The First Battle of Ypres
October 19th-November 22nd, 1914
After the Stalemate at the 1st battle of Aisne, both the Allied forces and the German forces tried to out flank each other in the northern movement called the 'Race to the Sea'. The end point to the 'Race to the Sea' was the North Sea coast at which was the last gap were any side could launch a decisive advance. By October 1914, the British and the French forces had reached the North Sea coast and Nieuport. As a preperation to German General Erich von Falkenhayn's Flanders Offensive, the German forces captured Antwerp and forced its Belgian occupants back to Nieuport near Ypres.
Along with the fleeing Belgians, British Expeditionary Force (BEF) under the command of Sir John French also retreated after Antwerp fell but they fled to Ypres. They arrived at Ypres from October 8th through the 19th to help reinforce French and Belgian defence. The defensive trenchs around Ypres took the shape of a small salient or a section of fortification that juts out to form an angle. This was done because the city could only be defended best from the low ridge of higher ground to the east. The only down side was that this area could easily be hit by strong German artillery. The BEF had a 35 mile long line in the center of the Bulge while the French forces under the control of General Ferdinand Foch held the city's south flank.
Falkenhayn's Flanders Offensive began on October 20th with the order for the German forces to break through the Allied lines. The German actions forced Belgians' King Albert to open the sluices letting water from the North Sea flooding a twenty-two mile stripe of land between the Allies and the Germans. This two mile wide and twenty-two mile long water barrier stop Falkenhayn's German advance and made him rethink his plans. The next phase of the
Falkenhayn's Flanders Offensive was to launch a series of attack and capture the city of Ypres. To capture the city, Falkenhayn was going to use the newly assembled German 4th army commanded by the Duke of Wurttemberg, a cavalry corps, and Prince Rupprecht of the Bavaria's Sixth Army. Due to the amount of the German forces, the BEF were a little bit out number only having seven infantry units with one unit in the reserves and a couple Indian divisions on route to the frontlines.
The next phase of the Falkenhayn's Flanders Offensive started on Oct. 30th when German cavalry drove a smaller cavalry unit away from their position on the Messines Ridge at the southern end of the salient. German forces then attacked General Douglas Haig's First Corps to the North but due to superior British rifle fire. The British were able to counter-attack, repelled the attacking Germans, and were able to hold their position. The Germans even thought that the British were using machine guns because they were shooting so fast. On November 11, two German divisions tried to break through the British lines at Menin road which was only four miles away from Ypres itself in the Nuns' Woods. The German divisions were able to break through the British lines at the town of Hooge. But due to there slow movent in advancing through the break in the British line, the British were able to repel the Germans back to their lines.
Fighting Finally stop on November the 22nd due to the outbreak of winter. The British suffered 58,155 casualities, the French suffered around 50,000 casualities and the Germans suffered 130,000 casualities. The only thing that the British survivors could say about the 1st battle of Ypres was "First Ypres" because not much could be said to describe what they went through.
Along with the fleeing Belgians, British Expeditionary Force (BEF) under the command of Sir John French also retreated after Antwerp fell but they fled to Ypres. They arrived at Ypres from October 8th through the 19th to help reinforce French and Belgian defence. The defensive trenchs around Ypres took the shape of a small salient or a section of fortification that juts out to form an angle. This was done because the city could only be defended best from the low ridge of higher ground to the east. The only down side was that this area could easily be hit by strong German artillery. The BEF had a 35 mile long line in the center of the Bulge while the French forces under the control of General Ferdinand Foch held the city's south flank.
Falkenhayn's Flanders Offensive began on October 20th with the order for the German forces to break through the Allied lines. The German actions forced Belgians' King Albert to open the sluices letting water from the North Sea flooding a twenty-two mile stripe of land between the Allies and the Germans. This two mile wide and twenty-two mile long water barrier stop Falkenhayn's German advance and made him rethink his plans. The next phase of the
Falkenhayn's Flanders Offensive was to launch a series of attack and capture the city of Ypres. To capture the city, Falkenhayn was going to use the newly assembled German 4th army commanded by the Duke of Wurttemberg, a cavalry corps, and Prince Rupprecht of the Bavaria's Sixth Army. Due to the amount of the German forces, the BEF were a little bit out number only having seven infantry units with one unit in the reserves and a couple Indian divisions on route to the frontlines.
The next phase of the Falkenhayn's Flanders Offensive started on Oct. 30th when German cavalry drove a smaller cavalry unit away from their position on the Messines Ridge at the southern end of the salient. German forces then attacked General Douglas Haig's First Corps to the North but due to superior British rifle fire. The British were able to counter-attack, repelled the attacking Germans, and were able to hold their position. The Germans even thought that the British were using machine guns because they were shooting so fast. On November 11, two German divisions tried to break through the British lines at Menin road which was only four miles away from Ypres itself in the Nuns' Woods. The German divisions were able to break through the British lines at the town of Hooge. But due to there slow movent in advancing through the break in the British line, the British were able to repel the Germans back to their lines.
Fighting Finally stop on November the 22nd due to the outbreak of winter. The British suffered 58,155 casualities, the French suffered around 50,000 casualities and the Germans suffered 130,000 casualities. The only thing that the British survivors could say about the 1st battle of Ypres was "First Ypres" because not much could be said to describe what they went through.