02/27/1945

The bloody struggle for the Hochwald gap begins as Canada’s 4th Armoured Division drives into the fray during the Battle of the Rhineland. Senior commanders are anxious to expedite matters by plunging headlong into the gap, against the advice of experienced field officers. In this phase of Operation Blockbuster, heavy casualties result from the decision to abandon methodical planning and preparation.

02/28/1952

Vincent Massey becomes Canada’s first native-born governor general.

03/1/1917

Fourth Canadian Division launches a gas raid against German positions on Vimy Ridge. Aggressive trench raiding had become an increasingly common, if not reckless, activity in the Canadian Corps. During this aborted attack, many Canadian soldiers became victims of their own gas when retaliatory German artillery fire ruptured gas cylinders in the Canadian lines.

03/2/1943

The Canadian budget introduces a pay-as-you-go income tax.

03/3/1915

First Canadian Division is now responsible for a large section of front near Fleurbaix, France, as part of the 4th British Army Corps.

03/4/1885

The first contingent of returning Nile voyageurs arrives in Halifax. Taken into service in 1884 to guide a British expeditionary force up the Nile River, the Canadian boatmen had a vital role assisting in the effort to relieve a besieged British garrison at Khartoum, Sudan.