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Welcome to the Ramsbottom Branch of The Royal British Legion | ||||||
The Battle of Ypres
The Great War 1914 - 18 |
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The Battle of Ypres
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The Battle of Ypres (and the numerous battles that
surrounded this Flanders town) has become linked forever with World War
One. Along with the Battle of the Somme, the battles at Ypres and
Passchendaele have gone down in history The town had been the centre of
battles before due to its strategic position, but the sheer devastation
of the town and the surrounding countryside seems to perfectly summarise
the futility of battles fought in World War One. The land surrounding Ypres to the north is flat and canals and rivers link it to the coast. The major centre in this part of Flanders was Ypres. Control of the town gave control of the surrounding countryside and all the major roads converged on the town. To the south of the town the land rises to about 500 feet (the Mesen Ridge) which would give a significant height advantage to whichever side controlled this ridge of high land. British troops entered Ypres in October 1914. They were unaware of the size of the German force advancing on the town. However, numbers did not make up for experience as the Germans used what were effectively students to attack professional British soldiers based north of the town at a place named Langemark. Eyewitnesses claim to have seen the German troops, with just 6 weeks training, with arms linked singing patriotic songs as they advanced towards the British. 1,500 Germans were killed and 600 taken prisoner. Fierce fighting took place around the town and neither the British nor the Germans could claim to control the area. At a place called Wijtschate (about 10 miles south of Ypres) a German corporal called Adolf Hitler rescued a wounded comrade and won the highest honour a German soldier could win - the Iron Cross. Despite fearsome losses on both sides, neither could dominate the other. |
British soldiers huddle in the snow outside of Ypres The treeless background summarises the bombardment the region suffered from and the conditions the soldiers lived in. Ypres in ruins |
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The first days of November directly affected the
town. Each day Ypres was shelled and civilian casualties were high. This
tactic set the scene for what Ypres was to suffer for several more
years. By the winter, the Germans had not taken Ypres and heavy rain
meant that any movement was impossible as the roads turned to mud. The
first battle at Ypres limped to a halt. |
Ypres in ruins Devastation of Chateau Wood Ypres 1917 Tyne Cot Cemetery Ypres |
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