The Second Battle of Ypres
April 22nd-May 25th, 1915
The 2nd battle of Ypres was made up of the only major attack launched on the western front by the Germans during 1915. This action was taken to divert allied attention away from the eastern front and to consintrate German efforts towards the Russians. Although this German action would eventually lead to defeat, this battle is know as the place where the first successful use of poisoneous gas was launched by the Germans.
The battle started at dawn in the morning of April 22nd when the Germans launched 5,700 canisters containing 168 tons of chlorine gas at the French Algerian forces and the Territorial troops followed by a bombardment by 17-inch howitzers. Soon a greenish-yellow cloud could be seen rolling on the ground across the land moving towards the French positions. The gas stunned the Allied troops so they fled towards Ypres in a panic as the gas sank into the trenches were it gathered. The effectiveness of the gas even stunned the German forces. Covering four miles of the system of trenches, 10,000 Allied troops were affected by the gas, half of whom were temporarily blind, stumbled in confusion and coughed heavily while the othe half parished 10mins. after the gas hit the frontlines. The death of the troops was caused by asphyxiation or choked to dead. 2,000 Allied troops who survied were taken as prisoners of war.
The Germans then launched an advance of two German infantry corps wearing primitive respirators (a device that kept them from breathing in the deadly gas) through a clear gap in the Allied lines seven kilometers long. The Germans marched carefully into opening in the Allied lines being cautious for any traps. After advancing three kilometers, the Germans were then stopped by a British counter-offensive by the Second Army under the command of General Smith-Dorrien. But, the Allied positions were still weakened due to the loss of the high ground to the North.
On April the 24th, the Germans launched a second wave of chlorine gas followed by a bombardment of artillery fire towards some Canadian troops located to the north-east of Ypres. The Germans managed to gain some ground but were being halted by the defending Canadian troops who were relieved by British reinforcements on May 3rd. During the confrontation,Canadian troops suffered 6,975 casualties.
General Smith-Dorrien then suggested a two and a half mile withdrawal closer to Ypres because he believed that nothing other than a full scale counter-offensive would be able to drive the Germans back to their lines. Command-in-Cheif of the British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) Sir John French then dismissed Smith-Dorrien to England and replaced him with General Herbert Plumer who also recommended a withdrawal closer to Ypres. The suggestion was then tooken into action around the time when an Allied counter-attack by two divisions under the command of French General Ferdinand Foch failed on April the 29th. The French followed the withdrawl from May 1st through the 3rd.
Fighting picked back up again around Ypres from May 8th to the 13th and a third time from May 24th to the 25th. Germans did manage to gain more land to the east of Ypres from May 8th through the 12th. Waves of chlorine gas were also being launched during these days of battle. Then on May 24th, the Germans launched a heavy assult forcing the Allies to make a further withdrawl, but still less land was gained. A demand for more supplies and manpower cause the Germans to call off their offensive so they only thing they could do was bomb the town.
During the 2nd battle of Ypres, the Allies had 69,000 casualities (59,000 British, 10,000 French) while the Germans only suffered 35,000 casualities. This was because of the chlorine gas that the Germans used against the Allies.
The battle started at dawn in the morning of April 22nd when the Germans launched 5,700 canisters containing 168 tons of chlorine gas at the French Algerian forces and the Territorial troops followed by a bombardment by 17-inch howitzers. Soon a greenish-yellow cloud could be seen rolling on the ground across the land moving towards the French positions. The gas stunned the Allied troops so they fled towards Ypres in a panic as the gas sank into the trenches were it gathered. The effectiveness of the gas even stunned the German forces. Covering four miles of the system of trenches, 10,000 Allied troops were affected by the gas, half of whom were temporarily blind, stumbled in confusion and coughed heavily while the othe half parished 10mins. after the gas hit the frontlines. The death of the troops was caused by asphyxiation or choked to dead. 2,000 Allied troops who survied were taken as prisoners of war.
The Germans then launched an advance of two German infantry corps wearing primitive respirators (a device that kept them from breathing in the deadly gas) through a clear gap in the Allied lines seven kilometers long. The Germans marched carefully into opening in the Allied lines being cautious for any traps. After advancing three kilometers, the Germans were then stopped by a British counter-offensive by the Second Army under the command of General Smith-Dorrien. But, the Allied positions were still weakened due to the loss of the high ground to the North.
On April the 24th, the Germans launched a second wave of chlorine gas followed by a bombardment of artillery fire towards some Canadian troops located to the north-east of Ypres. The Germans managed to gain some ground but were being halted by the defending Canadian troops who were relieved by British reinforcements on May 3rd. During the confrontation,Canadian troops suffered 6,975 casualties.
General Smith-Dorrien then suggested a two and a half mile withdrawal closer to Ypres because he believed that nothing other than a full scale counter-offensive would be able to drive the Germans back to their lines. Command-in-Cheif of the British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) Sir John French then dismissed Smith-Dorrien to England and replaced him with General Herbert Plumer who also recommended a withdrawal closer to Ypres. The suggestion was then tooken into action around the time when an Allied counter-attack by two divisions under the command of French General Ferdinand Foch failed on April the 29th. The French followed the withdrawl from May 1st through the 3rd.
Fighting picked back up again around Ypres from May 8th to the 13th and a third time from May 24th to the 25th. Germans did manage to gain more land to the east of Ypres from May 8th through the 12th. Waves of chlorine gas were also being launched during these days of battle. Then on May 24th, the Germans launched a heavy assult forcing the Allies to make a further withdrawl, but still less land was gained. A demand for more supplies and manpower cause the Germans to call off their offensive so they only thing they could do was bomb the town.
During the 2nd battle of Ypres, the Allies had 69,000 casualities (59,000 British, 10,000 French) while the Germans only suffered 35,000 casualities. This was because of the chlorine gas that the Germans used against the Allies.