The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a World War I battle fought in 1917 near Arras in northern France. From the fall of 1914 until 1917 the German army held this eight kilometre-long ridge. From there they could see the Allied for miles in all directions. Several times the Allies tried to take it from the Germans without success. On 9 April, 1917 they attacked again. Four divisions of the Canadian Corps attacked nineteen divisions of the German 6th Army defending the ridge. The Battle was won by the Canadians on Easter Monday, 1917. It was the first time that Canadians had attacked as a national unit. However it cost the Canadians 10,602 casualties.