Hindenburg Line
This Battle Honour is the 22nd in order, and was originally the 16th Battle Honour awarded to The Regiment. It is entitled to be borne on the Colours.
The Hindenburg Line was a German defensive system of trenches that the Allies wanted to break to permit open warfare. It was an elaborate system of defences, built by the Germans with forced labour from their Russian prisoners. In some cases the trenches had barbed wire hundreds of yards across. The line was 65 miles long and extended from Dovain to the north, to the south behind the Dorcourt-Queant Line in France.
The ultimate objectives for these attacks were to penetrate the Hindenburg Line and capture the French city of Cambrai. This battle was a continuation of the battle of Arras, which was the center for launching attacks in the German occupied zone.
It was actually the 1st Canadian Division that had penetrated the Hindenburg Line on September 3, 1918, but the Canadian Corps as a whole had forced the Germans to move back to their reserve positions at Canel du Nord, the result being that the Germans lost all of their gains from their Spring offensive.
Because The Regiment was in close proximity and the Canadian Corps forced the Germans from the line by their operations, The RCR was awarded the Battle Honour Hindenburg Line.
The casualties are included in the Arras totals.