The book starts with on the capture of Vimy Ridge and the nearly spur of Notre Dame de Lorette in October 1914. The major battles of spring and autumn 1915 is described as is the twelve month period from late autumn 1915 when British forces occupied the lines on the western Ridge. The period from late autumn 1916 onwards when the Canadian Corps was preparing for the April 1917 assault on the ridge, is given detailed treatment, with special emphasis (based on original Germanintelligence and interrogation files) on how the defenders built up a detailed picture of Allied plans and how they intended to counter them. The battle (9 - 14 April 1917) is described in detail and the conclusion summarises the aftermath of the battle and its consequences for the way the German army prepared for the Third Battle of Ypres. The book employs a similar format to The German Army on the Somme 1914 - 1916 and The German Army at Passchendaele; the greater part of the text is based on the words of the German participants themselves.
Commentary and evidence from senior commanders is introduced as necessary; the aim once more being to produce a work of popular history, which nevertheless provides an important contribution to the overall historiography of the Great War.