Welcome Soldiers!
Operation Three: Canada's 100 Days will be bringing the Canadian Expeditionary Force to reinforce the Entente in Europe. Canada was part of the war from the very beginning, having joined when Britain declared war on Germany, but would not arrive on the continent until December of 1914.
Their first major action would take place at the 2nd Battle of Ypres, which saw them defending Belgian ground against the first major gas attack on the Western Front. Initially made up of a cadre of professional soldiers armed with their own equipment, wartime service would lead to Canadian troops adopting British weapons and uniforms, with reliance upon volunteers shifting to conscription in late 1917. By the end of the conflict, some 424,000 Canadians had served overseas in various theaters of operations.
After the major battles of 1916, the Canadian forces undertook considerable reforms. Refining their use of counter-battery tactics, the creeping-barrage, and decentralizing command even down to infantry platoons, the corps would soon after earn a reputation as an elite 'shock troop' formation. Spending much of their time out of the trenches in training and rehearsing for the next offensive, they would utilize strong planning and coordination to achieve a series of successes in the final years of the conflict.
Armed and dressed quite similarly to their British counterparts, in Beyond the Wire the CEF serve as a standalone faction.. Bringing the unique Ross Mk III Sniper Rifle and M1895 "Potato Digger" Heavy Machine Gun to battle, players will have new elements to their arsenal to learn and with which to storm the bluffs of Vimy Ridge.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the larger Battle of Arras of 1917. The ridge itself was a critical area of high ground dominating the terrain around it for several kilometers, having been seized by the Germans in 1914, and contested by the French and British throughout 1915 and 1916. It would then fall to the Canadians to capture this vital position.
Players will find the CEF on the fields of battle at both Vimy Ridge and Zonnebeke, with early and late war gameplay layers giving interesting variety in loadouts and equipment. We are excited to see the Canadian forces in Beyond the Wire and hope you will enjoy our representation of them. See you in the trenches, Soldier!