Canada had to step up in Afghanistan

An item from the Legion Magazine.

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For better or worse,
Canada had to step up in Afghanistan

Story and photography by Stephen J. Thorne

Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan was not simply knee-jerk acquiescence to the elephant next door. Twenty-six Canadian civilians were among the 2,977 people killed on 9/11. Reason enough to hit back at the people and resources behind the al-Qaida terrorists who planned and engineered the attacks. Afghan Taliban and opium poppies were those people and resources.

Almost two decades later, neither objective has been achieved. The Taliban has not been eliminated and the poppy industry has not been eradicated.

Introducing Front Lines - A new Podcast from Legion Magazine

The big raid

Story by Sharon Adams

Early in the First World War, the Allies used trench raids to keep the Germans nervous, the constant harassment eating away at their morale, while keeping their own troops sharp between battles.

The Canadian Corps had learned a lot since their first raid in 1915, and by 1917, were the acknowledged masters of the art. Trench raids were a key component in preparation for the coming assault on Vimy Ridge.

A massive raid involving 860 specially trained troops was planned for mid-January 1917 on the German trenches near Calonne, France, northwest of Vimy Ridge.