Battle of Mont Sorrel The Battle of Mont Sorrel ( " Battle of Mount Sorrel " , " Battle of Hill 62 " ) was a localized conflict of World War I between three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German Fourth Army in the Ypres Salient , near Ypres , Belgium , from 2 June 1916 to 14 June 1916 . In an effort to pull British resources from the observed build - up in the Somme , the XIII ( Royal Württemberg ) Corps and the 117th Infantry Division attacked an arc of high ground positions defended by the Canadian Corps . The German forces initially captured the heights at Mount Sorrel and Tor Top before entrenching on the far slope of the ridge . Following a number attacks and counterattacks , two divisions of the Canadian Corps , supported by the 20th Light Division and Second Army siege and howitzer battery groups , recaptured the majority of their former positions . Background . Located in the Ypres Salient , east of Ypres , Belgium , the Battle of Mount Sorrel took place along a ridge between Hooge and Zwartelee . The crest line of Mount Sorrel , nearby Tor Top ( Hill 62 ) and Hill 61 rose approximately 30 meters higher than the shallow ground at Zillebeke , affording the occupying force excellent observation over the salient , the town of Ypres and approach routes . The peaks were the only portion of the crest of the Ypres ridge which remained in Allied hands . In northern France , men and resources were being in preparation for the large - scale joint British - French Somme Offensive . The British and French build - up in the Somme did not go unnoticed by the German Supreme Army Command . German Second Army , which was holding the sector north of the Somme had observed preparations for a major attack since the end of February 1916 . Short of resources due to operations at Verdun , the Germans could only mount local operations in an effort to divert British resources from the Somme . On 28 May 1916 , in an abrupt change of command , Lieutenant - General Edwin Alderson was appointed to the largely ceremonial post of Inspector General of Canadian Forces in England and was succeeded by Lieutenant - General Julian Byng as commander of the Canadian Corps . Battle . German offensive . Byng inspected the Canadian Corps positions and noted that the Canadian troops were overlooked by German positions and under constant danger of enemy fire . He assigned 3rd Canadian Division commander , Major - General Malcolm Mercer to draw up a plan to overrun the more dangerous German positions in a local attack . As the Canadians began preparations for an assault , the Germans were in the process of executing an assault plan of their own . The XIII ( Royal Württemberg ) Corps spent six weeks planning and carefully preparing their attack on the Mount Sorrel , Tor Top ( Hill 62 ) and Hill 61 peaks . Their objective was to take control of the observation positions east of Ypres and keep as many British units as possible pinned down in the area , to avoid them transferring to the Somme region and assisting with the observed build - up in that area . The Germans constructed practice trenches resembling the Canadian positions near Tor Top , to rehearse the assault , well behind their own lines . The Allies were not , however , completely unaware of the German activities . In mid - May , aerial reconnaissance near Mont Sorrel indicated that German forces were preparing for an offensive against Allied positions . Royal Flying Corps observers had noted the existence of works curiously resembling the Canadian positions well behind the enemy lines . The Germans were also observed digging new sap trenches which implied that an assault was intended . The Canadian Corps had just begun developing plans to overrun the more dangerous German positions when the Germans executed an assault of their own . On the morning of 2 June the German XIII Corps began a massive artillery bombardment of heavy calibre shells against the Canadian positions . Nine - tenths of the Canadian forward reconnaissance battalion became casualties during the bombardment . 3rd Canadian Division commander Major - General Malcolm Mercer and 8th Canadian Brigade commander Brigadier - General Arthur Victor Seymour Williams had been conducting an inspection of the front line on 3 June when the shelling began . Mercer was wounded three times and died ; Williams was wounded in the face and head and taken prisoner . At 1 : 00pm , German pioneers detonated a series of four mines near the Canadian forward trenches before the Germans attacked with six battalions . Five more battalions were in support and an additional six in reserve . When the German forces attacked , mainly against positions held by the 8th Canadian Brigade , resistance at the front lines was " minimal " . For several critical hours both the 3rd Canadian Division and the 8th Canadian Brigade were leaderless , and their level of defence suffered accordingly . Brigadier - General Edward Spencer Hoare Nairne , of the Lahore Divisional Artillery eventually assumed temporary command of the 3rd Canadian Division . However , German forces were still able to capture Mont Sorrel and Hill 61 . After advancing up to 1 , 200 yards , the XIII Corps dug in . Although the road to Ypres was open and undefended , no German officer took the initiative to exceed instructions and capitalize on the success experienced by the German forces . Failed counterattack . Lieutenant - General Byng assembled a hastily organized counterattack in the early hours of 3 June . Owing to the 3rd Canadian Division ’ s heavy losses , two brigades of the 1st Canadian Division were temporarily placed under the control of Brigadier - General Hoare Nairne , who had assumed control of 3rd Canadian Division The counterattack was scheduled to begin at 2 : 00 am on 3 June 1916 . However , due to the distances that had to be covered by incoming units , the difficulties in communications and ever present enemy fire , the time allowed for assembly proved inadequate and the attack was postponed until 7 : 00 am . The signal to attack was to be six simultaneous green rockets . However , some rockets misfired and did not burst resulting in an uneven assault whereby each unit moved from their starting lines at different times . The four attacking battalions suffered heavy losses as they advanced over open ground in broad daylight . The attack failed to regain any lost territory . It did however manage to close a gap in the line and advance the Canadian front about from the positions it had retreated to after the German assault . British reinforcements and second German attack . British Expeditionary Force commander General Douglas Haig and Second Army commander General Herbert Plumer both believed it necessary to expel the Germans from their newly captured positions . However , in view of the preparations for the Somme offensive , Haig did not wish to divert more forces than were necessary . Support was limited to a number of additional artillery units and an infantry brigade from the 20th Light Division . It was suggested that the next counterattack be carried out with the infantry available , with a particularly large emphasis placed on artillery . The additional artillery units immediately went to work hampering the Germans ' consolidation efforts by shelling their front and support lines and seeking out hostile batteries . The Germans sprung a surprise on the Canadians by exploding four large mines under trenches of the 2nd Canadian Division covering the spur at the eastern outskirts of the ruins of Hooge . A company of the Canadian 28th ( North West ) Battalion was wiped out in the explosions . The Canadians managed to hold their position and prevent the Germans from reaching their support line , but Byng ultimately decided to leave the Hooge trenches in German hands and to concentrate on regaining Mount Sorrel and Tor Top . To dissuade the Germans from more attacks on the Canadian Corps ' left flank , the dismounted British 2nd Cavalry Brigade came on loan to the Canadian Corps as a counter - attack force . Return to original lines . Byng ordered 1st Canadian Division commander Major - General Arthur Currie to organize a careful attack against the German positions at Mont Sorrel and Tor Top . Due to the casualties suffered during the unsuccessful counterattack of 3 June , Currie regrouped his stronger battalions into two composite brigades . Four intense bombardments of 30 minutes each were carried out between 9 and 12 June in an effort to deceive the Germans into expecting immediate attacks , which did not transpire . For ten hours on 12 June all the German positions between Hill 60 and Sanctuary Wood were shelled unremittingly . Particular attention was given to the Canadian Corps ' flanks from which enfilade machine - gun fire might be expected . The following morning , the Germans were subjected to an additional 45 minutes of heavy artillery bombardment before the assaulting troops advanced behind a generated smoke screen . The Germans are believed to have been taken largely by surprise as they offered little resistance , and the Canadians were able to take approximately 200 prisoners . With the exception of the trenches at Hooge , the Germans fell back to the their original lines and in a little over an hour the assault was over . On 14 June the Germans launched two failed counterattacks after which they advanced their trench to within 150 meters of the Canadians but made no further assaults . Aftermath . The Canadian Corps remained in the Ypres Salient in a stationary yet aggressive status until the beginning of September when the corps was transferred to the Somme . In the aftermath of the battle and in the wake of the death of Major - General M . S . Mercer , Canadian Corps commander Julian Byng was forced to address the politically sensitive topic of appointing a new 3rd Canadian Division commander . Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence Sam Hughes telegraphed Byng and insisted that his son , 1st Canadian Brigade commander Brigadier - General Garnet Hughes , be given command of the 3rd Canadian Division . However , to the fury of the minister Byng instead promoted 2nd Canadian Brigade commander Brigadier - General Louis Lipsett , a highly regarded pre - war British regular , to the post . The minister protested and confronted Byng in August 1916 , however Byng did not relent insisting that " he had nothing against Garnet Hughes there was simply a better man for the post " . The change in command between Lieutenant - General Edwin Alderson and Julian Byng was also used as an opportunity to make additional changes . Much to the displeasure of Minister Hughes and delight of the Canadian troops , the unreliable Canadian Ross Rifle began to be replaced with the British Lee - Enfield and the Colt machine gun with the Vickers and Lewis machine guns . Commemoration . For the Canadian Corps , participation in the Battle of Mount Sorrel is commemorated with the Hill 62 ( Sanctuary Wood ) Memorial . The nearby Sanctuary Wood Museum Hill 62 contains a preserved / simulated section of front line trenches occupied by the British and Canadians between 1916 and 1917 . Allied soldiers killed during the battle are buried in the nearby Sanctuary Wood Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery , Hooge Crater Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery , Maple Copse Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery . Those killed during the battle with no known resting place are commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres , Belgium . The Royal Regiment of Canada conducts a Sorrel Day parade , open to the public , at the Fort York Armoury every year on the second Sunday in June .