100 years after the Battle of Vimy Ridge, a Canadian CC-177 transported seven World War One fighters to France.
April, 1917. The Great War is in full swing and the British and Commonwealth forces are beginning the offensive in the broader Second Battle of Arras. One of those Commonwealth countries, Canada, was tasked with taking Vimy Ridge, a German stronghold on the northern end of the Arras front.
The Canadians would fight their way to a victory for the first time as a united Canadian army – all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (and one of the British Expeditionary Force) would finally fight together. They would complete their objective in a few long, hard-fought days and secure an Entente victory over the Imperial Germans. Vimy Ridge lives on in Canadian legend to this day.
Such a legend, in fact, that for 2017’s centenary celebrations, the Royal Canadian Air Force airlifted six World War I fighters to France – four Nieuport 11s and two Sopwith Pups, all in Triple Entente colors.
I’m not sure a single photo could better convey a century of progress in air power. A single RCAF C-17 carries 7 WW1 aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean for the 2017 Vimy Ridge centenary. Remarkably, 4 Nieuport 11s along with 2 Sopwith Pups, and an SE5a fit in the belly of the C-17.
Amazing!
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— Mike Bechthold (@mike-bechthold.bsky.social) November 27, 2024 at 12:56 PM
Once in France, the airplanes would perform a flyover of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. 2017’s flyover was reminiscent of the one that took place in 1936 that dedicated the memorial and drew over 100,000 spectators.
Like many other nations at the start of the Great War, Canada was not very well equipped for modern fighting. The Canadian Aviation Corps, the first iteration of what’s now known as the Royal Canadian Air Force, only had one airplane, a Burgess-Dunne float plane, before the branch ceased operations in May, 1915.
The second attempt at an independent air force wouldn’t come until the closing months of the war in August, 1918. In the meantime, Canadian aviation troops were absorbed into the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service until the Royal Air Force’s creation in April, 1918.
60,661 Canadians lost their lives by the end of the war in 1918. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, and the Great War as a whole, continue to be a major source of Canada’s national pride today.
The Aircraft
Starting with the biggest one – and the one people today probably know the best – the Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) CC-177 (Canadian designation for the C-17) Globemaster III. The Royal Canadian Air Force currently operates five of the type, basing them at CFB Trenton, Ontario. The type all operate with the RCAF’s 429 Transport Squadron. The C-17 has a cargo capacity of 170,900 pounds (77,519 kg), so a few wood and canvas World War I airplanes surely weren’t a challenge for the mighty “Moose”.
The two Sopwith Pups, officially named Scouts but nicknamed “Pups” due to being the smaller of the Sopwith airplanes, also had a prestigious career. The airplanes were known to fly light and be very maneuverable. Interestingly, the Pups were also used for early “aircraft carrier” trials, conducting test operations on the HMS Furious in 1917. The Pup started the tradition of Sopwith naming their airplanes after animals, leading to their “flying zoo”. The Pup would later be developed into the famous Sopwith Camel.
Photo: Cpl Spence NL, 19 Wing Imaging
BTW, on Apr. 1, 2024, the Royal Canadian Air Force celebrated 100 years of service as a distinct military element.
Thanks to Mike Bechthold for highlighting the event on Bluesky!
