Pre-war Ypres in 1914 |
Post First Ypres 1914 |
On the evening of 20th October, Sir John French in Ypres had an anxious conversation with his senior generals. It was now evident, despite earlier optimism, that the most they could do was to hold the Ypres salient from the Lys to Dixmude until Joffre could send help in the form of the French reinforcements. This would not be for at least 3 days, leaving a precariously and thinly stretched line of defence.
On 22nd October Haig’s 1st
Corps, now north of Ypres ran into a heavy German assault at Pilkem, and they
had to dig in there. Heading north to Bixschute and Langemarck the Germans were
unable to break through, and held their line there. Further south there was a
long line from the Zandvoorde ridge to south of Messines held only by two cavalry divisions, dismounted in trenches. The loop round Ypres from Bixschute to
Messines was approximately the line holding on 23rd October.
Falkenhayn was determined to push this line and break through and he began to move reserve armies and redirect front line troops from elsewhere to create an unstoppable force that he intended to unleash by 30th October. Continuing pressure on the left of the British line came from direction of Zonnebeke, and it was only thanks to some timely French reinforcements from the extreme left of the allied line towards the coast that it held. On the 24th the eastern point of the salient cracked, and the Germans penetrated into Polygon Wood at Becelaere for the first time, following through to Kruseik, close to Zandvoorde. Heavy fighting continued for several days.
Falkenhayn was determined to push this line and break through and he began to move reserve armies and redirect front line troops from elsewhere to create an unstoppable force that he intended to unleash by 30th October. Continuing pressure on the left of the British line came from direction of Zonnebeke, and it was only thanks to some timely French reinforcements from the extreme left of the allied line towards the coast that it held. On the 24th the eastern point of the salient cracked, and the Germans penetrated into Polygon Wood at Becelaere for the first time, following through to Kruseik, close to Zandvoorde. Heavy fighting continued for several days.
Advanced posts on the salient were pulled
back gradually over the next few days to try and stabilize the line. On27th Haig
and French met and decided to relieve Rawlinson’s exhausted and depleted 7th
Division, with Rawlinson returning home to supervise formation of the 8th
Division reinforcements, and to take the remains of the 7th under
command of Haig.
On the morning of 29th, the British intercepted
a German wireless message, and became aware of the huge assault force about to
break all over them. The next week produced the most severe carnage of the
whole of the Ypres 1 phase, characterise by desperate Allied defence against
overwhelmingly superior numbers and weaponry. The points of maximum danger were
at the northern (Bixschoote/Zonnebeke) and southern (Zandvoorde/Messines)
aspects of the salient. However, the first full frontal assault came at the
point, on Gheluvelt crossroads, as a reconnaissance for even stronger
reinforcements behind. In the south Pulteney’s 3rd Corps came under
heavy attack at Ploegsteert.
30th October was the day for the
main attack. Early on Wurtemberg took Bixschoote, but failed to drive the
French from Langemarck. The Germans blew the British trenches on the Zandvoorde
ridge to pieces, and soon the whole Division was compelled to fall back a mile
towards Klein Zillebeke, and south westwards back to Hollebeke, which fell to
the Germans. This made Gheluvelt a very sharp point to the salient, but Haig
resolved that the line to the canal south of Klein Zillebeke must be held at
all costs, in order to protect the lines of communication, otherwise Ypres
would fall. Kaiser Wilhelm was with the German army at the front, and had told the
Bavarian army that winning control of Ypres would determine the war. He
expressed the wish to stay in Ypres that day.
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