The
Canadian Expeditionary Force (
CEF) was the designation of the field force created by
Canada for service overseas in the
First World War. The force fielded several combat formations in France and Flanders, the largest of which was the
Canadian Corps, consisting of four
divisions. The
Canadian Cavalry Brigade and the Canadian Independent Force, which were independent of the Canadian Corps, also fought on the Western Front. The CEF also had a large reserve and training organization in
England, and a recruiting organization in Canada. In the later stages of the European war, particularly after their success at
Vimy Ridge and
Passchendaele, the Canadian Corps was regarded by friend and foe alike as the most effective
Allied military formation on the
Western Front. The
Germans went so far as to call them "
storm troopers" for their great combat efficiency. In August 1918, the CEF's
Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force travelled to revolution-rift Russia. It reinforced an anti-Bolshevik garrison in
Vladivostok during the winter of 1918–19. At this time, another force of Canadian soldiers were placed in Archangel, where they fought against Bolsheviks.