In August 1917, the Canadian Corps captured Hill 70, a vital piece of ground just north of the French industrial town of Lens. The Canadians suffered some 5, 400 casualties and defeated three days of determined German counter attacks. This spectacularly successful but shockingly costly battle was as innovative as Vimy, yet only a handful of Canadians have heard of it or of subsquent attempts to capture Lens, which cost nearly 3, 300 more casualties. In Capturing Hill 70, leading military historians mark the centenary of this triumph by drawing on Canadian, British, and German records to dissect different facets of the battle, from planning and the conduct of operations to long-term repercussions and commemoration. Hill 70 was the first major battle that Canadian troops fought under one of their own – Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie. Currie and his staff acquitted themselves well and proved capable of planning and conducting large-scale and complex offensive operations. This richly illustrated and thought-provoking book reinstates Hill 70 to its rightful place among the pantheon of battles that helped forge the reputation of the famed Canadian Corps during the First World War, sheds new light on the personalities that influenced the outcome of the battle, and explores the reasons behind the battle’s neglect over the last one hundred years. | Capturing Hill 70 by Douglas E. Delaney, Paperback | Indigo Chapters