CASUALTY RECORD // April 9, 1917
Battle of Vimy Ridge
Estimated casualties — killed, wounded, captured, and missing — by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Casualties by side
2 sides catalogued · combined 7,598 estimated
Canada
3,598
Medium-confidence figure
German Empire
4,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Vimy Ridge opened the broader Battle of Arras and served as the first action of the Nivelle Offensive. The Canadian Corps, fielding all four of its divisions under Julian Byng, attacked three divisions of the German 6th Army commanded by Ludwig von Falkenhausen in the Pas-de-Calais. The immediate operational purpose was to fix and draw German reserves away from the front, easing pressure on French forces preparing to strike along the Aisne and the Chemin des Dames ridge days later. Canada committed approximately 30,000 troops and sustained around 3,598 casualties; German losses reached roughly 4,000. The engagement thus carried both a tactical role within Allied coordination and a broader symbolic weight as the first occasion all four Canadian divisions operated together as a single corps in a major assault.
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