This year marks the 100th anniversary of the one of the most defining moments in Canadian history – the Battle at Vimy Ridge during the First World War.

In honour of the beginning of that battle, tens of thousands of people from around the world will attend a ceremony at Vimy Ridge on Sunday, April 9.

In partnership with Visit Flanders, CTV Morning Live co-host Heidi Petracek and CTV Atlantic producer Bill Dicks are traveling the road to the Vimy Monument and will be there for the ceremony of commemoration. Their journey will take them through parts of Belgium and onward to France, to the place of victory for the Canadian Corps; a place that defined Canada as a country.

Stories of Maritime heroism and loss will be shared every day from Wednesday, April 5 to Wednesday, April 12 on CTV Morning Live, CTV News at Five, and this page, as Heidi and Bill recreate the steps so many soldiers took.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge

During the spring of 1917, Allied High Command gave the Canadians the extremely difficult task of taking Vimy Ridge and driving out the Germans, who had been entrenched there almost continuously since the beginning of the war.

The battle commenced on April 9, 1917 at 5:30 a.m.

More than 15,000 Canadian infantry attacked German positions located on a strongly fortified ridge, seven kilometres long. The ridge was considered to be a certain graveyard – previous French attacks had failed, leaving more than 100,000 casualties.

The four Canadian divisions made up the assault forces, participating together for the first time in the attack.

Hill 145, the highest and most important position on the ridge, was captured after a frontal bayonet attack against machine-gun positions. It has since become the location of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

Three more days of fierce fighting ensured the final Canadian victory.

That victory came at a terrible cost: 3,598 Canadians were killed and some 7,000 injured.