confederacy during the US Civil War and in the years thereafter the posture of both countries towards the USA was less than friendly.

It's also to be noted that at the onset of hostilities in 1914 that a majority of people in the US claimed German heritage and that the number of people who spoke German as their first language was significantly high. Thus the general sentiment of the American street was not precisely sympathetic to the French and British. Many contemporary politicians and writers in 1914 saw the war in Europe as the French getting vengeance for their loss in the Franco-Prussian War and as Britain trying to hold back a rising German sea power.

It wasn't until the Germans started waging unlimited was on all ocean shipping that the US got into the war.

Far from 'sitting it out' in 1914 it was entirely feasible that the US might have entered the war on the side of Germany.

[Thanos]

Keep the U-boats from preying upon US shipping and the Americans wouldn't have entered the war at all. Which would have resulted in an effective German victory by continuing the stalemate until at least 1920. More likely an actual German strategic victory would have occurred by early 1919 with the new stormtrooper tactics overwhelming the exhausted French in the absence of upwards of a million US soldiers on hand to plug the holes in the line and keep it from altogether collapsing.

[martin14]

Thanos Thanos:

Keep the U-boats from preying upon US shipping and the Americans wouldn't have entered the war at all. Which would have resulted in an effective German victory by continuing the stalemate until at least 1920. More likely an actual German strategic victory would have occurred by early 1919 with the new stormtrooper tactics overwhelming the exhausted French in the absence of upwards of a million US soldiers on hand to plug the holes in the line and keep it from altogether collapsing.

No, the exact opposite I think. The naval blockade of Germany had effectively starved the country,
there were riots and revolution before the army came home.

And, since the Allies survived the Spring Offensive without American help, the war would not have continued past mid 1919 at the latest, due to those riots and revolution inside Germany.

Even continuing past November 1918 would have been difficult.
The Allies made very good progress during the 100 Days Offensive, again without much help
from the U.S.
If they had been allowed to go, the BEF would have been on German territory in 2 weeks.
That would have set off even more revolution in Germany, and set up for a real victory,
not the false victory of November 1918.


Without the Americans, we would have really won WW1.

[bootlegga]

martin14 martin14:

bootlegga bootlegga:

Nice find, although I wish they had an aerial photo of Vimy Ridge as well.

All the pot marked areas, fenced off, you can't walk through.

View from the ground..

Thanks for the pics, but what I meant was I wish that website had pics of Vimy Ridge. I went there in 2005 and it is stunning.

Even better was the tour of the tunnels the Canadians Parks staff gave us.

The craziest thing I saw were tobaggon tracks in several of the craters...on the other side of the "Keep out - Unexploded Ordnance" signs.

[bootlegga]

Hyack Hyack:

bootlegga bootlegga:

Nice find, although I wish they had an aerial photo of Vimy Ridge as well.

Okay, now that is an awesome photo of Vimy Ridge!

Nowadays it is very different - as Martin's photos show, there are far more trees and from my memories in 2005, the city of Arras is much closer to the area too.

[martin14]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Even better was the tour of the tunnels the Canadians Parks staff gave us.

Spooky.


It is very quiet down there....

[GreenTiger]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

GreenTiger GreenTiger:

Canada was in WW I in 1914 while we sat it out until late 1917.

Sorry to correct you, but we did not 'sit it out'. Until 1917 it was not our war. Also to be noted is that just prior to the onset of the war the two nations Americans most considered to be our enemies were France and Britain.

This is partly due to the fact that both Britain and France actively took sides with the Confederacy during the US Civil War and in the years thereafter the posture of both countries towards the USA was less than friendly.

It's also to be noted that at the onset of hostilities in 1914 that a majority of people in the US claimed German heritage and that the number of people who spoke German as their first language was significantly high. Thus the general sentiment of the American street was not precisely sympathetic to the French and British. Many contemporary politicians and writers in 1914 saw the war in Europe as the French getting vengeance for their loss in the Franco-Prussian War and as Britain trying to hold back a rising German sea power.

It wasn't until the Germans started waging unlimited was on all ocean shipping that the US got into the war.

Far from 'sitting it out' in 1914 it was entirely feasible that the US might have entered the war on the side of Germany.

I stand corrected, thank you.

[Zipperfish]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Sorry to correct you, but we did not 'sit it out'. Until 1917 it was not our war. Also to be noted is that just prior to the onset of the war the two nations Americans most considered to be our enemies were France and Britain.

This is partly due to the fact that both Britain and France actively took sides with the Confederacy during the US Civil War and in the years thereafter the posture of both countries towards the USA was less than friendly.

It's also to be noted that at the onset of hostilities in 1914 that a majority of people in the US claimed German heritage and that the number of people who spoke German as their first language was significantly high. Thus the general sentiment of the American street was not precisely sympathetic to the French and British. Many contemporary politicians and writers in 1914 saw the war in Europe as the French getting vengeance for their loss in the Franco-Prussian War and as Britain trying to hold back a rising German sea power.

It wasn't until the Germans started waging unlimited was on all ocean shipping that the US got into the war.

Far from 'sitting it out' in 1914 it was entirely feasible that the US might have entered the war on the side of Germany.

Not to mention that Canada didn't exactly have a choice--as a Dominion of Britain I believe Canada was at war when Britain declared war.

[bootlegga]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Sorry to correct you, but we did not 'sit it out'. Until 1917 it was not our war. Also to be noted is that just prior to the onset of the war the two nations Americans most considered to be our enemies were France and Britain.

This is partly due to the fact that both Britain and France actively took sides with the Confederacy during the US Civil War and in the years thereafter the posture of both countries towards the USA was less than friendly.

It's also to be noted that at the onset of hostilities in 1914 that a majority of people in the US claimed German heritage and that the number of people who spoke German as their first language was significantly high. Thus the general sentiment of the American street was not precisely sympathetic to the French and British. Many contemporary politicians and writers in 1914 saw the war in Europe as the French getting vengeance for their loss in the Franco-Prussian War and as Britain trying to hold back a rising German sea power.

It wasn't until the Germans started waging unlimited was on all ocean shipping that the US got into the war.

Far from 'sitting it out' in 1914 it was entirely feasible that the US might have entered the war on the side of Germany.

Not to mention that Canada didn't exactly have a choice--as a Dominion of Britain I believe Canada was at war when Britain declared war.

You are correct Zip - Britain declared war on behalf of the entire British Empire.

Canada may have been independent, but it didn't earn the right to deal with foreign relations until the 1930s. It was also a reason that some nations Canada's participation in the Treaty of Versailles, as technically we were supposed to be represented by Britain on international matters.

[BartSimpson]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

Not to mention that Canada didn't exactly have a choice--as a Dominion of Britain I believe Canada was at war when Britain declared war.

In fairness, I don't think the Canada of 1914 would've done any different had it had such a choice.