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MICHELIN ILLUSTRATED GUIDES TO THE BATTLEFIELDS (1914--1918)
YPRES AND THE BATTLES OF YPRES.
MICHELIN & Cie., CLERMONT-FERRAND
MICHELIN TYRE Co. Ltd., 81 Fulham Road, LONDON, S. W.
MICHELIN TIRE Co., MILLTOWN, N. J., U. S. A.
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MICHELIN TYRE CO., Ltd.
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FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
YPRES AND THE BATTLES OF YPRES
_ITINERARY:_
LILLE--ARMENTIERES--MESSINES--POELCAPPELLE
--YPRES--POPERINGHE--
LES MONTS--BAILLEUL--BETHUNE--LILLE.
Published by
MICHELIN & CIE.
Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Copyright 1919 by Michelin & Cie.
_All rights of translation, adaptation, or reproduction (in part or
whole) reserved in all countries._
[Illustration]
YPRES
AND THE BATTLES FOR ITS POSSESSION
FOREWORD
The town of Ypres lies in a sort of natural basin formed by a maritime
plain intersected by canals, and dominated on the north, north-east and
south by low wooded hills.
These canals, of which the Yser Canal is the most important, follow a
general direction south-east--north-west. A number of streams flowing in
the same direction also water the plain. In addition, there are the
Dickebusch, Zillebeke and Bellewaarde ponds.
The hills forming the sides of this basin are very low and partly
wooded. The line of their crests runs approximately from north to south,
through Houthulst Forest (road from Poelcappelle to Clercken),
Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Broodseinde, Becelaere, Gheluvelt, the
strategic Hill 60 (south of Zillebeke) and St. Eloi. Further south is
the Messines-Wytschaete ridge, and to the south-west the Hills of
Flanders.
Houthulst Forest is the largest of the woods. Next come the islets of
Westroosebeke and Passchendaele, then, south of Zonnebeke, Polygone
Wood, Nonne-Bosschen (or Nonnes) Wood, and the Woods of Glencorse,
Inverness and Herenthage.
In this region, with its essentially maritime climate, the war assumed a
character entirely different from that of the rest of the front. The
marshy ground, almost at sea-level, is further sodden by constant rain
and mists, and forms a spongy mass, in which it was impossible to dig
trenches or underground shelters. Water is found immediately below the
surface, so that the only possible defence-works were parapets. The
bursting shells made huge craters which, promptly filling with water,
became so many death-traps for wounded and unwounded alike.
The defence on both sides consequently centred around the woods,
villages, and numerous farms, which were converted into redoubts with
concrete blockhouses and deep wire entanglements. The slightest bits of
rising ground here played an important part, and were fiercely disputed.
The crests which dominate the basin of Ypres were used as
observation-posts--the lowering sky being usually unfavourable for
aerial observation--while their counter-slopes masked the concentrations
of troops for the attacks.
It was therefore along the line of crests and around the fortified farms
that the fighting reached its maximum of intensity.
The principal military operations which took place in the vicinity of
the town between October, 1914, and November, 1917, may be divided as
follows:--First, a powerful German offensive--a counter-stroke to the
battles of the Yser--then a very definite effort to take the town. The
role of the Allied armies was at that time purely defensive.
The second stage was marked by a British and Franco-British offensive,
begun in the second half of 1916 and considerably developed during the
summer and autumn of the following year. The object of these operations,
which ended in November, 1917, was the clearing of Ypres. All the
objectives were attained and the plains of Flanders were opened to the
Allies.
A final effort by the Germans in great strength to the south of the town
was checked by the resistance of the Allies in April, 1918. In September
and October, 1918, the enemy troops finally evacuated the country under
pressure of the victorious Allied offensive.
[Illustration: BRITISH SENTINEL ON NIGHT-DUTY IN FRONT OF THE RUINED
CLOTH HALL]
=THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE OF 1914=
(October 29--November 15, 1914.)
=Preliminary Operations=
After the victory of the Marne, which drove the Germans north of the
Aisne, began the operations known as "the Race to the Sea." Each side
endeavoured to outpace the other, with the object of surrounding the
enemy's marching wing.
This remarkable "Race to the Sea"--a widely extended movement splendidly
carried out by General Foch, and in which the Allied forces in their
march towards the north constantly outstripped the enemy--might have
been used as the starting-point for a grand Allied offensive against the
German right, but the exhaustion of the Belgian army, after the terrible
trials which it had just gone through in its retreat on the
Yser--following on the fall of Antwerp--and the delays in the transport
of the British troops from the Aisne front to the north, prevented the
development of this offensive.
It was therefore only possible for the Allied armies to fix their front
and make it impregnable.
The stages of this race to the sea and the fixation of the front took
place between September 20 and October 23, 1914.
=The Forces Engaged= (Oct. 1914)
When the First Battle of Ypres opened, the front described a wide
semi-circle passing through Zonnebeke, Gheluvelt and Zandvoorde,
running thence south of Messines, and finally linking up with the line
to the east of Armentieres.
[Illustration]
At the beginning of the battle all this part of the front was held by
the British army, as follows: from Zonnebeke to Zandvoorde, the 1st
Corps (Haig) and 4th Corps (Rawlinson); from Zandvoorde to Messines, the
Calvary Corps (Allenby), two infantry divisions, and the Lahore
Division, which had just landed at Marseilles; lastly, from Messines to
Armentieres, the 3rd Corps (Pulteney).
Facing these forces were the German IVth army, consisting of the XIIIth,
XVth and XVIth active corps, and the IInd Bavarian Corps, reinforced
during the battle by a Division of the Guards. The British Cavalry Corps
had to face four German Cavalry Corps.
[Illustration: THE GERMAN THRUST OF OCT. 29--30, 1914 (29--30/10)]
To make up for their setback in the race to the sea, the German High
Command decided on a strenuous effort to break through the Allies' front
at Ypres. The "Battle for Calais" was about to begin. The enemy
confidently expected to reach the coast, from which they hoped to expose
England to such peril as would break down the pride of that troublesome
enemy.
The German attack began on October 29 under the eye of the Kaiser, who,
for the following five days, took up his quarters at Thielt, whence he
arranged to make a triumphal entry into Ypres.
For seventeen days (October 29--November 15) the German regiments,
elated by the presence of their Emperor, fought with unheard-of frenzy
and an utter disregard of losses in their frantic attacks against the
Ypres salient.
[Illustration: ON OCT. 31, THE GERMANS MADE PROGRESS, SOUTH OF YPRES,
BUT WERE DRIVEN BACK, EASTWARDS, TO GHELUVELT]
To the east of Ypres the action fought between Poelcappelle and
Gheluvelt failed. The fierce German attacks, in spite of the masses of
men engaged, broke down before the stubborn resistance of the Allies.
In a counter-offensive the British, supported on their left by French
divisions, reached the village of Becelaere, between Zonnebeke and
Gheluvelt, but were unable to hold it.
Further south, the British were forced to abandon Zandvoorde and
Hollebeke. Gheluvelt, first lost on October 30, was recaptured on the
31st in a counter-attack by the 1st Corps. Supported by three French
battalions, the British subsequently repulsed all attacks and
successfully barred the road from Menin to Ypres. On the evening of the
31st, the line in the eastern sector ran as follows: east of Frezenberg,
Gheluvelt, east of Klein Zillebeke and the bend in the canal to the
north-east of Hollebeke.
[Illustration: ON NOV. 1, THE SITUATION WAS CRITICAL IN THE EXTREME. THE
GERMANS CAPTURED THE MESSINES-WYTSCHAETE RIDGE, AND THE BRITISH FELL
BACK ON WULVERGHEM]
The Germans were more successful to the south-east. After an intense
bombardment they attacked, on October 30, from Saint-Yves to Wytschaete,
capturing Saint-Yves and obtaining a footing in Messines, from which,
however, they were immediately driven by a counter-attack.
On October 31, the Germans, after concentrating enormous masses of
troops between Oosttaverne and Roozebeek Canal, made a fresh attack. In
the morning they gained a footing in the eastern outskirts of Messines,
but could get no further, thanks to a counter-attack by three French
battalions with twelve guns from St. Eloi.
The Germans, however, redoubled their efforts, and towards noon, after a
fierce struggle in the streets of Messines, the British cavalry were
gradually forced back, but clung desperately to the western outskirts of
the village. At about 3 p.m. a fierce struggle began for the recapture
of the convent to the south of Messines, then in the enemy's hands. By
night the British were in possession of the last houses west of
Messines, the Germans holding the eastern crest.
[Illustration: ON NOV. 2, THE FRENCH COUNTER-ATTACKED AND RETOOK THE
MESSINES-WYTSCHAETE RIDGE. THE GERMANS LAUNCHED A MASS ATTACK AGAINST
GHELUVELT]
During the night of October 31, the Messines-Wytschaete crest was again
fiercely attacked. The Germans gained a footing in Wytschaete and broke
the British line to the north of Messines. A withdrawal became
necessary, and at dawn the line was set back as far as the western
outskirts of Wulverghem.
During the day of November 1, Wytschaete was retaken and lost again.
French Zouaves, acting as reinforcements, held their ground doggedly in
front of St. Eloi. The enemy offensive redoubled in intensity, and the
situation became desperate. As a result of the flooding of the Yser, the
German IIIrd Corps in the northern sector became available and joined in
the assault.
The French 14th Corps, hurriedly called up, counter-attacked furiously
and succeeded in driving back the Germans and gaining a fresh footing in
the western outskirts of Wytschaete. On November 2, the French were once
more in possession of the western crest of Messines-Wytschaete.
This check did not daunt the Germans, who, having just been reinforced
from their Belgian garrisons, directed their efforts further to the
north. The attack was made by compact masses of troops on the St.
Eloi-Zwarteleen front, the movement coinciding with a thrust against
Gheluvelt on the Menin-Ypres Road. At the latter point the front was
momentarily broken, but furious counter-attacks re-established the
original positions. The French troops which held the bend of the canal
north-east of Hollebeke were overpowered and thrown back on
Verbranden-Molen. A counter-attack by the 1st British Corps checked the
enemy onrush, and after a magnificent defence the original line was
almost entirely maintained.
[Illustration: THE GERMANS CONTINUED THEIR FURIOUS ATTACKS UNTIL NOV.
11, BUT FAILED TO REACH THEIR OBJECTIVE: YPRES]
The battle continued to rage with increasing violence, the culminating
point being reached on November 11. At dawn the Germans, after a
terrific artillery preparation lasting several hours, attacked with the
infantry of the Ist and IVth Brigades of the Prussian Guards. They
succeeded in piercing the line in three places, and forced their way
into the woods behind the trenches to a depth of rather more than two
miles through the principal breach.
They did not, however, reach their objective. Enfiladed by machine-gun
fire, they were partly driven back into their trenches, after a bloody
hand-to-hand struggle amid great confusion. The losses on both sides
were very heavy, without any decisive result being attained.
The weather, previously bad, now became a violent storm. During the
night, under cover of the hurricane, the Prussian Guard broke through
the Allies' front. Ypres--the prize on which the Kaiser had set his
heart--seemed at last within the enemy's grasp.
But the British, momentarily demoralized, quickly rallied and drove back
the Prussians in a heroic charge.
The struggle continued fiercely during the following days, the Germans
launching numerous attacks with compact masses of troops. The deep lines
of infantry, led by young officers, whose undeniable courage did not
compensate for their lack of experience, were mown down.
Exasperated by this check, the enemy set about to destroy the town which
they were unable to take. On November 10, German aeroplanes dropped
incendiary bombs, and thenceforth the bombardment was conducted
methodically both by aeroplanes and by guns firing from ten to twenty
shells per minute.
Up to the 13th, the town had suffered comparatively little. The Cloth
Hall had only been hit by two shells (on the 5th) and by a few bombs.
But in the disastrous days of October 22, 23 and afterwards, the
bombardment became more intense and better regulated. The Germans
brought up an armoured train to Houthem, which, directed by observation
balloons, rained incendiary and explosive shells on the town. On the
evening of the 23rd, all that remained of the Place des Halles was a
heap of ruins.
[Illustration: THE CLOTH HALL IN FLAMES (NOV. 22, 1914)
_The Germans, unable to capture Ypres, destroyed it methodically by
shell-fire (photo, Antony, Ypres)_.]
[Illustration: DURING THE WINTER MONTHS LOG-ROADS WERE NECESSARY FOR THE
LORRIES AND ARTILLERY, AND EVEN THESE SANK IN THE BOTTOMLESS MUD]
=Period of Comparative Calm=
(December, 1914--April, 1915.)
Having failed to pierce the front in the neighbourhood of Ypres, the
Germans abandoned their attacks in close formation, and operations in
this sector were soon limited to incessant artillery actions,
occasionally followed by fierce surprise attacks at isolated points.
Some of the attacks during this period of comparative calm are worthy of
note.
On December 10, the Germans launched three attacks against the British
troops in front of St. Eloi, only one of which gave any result. The
enemy captured the first trenches of the Allies' line, but were driven
out on the following night by a counter-attack.
Other attempts were made during the following week, with the same
negative result.
On December 17, the Germans attacked in force to the north-west of
Ypres. Zonnebeke, Langemarck and Bixschoote were bitterly disputed, and
the two last-named villages remained in the hands of the enemy.
These battles were fought in a sea of mud formed by the rain and the
flooding of the land by the Belgians.
One Colonel wrote: "The ground on which we are fighting is awful. There
is a crust about a foot thick which is comparatively good, but
underneath there is bottomless mud. Men standing in trenches four or
five feet deep are almost unable to get out, and gradually sink until it
takes several men to extricate them."
The first fortnight of January was comparatively quiet. During the
second fortnight a strong German attack broke down before the front-line
trenches near Bixschoote.
The continual rains in this previously flooded district rendered all
activity impossible, save that of the artillery, which continued to
bombard unceasingly during February.
[Illustration: THE FRONT-LINE DURING THE WINTER CAMPAIGN OF 1914--1915]
It was only in the first half of March that the opposing armies became
really active. From the 5th to 11th, powerful German attacks were
repulsed between Dixmude and the Lys.
The British, on their part, were not inactive during this period. They
fought a vigorous action between the Lys and La Bassee, captured
Neuve-Chapelle after prolonged strenuous fighting, and took a thousand
prisoners, including several officers.
As the weather conditions improved, the number of local engagements
increased. In an enemy attack on St. Eloi, between March 12 and 18, the
British first lost and then recaptured that village. Further south,
during the first half of April, fierce engagements were fought without
decisive result in front of the villages of Kemmel and Wulverghem.
The Germans continued to bombard Ypres with large calibre shells,
heaping ruins upon ruins.
=THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES=
(April--May--June, 1915.)
The long period of enforced inaction during the winter months, and the
depressing waiting in the icy mud, were now succeeded first by local
enemy attacks, then by a fresh powerfully organised attempt by the
Germans to capture Ypres.
The battle began on April 14 with a strong unsuccessful thrust to the
north of Ypres. The British replied by attacking Hill 60.
On April 17, after the firing of a powerful mine, the hill was
brilliantly captured, and in spite of bitter counter-attacks on the 18th
by the Germans, who fully realised the importance of this _point
d'appui_, the position remained in the hands of the British.
Meanwhile, a new German offensive was being prepared, which their High
Command believed would prove irresistible, thanks to the use of a new
weapon, as murderous as it was unexpected.
Although Germany had signed the clause of the Hague Convention (July 29,
1899), which prohibits the use of =asphyxiating gas=, the unscrupulous
leaders now made use for the first time of this treacherous weapon.
In accordance with their usual practice, they claimed that the British
used the gas first, and that they used it only in reprisal. Needless to
say, this assertion was pure fiction.
On April 22 the front ran as follows: Belgian troops held the canal; the
French 45th Colonial Infantry Division, resting on the canal, and
passing through Bixschoote, linked up with the troops of the Canadian
3rd Brigade.
Throughout the morning of April 22, the Germans bombarded the first
lines, while the roads behind were swept by the fire of the heavy
artillery, including 161/2-in. guns. The bombardment continued into the
afternoon.
Suddenly, at about 4 p.m., there rose from the German trenches, opposite
the lines occupied by the French Colonial troops, a strange opaque cloud
of greenish-yellow fumes. A light breeze from the north-east wafted this
cloud towards the French, who, a few moments later, fell gasping for
breath in terrible agony. Terror spread through the ranks, especially
among the African troops. A panic inevitably followed, which quickly
spread from the front to the rear lines.
Behind that cloud of gas the German troops advanced, protected by a
heavy barrage and intense machine-gun fire.
The French Colonial troops fell back several miles towards Ypres, and
the Germans took Steenstraat, Het Sas and Pilkem, together with many
prisoners.
The withdrawal of the French uncovered the left flank of the Canadians,
who were on their right, and they in turn were obliged to fall back,
leaving four guns in the hands of the Germans.
In the afternoon the Canadians, rallying, took the offensive, recovered
part of the lost ground between Steenstraat and Langemarck, together
with their guns, and inflicted a sanguinary defeat on the Germans.
[Illustration: THE FIRST GERMAN POISON-GAS ATTACK _(April 24, 1915.)_]
Further north, on the Yser Canal, the enemy took advantage of the
disorder caused by the gas to cross at Steenstraat Bridge, and reached
the village of Lizerne near Zuydschoote, where they strongly entrenched
themselves. But Zouaves, aided by Belgians, counter-attacked in force,
retook Lizerne, and advanced along the canal.
The greatest German effort was made on April 25 against the British
lines.
The attacking troops had been grouped on both sides of the railway from
Ypres to Roulers, near Broodseinde, but in spite of fierce attacks they
could not break the British lines, and once more their dastardly methods
failed them.
At the end of April the front was fixed as follows: from Steenstraat the
line followed the canal as far as Het Sas Bridgehead and then passed
along the right bank to Pilkem (on the opposite bank). Here it turned at
right-angles eastwards, as far as Soetart Farm (on the Ypres-Langemarck
Road), turned south-east through Wieltje, then west of Hooge, finally
linking up with Hill 60 and St. Eloi.
The Germans revenged themselves for their failure by again bombarding
Ypres.
The shelling, which had ceased for a time prior to the offensive, began
again with renewed intensity. An enormous quantity of heavy artillery
had been brought up, and large calibre shells were continuously rained
on the unhappy city, causing a panic. The few remaining inhabitants fled
terror-stricken along the Poperinghe Road.
During the last week of April the battle continued with great
bitterness, but in spite of the enemy's use of gas, the Allies gradually
retook the lost ground. Then followed a fresh period of calm, broken
from time to time by fierce attacks, of which that of May 5 on Hill 60
was the most important.
On May 8 the battle broke out afresh in the region lying between
Poelcappelle and the Ypres-Menin Road. The Germans pierced the British
line at several points, notably between St. Julien and Frezenberg, and
reached Wieltje, but after bitter hand-to-hand fighting, they were
driven back to their trenches at the point of the bayonet.
The next day the attack was renewed in close formation, under the
protection of an intense bombardment of gas shells, but the British, now
provided with masks, stood firm. The German columns, mown down by
shrapnel and machine-gun fire, were unable to reach the British
trenches.
The fighting died down during the next few days, on account of rain and
wind storms, which made all movement impossible, but began again on the
24th without, however, any appreciable advantage for the Germans, who
once more took the offensive.
Another period of calm set in, and this Second Battle of Ypres--the
second serious check of the Germans before the town--ended in a
successful operation by the British, who, on June 2, captured the
Chateau of Hooge on the Menin Road, two miles from Ypres.
=Long period of comparative calm. Isolated actions. Artillery activity
on both sides=
(June, 1915--June, 1917.)
These weeks of fierce, bloody fighting were followed by a long period of
comparative calm, the operations having been transferred to other parts
of the front (Argonne, Artois, Champagne). Nevertheless, local actions
took place from time to time without any appreciable result. From July
22 to 26 the British, after successful mining operations, advanced their
line along the Ypres-Menin Road, in the neighbourhood of Hooge Chateau.
After being driven from the outskirts of the chateau by a gas attack on
August 7, they retook the lost ground on the 8th and advanced beyond it.
Towards the middle of September there was a rather severe bombardment
near Steenstraat and Ramscappelle, while Ypres received 300 more shells.
During the latter half of August an Order of the Day to the German
Armies in Flanders stated: "_Our work is practically finished in the
East, and we are on the point of beginning in the West; peace in October
is certain._"
[Illustration: THE FRONT LINE FROM JUNE 1915 TO JUNE 1917]
In December, a new offensive by the Germans failed, despite the use of
gas. There was unusual artillery activity, all the heavy guns, both
German and British, being brought into action.
On December 30, Field-Marshal French received the title of "Viscount of
Ypres," in commemoration of the vigorous British defence of that city.
On February 12, 1916, the Germans launched fresh attacks in the west,
near Steenstraat and Het Sas, and attempted to cross the Yser. After
being smartly checked, they furiously attacked the British trenches
between the Ypres-Comines Canal and the railway, and succeeded in
capturing one of them for a length of 600 yards. This trench, on
account of its frequently changing hands, came to be known as the
"International Trench." A few days later (March 2) the British retook
it.
The struggle now became limited to a continuous artillery duel, with
occasional surprise infantry attacks. The hamlet of St. Eloi to the
south was the scene of constant fighting for the possession of the
shell-craters.
On April 19, the fighting assumed a more serious character. An
unimportant German attack near St. Eloi and along the Ypres-Langemarck
Road was the prelude to operations by considerable enemy forces, having
for their objective the great undulating slopes between Hill 60 and
Armentieres.
[Illustration: BRITISH DEFENCE WORKS IN FRONT OF YPRES]
The first of these attacks took place on April 25, 1916, but failed. Two
days later a night attack with gas was repulsed with hand grenades.
A third attempt was made in May, 1916, more to the south towards
Armentieres, on the sides of the road connecting that town with Ypres.
The British, entrenched in a wood near Ploegsteert Village, were
assailed by three German columns, and were only able to repulse two of
them. The third took the position, but Scottish troops counter-attacked
and drove the Germans back.
The most important of the enemy attacks during this period took place on
June 1. The preparations included a concentration of troops between
Tournai and Baisieux, from May 21 to 27, supported by guns of all
calibres. The attack was carried out in considerable strength between
Hooge and the Ypres-Comines Railway.
The artillery preparation began at 9.15 a.m. on June 1, and at noon the
first assaulting wave entered the front-line trenches. The battle died
down for a few minutes in the evening, only to break out again during
the night. The Germans succeeded in crushing in the front to a depth of
some 700 yards in the direction of Zillebeke, but the next day a portion
of the lost ground was retaken by the Canadians.
[Illustration: THE FLANDERS BATTLEFIELD IN WINTER]
On June 6, a fresh assault began, preceded by the usual bombardment, and
further assisted by mine explosions. The front line trenches to the
north of Hooge were lost; but on the 13th the valiant Canadians, who had
previously recaptured the original positions abandoned on June 1,
resumed the offensive, and re-established the lines from the southern
part of Sanctuary Wood to a point 1,000 yards north of Hill 60.
Throughout the days of June 26 and 28 there was an extremely violent
bombardment, to which the British guns replied effectively. The Germans,
whose losses from the attacks and this artillery fire were very heavy,
declared: "_Belgium will be our grave._"
These were the last operations in which the enemy took the offensive.
All their efforts had failed, whether their object had been to turn the
left flank of the Allies, to break the lines around Ypres, or merely to
take the town.
=THE ALLIED OFFENSIVE OF 1917=
_Series of powerful attacks with limited objectives. From June to
October, the stages of the offensive were punctuated by breathing
spaces, during which the conquered ground was consolidated, in view of
counter-attacks, and the artillery brought up, to prepare the following
attack._
=Preliminary Operations=
=The Capture of Messines Ridge by the British=
(June 7, 1917.)
From July, 1916, to May, 1917, the Ypres sector remained comparatively
quiet. There were few attacks on either side, but the guns thundered day
and night. It may be said that the British were "trying their hand."
In June, 1917, certain at last of their strength, they made their first
big effort, and step by step, in accordance with a carefully worked-out
plan, they completely liberated Ypres by a series of offensives lasting
four months, and broke the iron circle which, for two years, had been
strangling the town.
For several months before the battle, the attack on Messines Ridge had
been carefully planned by means of a model in relief, situated in the
open air and covering an area about equal to that of a tennis court.
Here were reproduced in relief all the contours and peculiarities of the
ground. Everything, down to an isolated tree trunk, was reproduced.
British effort took definite shape for the first time on June 7. The
attack, planned by Sir Douglas Haig, had for its objective the capture
of the crests between Wytschaete and Messines, which the Germans had
seized on November 1, 1914.
For seven days an artillery preparation of incredible intensity hammered
the villages of Messines and Wytschaete, until they had completely
disappeared.
On June 7, about an hour before dawn, at 3.10 a.m., the sky was lit up
by an intense light, while a series of terrific explosions were heard;
nineteen mines, some of whose galleries had taken more than a year to
bore, exploded along the enemy positions.
The Germans were taken completely by surprise, and gave way before the
impetuous onrush. In a few minutes their first line was carried along
the whole of the attacked front. Then, almost without a pause, the
British troops attacked the western slopes of the Messines-Wytschaete
Ridge, and by about 6.30 a.m. held the crests along the whole line.
The village of Messines offered resistance, but was captured by the New
Zealanders in a vigorous attack, as was also the village of Wytschaete.
By noon the second stage of the offensive was about to begin.
Descending the eastern slopes of the ridge the British carried a second
strong position, then attacked a fresh line--chiefly in Rayon Wood--in
which were large shelters of reinforced concrete, each capable of
holding a company. At about 4 p.m. Oosttaverne Village, lying west of
the centre of the position, fell. At sun-down the day's objectives had
been completely attained, and the advance at certain points exceeded two
miles in depth.
This fine success was due to the carefully detailed preparation carried
out under the orders of General Herbert Plumer, to the destructive
effect of the mines, to the violence and precision of the bombardment,
to the excellent co-operation of the Air Forces, and to the harmonious
working together of all arms. The tanks rendered excellent service.
[Illustration: THE BRITISH OFFENSIVE OF JUNE 7, 1917, AGAINST MESSINES
RIDGE, PRECEDED BY THE FIRING OF NINETEEN ENORMOUS MINES]
The Germans made an effort to rally, but their first counter-attacks,
near Oosttaverne and to the east of Messines, failed.
At about 7 p.m., on June 8, a fresh German counter-attack was launched
along the whole of the new front between St. Yvon and the Ypres-Comines
Canal. Other engagements were fought to the east of Messines and near
Klein Zillebeke. Although reinforced by fresh divisions, the German
attack was broken by midnight.
Resuming their offensive, the British, on the morning of June 11,
captured the whole system of German trenches, nearly a mile in length,
situated near Poterie Farm, to the south-east of Messines. The next day
fresh progress was made along nearly two miles of the front to the
north-east of Messines, and the hamlet of Gapaard occupied.
[Illustration: THE FRONT LINE BEFORE THE ALLIES' OFFENSIVE OF JULY 31,
1917]
After the offensive--limited in scope--of June 7, which reduced the
salient, south of Ypres, the British continued to press the enemy.
Frequent raids kept the Germans on the alert and secured important
_points d'appui_.
On June 14, the Germans were forced to abandon an important part of
their first-line trenches between the Lys and St. Yvon. On the same day
a considerable advance was made east of Ploegsteert Wood, and in the
immediate neighbourhood of Gapaard Village.
During the night of the 14th a double attack was made: one to the east
of Messines; the other along both banks of the Ypres-Comines Canal, to
the north-west of Hollebeke. These attacks gave the British a large
number of trenches, which they held in spite of fierce counter-attacks.
To sum up, during the latter half of June an advance of 500 to 1,000
yards in depth was made along the whole front line between Klein
Zillebeke and the Lys.
The month of July passed in raids, patrols, and reconnoitring,
preparatory to the new offensive of July 31.
This far-reaching offensive, which lasted from July 31 to the end of
October, may be divided into six successive phases, and ended with the
liberation of Ypres.
=First Phase=
(July 31--August 15.)
=Capture of the First and Second German Lines=
When the battle began, the firing line extended from Dixmude, along the
Yser Canal, then followed the Yperlee River, on the left bank of the
Yser Canal. It next passed through Lizerne to Het Sas, whence it
followed the canal to Boesinghe. Opposite this village the line crossed
the canal and the Ypres-Bruges railway, then passed the Quatre-Chemins
cross-roads, descending thence to Essenfarm and Kruppfarm, which lie on
either side of the Pilkem Road. Continuing west of Wieltje Village, it
passed south of Verlorenhoek Chateau, skirted Verlorenhoek Village, and
descended west of Hooge, after crossing the Ypres-Roulers railway. It
next skirted the northern part of Sanctuaire Wood, then entered the
latter, coming out to the south of Zwateleen. From there, the line
extended southwards, passing west of Hollebeke, east of Gapaard, and
skirting the eastern fringe of Ploegsteert Wood.
During the fortnight preceding the offensive, changes were made in the
order of the forces holding the line.
British troops relieved the Belgians and French who had been operating
near the coast, in the direction of Lombaertzyde. Moreover, the French
forces, placed at the disposal of General Anthoine, had taken up
positions between the Belgians and the British from Reninghe to
Elverdinghe.
[Illustration: FIRST STAGE OF THE ALLIES' ADVANCE FROM JULY 31 TO AUGUST
11, 1917 (31/7--11/8)]
At 4 a.m. on July 31, in spite of unfavourable weather, the British
troops, under the command of Generals Plumer and Gough, co-operating
with the Franco-Belgian troops led by General Anthoine, attacked in
force along a front of fourteen miles from Dixmude to the Lys.
In the French sector, the greater part of the troops had crossed the
Yser during the night. The artillery then pounded the first and second
German lines, and as soon as the range had been lengthened, the infantry
dashed forward. At the scheduled hour the first and second enemy lines
from Dixmude to Bixschoote, to a depth in places of almost two miles,
were occupied, while Bixschoote, Steenstraat, and Kortekeer Inn fell.
The British were on the right of the French. The Ypres-Roulers Road
formed the axis on which their attack turned. On the left of this road
they pierced the German lines to a depth of nearly two miles, and
occupied the bridges over the Steenbeek Canal. Several villages were
captured: Verlorenhoek, Frezenberg, St. Julien, Pilkem, in addition to a
large number of fortified farms and woods.
On the right of the Ypres-Roulers Road, the British encountered a very
strong resistance. The ground, more broken than that on the other part
of the battle-front, and also intersected with woods, enabled the
Germans to keep several _points d'appui_. Despite the fiercest fighting,
it was impossible to drive them out of part of the second position on
the right wing. Nevertheless, an advance of about a mile in depth was
made in this sector, and the village of Hooge and Sanctuary Wood were
captured.
On their extreme right the British had captured Hollebeke Village early
that morning.
The next day (August 1), the Germans replied but feebly in the French
sector, while in the British sector, in spite of the rain, they
counter-attacked with the greatest fury.
Near St. Julien the line fell back slightly, but along the rest of the
front the positions were fully maintained.
The first phase in the liberation of Ypres was over.
In forty-eight hours, the offensive, methodically prepared and carried
out, had attained the objectives, given the Allies more than 6,000
prisoners and an immense quantity of stores.
During the following days, in spite of torrential rain, the Germans
attempted unsuccessfully to retake the lost ground, some of the attacks
being particularly fierce.
In the sector held by the French troops there was little more than a
heavy bombardment on either side. French raids on fortified farms held
by the Germans resulted in slight progress being made to the north of
Bixschoote and Kortekeer Inn.
The British, on the other hand, had to face strong counter-attacks. On
August 1, the Germans succeeded in regaining a footing in their old
advanced positions along the Ypres-Roulers Road. On the 2nd, the British
lines between St. Julien and the Ypres-Bruges railway were attacked in
force. The village of St. Julien was lost, but was finally retaken on
the 3rd. On the 4th, the British line was advanced beyond St. Julien.
On August 5, during a fresh attack on both banks of the Ypres-Comines
Canal, the Germans retook Hollebeke, but were driven out almost
immediately.
On the night of the 5th they again attacked Hollebeke, but without
success.
On the 10th, an interesting operation was carried out by the British.
The front attacked was shorter than in the offensive of July 31, and
extended about a mile and a half to the south of the Ypres-Roulers Road.
Early in the morning the British were in complete possession of Westhoek
Village, after which a violent struggle took place for the high ground
round the village. By evening all the objectives had been attained,
including the capture of Westhoek Crest and Glencorse Wood.
August 12 was marked by six enemy counter-attacks, which caused a slight
withdrawal of the line to the south of Glencorse Wood. Everywhere else
the Allies' positions were fully maintained.
=Second Phase=
(_August 15--September 19, 1917._)
The Allies resumed their offensive on August 15 along a front of some
nine miles, from the Yser Canal to the Ypres-Menin Road.
The attack began at 4.45 a.m. The French attacked on both sides of the
Steenstraat-Dixmude Road, crossing the Steenbeek stream in the morning.
Driegrachten Bridgehead was taken after hand-to-hand fighting, while in
the evening the whole of the strip of ground between the Yser and the
Martjet-Vaart Canal was in the hands of the French.
The British operating on the right of the French rapidly attained their
first objectives, then vigorously following up this first success, they
took by assault the village of Langemarck and its strong defences,
advanced 800 yards beyond the village and captured the whole system of
trenches.
To the south, along the Ypres-Menin Road, the struggle was more
stubborn, the Germans resisting desperately. A series of furious
counter-attacks enabled them finally to preserve their line practically
intact in this district.
The day's captures included more than 2,000 prisoners, of whom thirty
were officers, and twenty-four guns, including several of large calibre.
Desperate fighting continued until September 19 without, however,
altering the positions established on August 15.
On August 19, the British, by small local attacks, advanced about 500
yards on the Ypres-Poelcappelle Road and captured several fortified
farms.
The Germans made desperate efforts to hold the high wooded ground
comprising Polygone and Inverness Woods, near the Ypres-Roulers Road.
On the 22nd the fighting increased in fierceness. The British advanced
only with great difficulty, and the eastern edges of Inverness Wood were
hotly contested.
In these combats, from which neither side gained any decisive advantage,
the Germans made use for the first time of liquid fire, thanks to which
innovation they succeeded temporarily in retaking the north-western
corner of Inverness Wood, but were soon driven out.
[Illustration: SECOND STAGE: THE ATTACK OF AUGUST 15 (15/8)]
Further north, the British, on August 24 and 25, advanced their lines to
the north of St. Julien and Langemarck.
During the following days, persistent rains prevented any further
operations. Infantry actions were now succeeded by continuous
bombardments on both sides, and by isolated raids.
=Third Phase=
(_September 20--October 3, 1917._)
On September 20 a fresh offensive was begun along the whole front from
Langemarck to the Ypres-Menin Road, a distance of eight miles.
The part assigned for the French troops under General Anthoine was
merely to protect the left wing of the British Army which, pivoting on
Hollebeke, was to wheel and advance its marching wing in a direction at
right-angles to the Zonnebeke-Gheluvelt line.
All the objectives were attained at an early hour.
Inverness Wood, which had been hotly disputed for the six previous
weeks, was taken by the London troops.
The Australians retook by assault Glencorse Wood--lost a few days
before--and Nonnes Wood. The Scottish and South African Brigades
captured the fortified farms of Vampire and Borry, and the Potsdam and
Anzac Redoubts. Lancashire Territorials carried Iberian Farm and next
day (the 21st) Gallipoli Farm.
The British then attacked the second German lines. On the right the
Territorials[1] fought violent engagements to the north of the bend in
the Ypres-Comines Canal, near Klein Zillebeke, and in the vicinity of
the position known as Tower Hamlet.
In the centre, progress was more important. The ground hereabouts rises
in a small plateau about 220 feet in height, which dominates the whole
battlefield and extends in two long spurs: one running north-east
towards Zonnebeke, the other southwards towards Menin. The Germans had
fortified these positions very strongly and withdrawn their main line of
defence to the eastern edge of the plateau, _i.e._ opposite the side by
which the enemy must attack. This line protected the village of
Zevenkote and the western edge of Polygone Wood, leaving in front the
woods of Nonnes, Glencorse and Inverness, and Herenthage Park, the
eastern edge of which latter it followed. The woods were strongly
fortified, and the British had twice previously (July 31 and August 16)
vainly endeavoured to capture them.
It was the Northern troops and the Australians who carried these
positions, advancing to a depth of 1,700 yards and taking Veldhoek and
the western part of Polygone Wood--the principal centre of the German
resistance. Further north, Zevenkote was captured and the London
Territorials, supported by the Highlanders, seized a second line of
farms.
In the evening of September 20, the front ran approximately as follows:
from Rose Farm (700 yards west of Poelcappelle) to Fokker Farm (on the
eastern edges of Zevenkote); across the western part of Polygone
Wood--including Veldhoek--then to the east of Herenthage Chateau, and
ending at Hollebeke.
The Germans, in their costly and unsuccessful efforts to retake the lost
positions, suffered exceedingly heavy losses, without gaining any
advantage.
On the morning of the 26th the British continued their attack along a
five-mile front, from the east of St. Julien to Tower Hamlet near the
Ypres-Menin Road.
The rest of Tower Hamlet Spur was captured, in addition to the whole of
Polygone Wood.
Further north, a fresh advance of 1,700 yards was made, and the strongly
fortified village of Zonnebeke remained in the hands of the British.
Besides the gain in ground, more than 4,000 prisoners were taken.
The Germans, by a series of powerful counter-attacks, sought to win back
the lost positions. On the evening of the 26th, four attacks were made
in the neighbourhood of Tower Hamlet.
[Illustration: THIRD STAGE: BRITISH ADVANCE FROM SEPT. 20 TO SEPT. 26
(20/9--26/9)]
On the 27th they attacked the village of Zonnebeke, while on the morning
of the 30th three attacks were made, without result, on both sides of
the Ypres-Menin Road.
On October 1 the Germans attacked three times on a front of 1,700 yards
to the south of the Ypres-Menin Road, while the same night two fresh
assaults gave no appreciable result.
[Illustration: BATTERY OF BRITISH HEAVY HOWITZERS IN ACTION]
=Fourth Phase=
(_October 4--8, 1917._)
The increasing activity of the Germans did not in any way prevent the
British from preparing a fresh offensive. On the morning of October 4,
English divisions, supported by Welsh, Scottish and Irish battalions,
attacked along a front of ten miles, between Tower Hamlet and the north
of Langemarck. The Germans, disconcerted and surprised by this
unexpected attack--they were themselves preparing to attack with five
divisions--fell back from the beginning of the action.
[Illustration: PART OF THE GROUND COVERED BY THE OFFENSIVE, SEEN FROM AN
AEROPLANE]
A rapid advance of one-half to nearly two miles was made.
South of the Menin Road the objectives were attained almost at the
outset.
To the north of the same road the enemy resistance was more stubborn.
Nevertheless, the villages of Reutel and Polderhoek, together with the
chateau of that name, were captured, freeing at the same time the top of
the crest, whose eastern slopes run down to the village of Bacelaere.
Further north, the Australians captured Noordhemhoek and
Molenaarelsthoek, reached Broodseinde Crest, and thus advanced beyond
the Bacelaere-Broodseinde Road.
On the other side of the Ypres-Roulers railway, the British drew
appreciably nearer Passchendaele, captured Gravenstafel and a certain
number of fortified farms, and approached the western outskirts of
Poelcappelle.
[Illustration: FOURTH STAGE: THE 4TH OCTOBER, 1917 (4/10)]
In spite of the violent storm which was then raging, all the objectives
were attained and the line of crests conquered.
Owing to the very large numbers of troops massed on the front at the
time of the attack, the German losses, which included 4,500 prisoners,
were particularly heavy.
[Illustration: A DIFFICULT CROSSING. BRITISH AND BELGIAN SOLDIERS]
=Fifth Phase=
(_October 9--12, 1917._)
To completely clear Ypres, a few strongly fortified villages beyond the
line of crests captured on October 4 had still to be taken. These formed
the objective of the attacks of October 9 and 12.
On October 9, in spite of the appalling weather, the British attacked
again on a front stretching from St. Janshoek (a mile north of
Bixschoote) to the south-east of Broodseinde. The French were holding a
front rather less than two miles in length to the north of Bixschoote,
and had for objective the southern edge of Houthulst Forest.
The signal to attack was given at 5.30 a.m. Despite the rain, which had
been falling incessantly for several days, the infantry crossed first
the canal in flood, then a veritable sea of mud, and captured Mangelaere
and Veldhoek. They advanced rather more than a mile and reached the
south-western edge of Houthulst Forest, after having captured numerous
strongly fortified farms and blockhouses.
The British sector extended from the north-west of Poelcappelle to
Broodseinde, and formed a front of some seven miles.
On the right, the Manchester Regiment and the Lancashire Fusiliers
advanced from 1,600 to 2,000 yards in the direction of Passchendaele,
and carried the line beyond the crests occupied on October 4.
In the centre, many farms, redoubts and blockhouses were captured.
[Illustration: FIFTH STAGE: THE BRITISH ATTACK HOUTHULST FOREST AND
APPROACH PASSCHENDAELE]
To the north, the capture of Poelcappelle was completed, the British
joining hands with the French on the outskirts of Houthulst Forest.
More than 2,000 prisoners were taken.
[Illustration: SIXTH STAGE: BY NOV. 6, YPRES WAS COMPLETELY CLEARED]
=Sixth Phase=
(_October 22--November 6, 1917._)
After a short rest, during which the new positions were consolidated--in
view of enemy counter-attacks--the battle broke out afresh on October
22.