The Canadian Corps had cracked the Drocourt-Quéant Line, the Germans had withdrawn to their final defence at the Hindenburg Line, and the combined Allied forces under Marshal Ferdinand Foch sensed victory in the air.

But it wasn’t over yet—far from it.

Among the objectives still to wrest from enemy hands was the textile town and vital communications hub of Cambrai. The shock troops of General Arthur Currie’s corps would again be thrust into the fray, but first they needed to secure a crossing over the Canal du Nord before clearing Bourlon Wood en route to the prize. They also needed to break the well-prepared Marcoing defensive system. Brimming with machine-gun nests, it had the makings of a bloodbath.

Brimming with machine-gun nests, it had the makings of a bloodbath.

Currie, however, had started formulating a plan beginning with how best to claim the Canal du Nord. The waterway itself was dry, although the Germans had flooded the surrounding area and were dug in on the other side. Only a roughly two-kilometre stretch remained crossable, where Canadian forces would be funnelled into a small front. If Currie was to attack here, he would do so at considerable risk. It proved to be a gamble he was prepared to make.

In the early morning of Sept. 27, 1918, some 50,000 Canadians clambered out of the previously captured Drocourt-Quéant Line and, under a light drizzle preceded by an intense artillery barrage, carried out the attack. Canadian engineers quickly provided bridges over the canal as 15 tanks joined the push through the narrow corridor. Once across, the men fanned out in a 10,000-yard-wide arc, seizing village after village and knocking out German defences.

By 9:15 a.m., despite stout enemy resistance efforts, the canal had been taken. The day’s triumphs also included Bourlon Wood falling to 4th Division. Currie had once more displayed great military acumen in a combined arms assault where he had capitalized on the element of surprise and reinforced success. Nevertheless, the Germans were determined to hold Cambrai at all costs.

Though the Marcoing Line was overrun on Sept. 29—by which time German General Erich Ludendorff was becoming increasingly convinced that the war was lost—his men continued fierce counterattacks. On that day alone, the Canadian Corps suffered more than 2,000 casualties.

Currie’s forces had reached the outskirts of Cambrai by Sept. 30, when the commander considered his options. Aware that his men had little to no urban warfare experience—as indeed was the case for most Allied armies—he wished to minimize casualties if possible. Factoring in the exhaustion of his embattled troops, Currie decided to temporarily halt any further advances on Oct. 1.

While the struggle for Canal du Nord had been a costly affair for the Canadians, it had seen the capture of about 7,000 prisoners and 250 guns.

There was still cause for buoyed spirits within the corps’ upper echelons. While the struggle for Canal du Nord had been a costly affair for the Canadians, it had seen the capture of about 7,000 prisoners and 250 guns. No fewer than six Victoria Crosses were earned during the battle.

Nor would Currie’s fears of an urban slogging match materialize as, on Oct. 8, the German army ceded a burning and booby trap-riddled Cambrai to the war-weary Canadian Corps. The men had achieved a historic victory. Still, there were some 10,000 casualties during the Battle of Canal du Nord.

And so, the Hundred Days Campaign continued.