Creeping Barrage

This short AI-assisted video examines the creeping barrage used during the Battle of Hill 70, fought from 15 to 25 August 1917. Ten days in August 1917, on the high ground above Lens. The first battle a Canadian planned and commanded. This is Hill 70.

Ordered to take Lens head-on, Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie refused the costly assault. He took the hill that dominated the town instead, to force the Germans into counter-attacks. The assault opened at 4:25 a.m. on 15 August, behind a meticulously planned creeping barrage. Over four days the Canadians broke 21 German counter-attacks and shattered five German divisions, inflicting roughly 25,000 casualties against 9,000 of our own. The high ground was held and never relinquished.

Researched and created by Daniyal and Harris Elahi, as part of the Our Shared Sacrifice educational project recovering the stories of underrepresented soldiers of the First World War. AI was used for visual reconstruction where no original footage exists.