Omissions? By nightfall the XXIII Corps had crossed the Yser canal and the XXVI had advanced some 2 miles (3 km), capturing the high ground at Pilckem (later called Mauser) Ridge and approaching the town of St. Julien (now St. Juliaan), some 2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of Ypres. Lachlan Roche Mr. Whitfield Social Studies 17, April 2015 The Second Battle of Ypres The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time a former colonial force defeated a European power on European soil. A dangerous method of dispersal, it resulted in numerous casualties among the German forces. He painted this enormous work of art, with the canvas 371.5 by 589.0 centimetres, in his London studio. Though the Canadian troops attempted to improvise protective measures such as covering their mouths and noses with water or urine-soaked handkerchiefs, they were ultimately forced to fall back though they exacted a high price from the Germans. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? During the course of the battle, the Germans debuted the use of poison gas on the Western Front. Though the Germans had not achieved a breakthrough, they succeeded in bringing Ypres within range of their artillery. The second battle of Ypres was fought between April 22 and May 25 in 1915. Flares soared upward, rifle fire flickered from the parapet, and the two battalions charged. Formations in the salient were cautioned to expect an attack, but the intended use of gas was not communicated to the troops. Second Ypres was a hard and exhausting struggle, with the ‘Old Army’ Divisions, the 4th, 5th, 27th and 28th, bearing the brunt of the fighting. Fighting on the Eastern Front. Opposite the French, the Germans had added slightly to the ground they had captured west of the canal, in spite of the efforts of the French 87th Territorial Division reserves and fresh troops transferred from Nieuport (now Niewpoort) to stop them. The Germans use chlorine gas on the Western Front for the first time, tearing a four-mile gap in the allied lines. On 22 April 1915, at the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans (violating the Hague Convention) used chlorine gas for the first time on the Western Front. Canadian forces would return to the Ypres salient in 1917 for the Battle of Passchendaele  also known as the Third Battle of Ypres a bloody conflict that resulted in 15,654 Canadian casualties (including over 4,000 killed). It was during this time that Canadian officer John McCrae penned the first lines of the poem “In Flanders Fields” as a tribute to a friend who had been killed in the fighting. However, no German troops were ready to pass through. Though the Germans had failed the frontal assault on the Allies, they had gained the much needed high ground in the area. If the French could not recover the ground on the left, an extensive withdrawal would be necessary, and converging German attacks might break down the apex before the withdrawal could be completed. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Battle of Ypres 1915 Cost 6000 Canadian Casualties, The Battle of Passchendaele - World War I, M.S., Information and Library Science, Drexel University, B.A., History and Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. In the spring of 1915, the Germans were preparing a major offensive against Russia, but the development … During the Second Battle Ypres, the British suffered around 59,275 casualties, while the Germans only had 34,933. The Battle of Frezenberg: 8–13 May 1915 The Battle of Bellewaarde: 24–25 May 1915 The scene of the battles was the Ypres salient on the Western Front, where the Allied line which followed the canal … Second Battle of Ypres in Southern Victory Edit. of Guelph wrote "In Flanders Fields" in the voice of those who perished in the war. For the first time, a former colonial force (the 1st Canadian Division) defeated a European power (the German Empire) on … In October, the Germans attempted to breakthrough at the town of Ypres in Flanders. It marked the first time that Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front. It was fought for control of the town of Ypres in western Belgium. These activities diverted the Allies’ attention from the northern face of the salient, where the first German blow would strike the junctions of the British, French, and Belgian forces. The Second Battle Of Ypres 1093 Words | 5 Pages. In preparation for the assault, German troops moved 5,730 90 lb. Posted on May 8, 2015. Although the gas attack opened a wide hole in the Allied line, the Germans failed to exploit that advantage. Naval Operations in the Dardanelles Campaign. However, the legacy was not easily earned as they had to pay the price of losing most of their troops who were either wounded, killed, or had went … Two German corps were to follow through the gap made by the gas cloud. It is historically significant because it was the first time a colony defeated Europe in a battle fought on their soil. The effect of the gas on the French was greater than the German infantry had anticipated. Illustration for John McCrae's “In Flanders Fields” from a limited-edition book (1921) containing the poem. To seal the breach, the 1st Canadian Division of General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien's Second British Army was shifted to the area after dark. As the gas was denser than air it quickly filled low-lying areas, such as trenches, forcing the surviving French defenders into the open where they were susceptible to German fire. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. This attack began at 5:00 pm, and the right advanced to the thin line of the 1st Canadian Brigade; the left, briefly assisted by a French battalion, came up abreast and extended to the canal. Although the gas attack opened a wide hole in the Allied line, the Germans failed to exploit that advantage. [57] [58] Tanks were first … “In Flanders Fields” was published in Punch in December 1915, and it became perhaps the best-known poem about World War I. In short order, a gap of around 8,000 yards opened in the Allied lines as around 6,000 French soldiers died from gas-related causes. Gas was not a new weapon in 1915 but the Second Battle of Ypres was the first time chlorine gas was used and the first time it was employed on such a scale. A German move to widen the breach had failed, a German attempt to cross the canal in front of the Belgians had met with no success, and the right flank of the Belgian 6th Division still held. This new technology provided an initial advantage, but the Germans were ultimately stopped after heavy fighting. The greatest handicap was lack of artillery support: the Canadian frontage was 300 yards (roughly 275 metres) per gun. The Germans wished to gain an advantage over the Allied Forces at the Eastern front where defeating the Russians … In fact, the German XXIII and XXVI Reserve Corps, after a short artillery preparation, had attacked under cover of a discharge of nearly 200 tons (180,000 kg) of chlorine gas. e Second Battle of Ypres is today remembered as marking the rst use of gas on the Western Front. After a pause of eleven days, the Germans resumed the battle by releasing their largest gas attack to date across a 4.5-mile section of the front. Cassar deals with the entire 2nd Ypres. This resulted in the First Battle of Ypres which saw the Allies hold a salient around Ypres after brutal fighting. The Battle for Ypres, 1915' by J.L. Though Germany had elected to follow an "east-first" approach, Falkenhayn started planning for an operation against Ypres to begin in April. The attack was unsuccessful and was broken off in May. As trench warfare continued, both sides began assessing their options for bringing the war to a successful conclusion. This focus ultimately resulted in the stunningly successful Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive in May. Finally reaching the coast, the Western Front became a continuous line stretching to the Swiss frontier. On April 14 reliable and detailed information was received at British and French headquarters that the Germans intended to use a new weapon, asphyxiating gas discharged from cylinders, opposite the northern edge of the Ypres salient at Langemarck (now Langemark). Its deadly effect was carried on … 22, 1915, when the Germans, using poison gas for the first time in the war, launched another massive assault on the salient at Ypres. In early April 1915 the Allied forces on the Ypres front comprised (from south to north) elements of the two corps of the British Second Army—which included the 1st Canadian Division—commanded by Gen. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, the French 45th (Algerian) and 87th Territorial divisions under Gen. Henri Putz, and the Belgian 6th Division under Maj. Gen. Armand de Ceuninck. Father and son who died on the same day in World War I The Second Battle of Ypres. Around 5:00 PM on April 22, 1915, troops from Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg's German 4th Army began releasing the gas towards the French troops at Gravenstafel. Reinforced by two platoons and a machine gun from the Canadian 13th Battalion, this force formed a short but effective flank. The reinforcements arrived at the front line about 1:00 am. It targeted a 4-mile stretch of the Allied line on the north side of the salient, held by French and Algerian troops. Second Battle of Ypres, (April 22–May 25, 1915), second of three costly battles in World War I at Ypres (now Ieper), in western Flanders. The situation of the defenders at the point of the new salient was becoming more serious by the hour. The Second Battle of Ypres was a First World War battle fought for control of the strategic Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium in the spring of 1915, following the First Battle of Ypres the previous autumn. Second Battle of Ypres, (April 22–May 25, 1915), second of three costly battles in World War I at Ypres (now Ieper), in western Flanders. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Australian soldiers wearing gas masks during the Second Battle of Ypres, 1915. The Canadians held the old front line and the flank along the St. Julien–Poelcappelle road in the hope that a counterattack would restore the shattered left. Their first move was to be securing a bridgehead across the Yser (Ijzer) canal. 11 - May Flowers, 1915 - Old World In Ruins, Eastern Front. The Second Battle of Ypres, 22 April to 25 May 1915 War artist Richard Jack portrays the Canadian stand during the Second Battle of Ypres, which he did not witness. The Second Battle of Ypres comprised the only major attack launched by the German forces on the Western Front in 1915, Eric von Falkenhayn preferring to concentrate German efforts against the Russians on the Eastern Front. Though the Germans had failed to break through the Allied lines, they reduced the Ypres Salient to around three miles which allowed for the shelling of the city. As the two sides sought an advantage, they clashed in Picardy, Albert, and Artois. Thus, the threat of combined Allied operations by sea and land along the Flemish coast would be dispelled and the stage set for a German thrust toward the Channel ports. Chief of the General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn. Published in Punch 8 December 1915, the poem is still recited on Remembrance Day and Memorial Day. Subscribe to Dispatches Support the Great … Conditions to the left of the Canadian front were precarious from the first, but some 200 Algerians, although gassed, took up a position near and parallel to the road between Ypres and the village of Poelcappelle (now Poelkapelle) to the northeast. Over subsequent weeks, the Germans proved unable to replicate the success of their initial gas attack, and casualties continued to mount on both sides. When he volunteered at age 41 for service in the First World War, McCrae wrote to a friend that “I am really rather afraid, but more afraid to stay at home with my conscience.” In April 1915, McCrae and a young friend, Alexis Helmer,…, …a 6-km (4-mile) front at Ypres, Belgium, on April 22, 1915, creating a wind-borne chemical cloud that opened a major breach in the lines of the unprepared French and Algerian units. The Second Battle of Ypres April and May 1915 saw 121 Lancastrians killed, making them the worst two months of the War for the town. 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