WWI Trilogy

Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings

Canal du Nord

Canal du Nord: Prevent the Germans from Regrouping

May 18, 2016 By Melina Druga Off

The Canal du Nord was fought September 27-October 1, 1918, in the Calais region, France.

The attack was part of an Allied offensive to prevent the Germans from regrouping and launching their own attack.

“On 27th September, 1918, the day after the start of the Meuse-Argonne offensive began, Allied forces attacked the German frontline at the Canal du Nord,” Spartacus Educational explains. “The marshlands on either side of the Arras-Cambrai road and the high German position, made it the most difficult sector of the Hindenburg Line to attack.”

The nations involved were Canada, New Zealand and Germany.

Major Battle Events

  • Canal du Nord was an incomplete canal near Cambrai. Construction began in 1913, but work stopped when the war began.
  • On Sept. 2, the Canadians and British broke the Drocourt-Queant Line, a system of defensive lines built by the Germans.
  • The Canadians led the attack, crossing a dry canal, and clashing with the Germans.
  • The Germans retreated to their fortifications on the Hindenburg Line.

End Result

Canadian casualties totaled 30,000.  Several Canadians received Victoria Crosses for their bravery.

Where to Purchase the WWI Trilogy

This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy: Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year.  The trilogy focuses on Hettie and her family as they navigate the challenges and heartbreak World War I brings.

Angel of Mercy:  A nurse reluctantly sacrifices her career for marriage. An impending war will change her, and her husband’s, life forever.  Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

Those Left Behind:  The brewing winds of war will soon rip the family apart. Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

Adjustment Year:  A war nurse returns home. Society expects her to carry on as if the Great War never happened. But how can she?  Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

CategoryGreat War Battles
TagsCanadian Expeditionary Force

About The Author

Melina Druga writes about the past because although school history classes may have been boring, the past was not.  Her era of expertise, and obsession, is 1890-1920 with a particular focus on the Great War and how it affected the lives of ordinary people.  Druga is the author of the WWI Trilogy.