The Battle of the St. Eloi Craters was the first major engagement for the 2nd Canadian Division, recently arrived from England. It ended in disaster.<\/p>\n
British forces had previously blown a series of underground mines to destroy the sector’s German defences, but the effort had left massive, mud-filled craters for the attackers to occupy. When the Canadians relieved British troops on the night of 3 April, they found few actual trenches in which to take cover, and most of those were waist-deep in water. The entire front was also under observation and incessant fire from the Germans.<\/p>\n
A series of German counterattacks on 6 April drove the Canadians out of the muddy craters and sowed confusion throughout the division and at higher headquarters.<\/p>\n
Through two weeks of hard fighting, Canadian commanders were often unclear as to the location of their troops. Most soldiers dug in under heavy fire and divided by the shell-pocked terrain, could supply their commanders with little accurate information on the progress of the battle.<\/p>\n
After aerial photography helped reveal the true German and Canadian positions, the battle ground to a halt on 16 April, with enemy forces holding most of the key points.<\/p>\n
The Canadians suffered 1,373 casualties during the confused fighting at St. Eloi. The Corps commander, Lieutenant-General E.A.H. Alderson, was replaced by Sir Julian Byng, an experienced and respected British general.<\/p>\n