The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

April 10,56 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLESThe enemy offered a very weak resistance; the bombardment had been too severe. Trenches were obliterated and unrecognizable, even the strong ZwischenStellung was so battered that only its deep dug-outsremained. The usual trying counter-attacks did notdevelop, and as previously mentioned, it was not untilall the objectives had been reached that serious losseswere incurred. These were chiefly caused by keeping intouch with the retiring enemy and in establishing strongpoints. From the Ridge the Germans could be seen inthe distance limbering up their guns and moving off at agallop. The ground fell away almost steeply into LaFolie Wood, where they were making a stand. Beyondthe Wood was Vimy and the enemy s last defensiveposition, the Vimy-Lens line.The great day the men had been preparing for andanticipating had come and gone. It was an unparalleledsuccess, working out as planned. Hundreds of prisoners,including three officers, one a colonel, passed backthrough the Battalion to the prison cages. Sevenmachine-guns and trench mortars and other trophies weretaken. The Battalion had done all and more than ithad been asked to do. Considering the magnitude of theoperations, the casualties on the 9th were light. In theoriginal assault there were practically no casualties, mostof them occurred afterwards, when the machine-gun postsin the outpost line were being maintained. Manv weresniped when they silhouetted themselves on the skyline.One officer and forty-three men were killed, one officerdied of wounds, five officers and one hundred and thirtyonemen wounded.On the following day, the 10th, twenty-five men, underLieutenant T. W. E. Dixon, were sent out as a patrolwith instructions to attempt to get as far as Petit Vimyand find out the location and strength of the enemy.After working their way down the sunken road into LaFolie Wood they discovered a force of Germans with amachine-gun which opened fire on them. As the trenchthey occupied ran into the area of the Battalion on theleft it was arranged that a joint attack should follow a