Canada Canada was ill prepared for war in August 1914. The affluent were enjoying the August 1–3 civic holiday at their country houses. The less affluent were suffering from the effects of the worst economic depression since the early 1890s. Only the energetic but unpredictable Minister of Militia and Defence Sam Hughes was enthused by the prospect of war. His only concern was that the British might miss the opportunity. Under his command, some 55,000 militiamen and 44,000 cadets were trained in 1913. These men would comprise the bulk of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). At first recruitment was effortless. Two thirds of the volunteers were British by birth. The rest were from the multitudes of unemployed in the anglophone provinces. Only a few French-Canadians followed the call to serve under a flag they failed to regard as their own. Neither Asians nor Blacks were welcome in the army. It was only after 1916 that they were finally employed as auxiliary forces. As opposed to a widespread myth, the Canadian army did not consist of hardy country boys. Three fourths of the recruits were clerical and factory workers from the city.…

Michael Offensive Official title for the German offensive conducted in March 1918, also called the Great Battle in France. Plans for the offensive had begun in October 1917, with the recommendations of Von Ludendorff ’s newly appointed operations chief Major Wetzell. The new chief called for a series of exploratory attacks in Flanders. These attacks were intended to discover any weaknesses in the British defenses, as suitable sites for a major offensive. Army Group Crown Prince was deployed in the terrain between…