Today's Itinerary and Activities
We followed the campaign south of Caen through the bitter struggle for Verrières Ridge in July and early August 1944, which we studied from the Point 67 monument and look-off, and Derrières village. We then considered Operation TOTALIZE -- the great Canadian armoured attack up to the Canadian Cemetery at Bretteville-sur-Laize. We visited the Polish Division cemetery and finished the afternoon at the dramatic monument to the Algonquin and British Columbia Regiments at Point 140. Véronique led us in considering who bears responsibility for civilians in the battle area, and Shayna guided the discussion on what constitutes a battlefield success or failure.
Considering civiliansOn our first stand today, Point 67 - Verrieres Ridge, we engage in a civilian exercise overlooking Caen. We consider the questions:
This raises for us the issue of studying war and determining which voices need to be considered. What happens when we privilege the military experience, which is often far removed from our students' own experiences, over the civilian experience? Historical significance as well as perspective and the ethical dimension of history are relevant here. |
The question of how civilians survived the war is a new question in the study of the war, being posed by historians only in the last 10 years. This question is hugely relevant to students' considerations of their own community contexts. Two important components of exploring war in the classroom stem from considering the civilian question:
- The laws themselves - what can we live with?
- The justice system - what needs to be in place for rule of law to function?
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Verrières Ridge contested
On Verrières Ridge today we considered the gatekeeping role that participants, witnesses, historians, and teachers playing history.
How do our histories come to be written as they are? For the story of Verrières Ridge, the story we know as Canadians can be traced back to a German telling. After the war, hundreds of German officers convicted of war crimes were pardoned and released in order to advise on tactics used in WW2 to use against Stalin if it became necessary. German testimony shapes the histories of the war written in this era. Notably, the perspective on Canadians as poorly trained citizen soldiers comes from this German viewpoint.
All sources have a social and ideological context, even if that source is a professional historian. This is very important to explore with students, as textbooks often omit the language of doubt and debate that historians use. This makes them dangerous because textbooks are written as though there is no room for doubt or interpretation. We need to give students the tools to interrogate textbooks - this is why the pedagogical focus of the tour is on the Historical Thinking concepts.
How do our histories come to be written as they are? For the story of Verrières Ridge, the story we know as Canadians can be traced back to a German telling. After the war, hundreds of German officers convicted of war crimes were pardoned and released in order to advise on tactics used in WW2 to use against Stalin if it became necessary. German testimony shapes the histories of the war written in this era. Notably, the perspective on Canadians as poorly trained citizen soldiers comes from this German viewpoint.
All sources have a social and ideological context, even if that source is a professional historian. This is very important to explore with students, as textbooks often omit the language of doubt and debate that historians use. This makes them dangerous because textbooks are written as though there is no room for doubt or interpretation. We need to give students the tools to interrogate textbooks - this is why the pedagogical focus of the tour is on the Historical Thinking concepts.
This is an important discussion today because the operation on Verrières Ridge is one of the most contested events in Canadian military history. There are debates among historians about the significance of different parts of the operation.
On the one side, it is believed the break through and move on to Berlin part of the attack is too quickly done and poorly organized, as the casualty proportions for one battalion - The Black Watch - are similar to those at Beaumont Hamel. This story is used as an example to describe the Canadian army as unprofessional and unprepared. On the other side, the hold and attrit Germans part of the operation is a success. The intention is to seize control of Verrières Ridge and take on the counterattack, then move forward and repeat, using the same tactics as in the 100 Days campaign. |
Why are we trying to get a foothold on Verrieres ridge? Why the rush? We know that 3rd US army is coming to follow 1st US army, and it is our job to keep the Germans occupied so they cannot break away to focus on the American breakthrough. The Canadian role is the bite and hold operation to facilitate the American breakout, fulfilling our alliance duties to support our allies
Student voice"I think it's unfair to teach students one version of history without giving them the chance to investigate the other perspective."
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Photo Gallery
Continuity and ChangeOur visit to the Polish cemetery emphasizes the role of continuity and change in our study of the war. The Polish soldiers escaped Poland through the Balkans and Italy, fought with the French, evacuated at Dunkirk and trained in England. Most are professional Polish soldiers.
By the time they fight in this operation there is still some hope that they may be able to go home after the war, but Stalin's influence is growing. By the end of the summer it is clear that the Poland they knew will no longer exist. If they return to Poland they will be treated as enemies of the state for fighting for democracies. Bodies of those Polish soldiers who fell were not accepted to be sent home to their families by their now Communist country. Their burials and maintenance of cemeteries was taken on by the Allied countries. Many of the survivors settle in Canada, the US, and England, and Polish communities are now a part of the fabric of our countries. What can this story reveal to students about the nature and realities of war? |
Classroom questions
What do maps tell us and what do they not tell us?
What constitutes a battlefield success or failure?
Are there different levels of collaboration? If so, how do you deal with them?
What constitutes a battlefield success or failure?
Are there different levels of collaboration? If so, how do you deal with them?