Battle of Ypres

I

Introduction

Battle of Ypres, name applied to three battles of World War I (1914-1918) fought in and around the town of Ypres (also known as Ieper), Belgium. Throughout the war Ypres was under constant attack as the key point of an Allied salient (outwardly projecting battle line) that blocked a German approach to the English Channel.

II

First Battle (October-November 1914)

The first battle at Ypres took place when outnumbered British, French, and Belgian troops resisted a German offensive aimed at the French ports of Calais and Dunkerque on the English Channel. The offensive, potentially disastrous to the Allied cause, was finally stemmed after heavy fighting. The battle resulted in fixed military positions, initiating the long period of trench warfare on the western front. Allied casualties totaled more than 100,000; German casualties were more than 130,000.

III

Second Battle (April-May 1915)

The second battle ensued when the Germans carried out an experiment with a new military weapon, poisonous chlorine gas. After five weeks of fighting, a stalemate had been reached, and the Germans brought the battle to an end. German casualties totaled about 35,000 officers and men; Allied casualties were about 60,000.

IV

Third Battle (July-November 1917)

Known also as the Passendale campaign, the third battle of Ypres was precipitated by a massive British offensive directed against enemy installations. In its initial phase the operation succeeded brilliantly. On June 7, 1917, British forces took the strategically important village of Messines, the heights of which commanded miles of German-occupied territory. However, the main phase of the offensive, from July to November, proved disastrous. Prolonged rainfall and heavy Allied bombardment had transformed the battlefield into a swamp, and the Germans, operating from concrete pillboxes, took a heavy toll of Allied troops with mustard gas and machine-gun fire. After months of bitter fighting in deep mud, Canadian infantrymen captured the ruined village of Passendale. At this point the Allied command halted the offensive. Allied troops had pushed the German lines back only 8 km (5 mi); each side suffered some 250,000 casualties.

---

---

	More from Encarta
	•  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain