Key Facts
- Longest German trench on Western Front
- Regina Trench held this distinction
- German prisoners taken
- More than 1,000 by 22 October 1916
- Stuff Trench captured in
- 30 minutes (21 October 1916)
- Final section captured
- Night of 10/11 November 1916
- Canadian divisions involved
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Canadian Divisions
Strategic Narrative Overview
The 5th Canadian Brigade briefly seized part of the trench on 1 October but was driven back by counter-attacks from the German Marine Brigade. Renewed assaults by the 1st and 3rd Canadian Divisions on 8 October also failed. On 21 October, the 4th Canadian Division attacked the western portion alongside three British II Corps divisions, meeting little resistance; Stuff Trench fell in thirty minutes and three German counter-attacks were repulsed.
01 / The Origins
During the Battle of the Somme in 1916, German forces held a fortified trench line — known to Canadians as Regina Trench — running along a north-facing ridge from near Le Sars to Stuff Redoubt near Thiepval. As the longest German trench on the Western Front, it formed a key defensive feature protecting the ridge. The Canadian Corps was tasked with its reduction as part of the broader Battle of the Ancre Heights.
03 / The Outcome
By 22 October more than a thousand German prisoners had been taken, and the Reserve Army secured control of Thiepval Ridge. The eastern end of Regina Trench was finally taken by the 4th Canadian Division during the night of 10–11 November 1916, completing the operation. The Reserve Army was redesignated the Fifth Army on 30 October, which inherited the consolidated gains along the ridge.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.