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- Overview
- The forces at Ypres
- The German gas attack
- The Canadian counterattack
- Consolidation of the Allied line
- Results of the battle
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 battle marked the Germans’ first use of poison gas as a weapon. Although the gas attack opened a wide hole in the Allied line, the Germans failed to exploit that advantage.
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. The remainder of the Belgian army extended north through the area that had been flooded during the First Battle of Ypres. Opposite the Allies was the German Fourth Army under Albrecht, duke of Württemberg.
World War I Events
Battle of the Frontiers
August 4, 1914 - September 6, 1914
Battle of Mons
August 23, 1914
At 5:00 pm on April 22 a heavy greenish yellow haze rose from the German trenches opposite Langemarck and rolled southwestward on the gentle breeze of that sunny afternoon. Soon French troops were seen staggering back through a storm of high-explosive and gas shells, past the Canadian batteries and reserve infantry battalions. It was clear that the line on the left had broken, but the extent of the disaster was not realized at first. 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. The effect of the gas on the French was greater than the German infantry had anticipated. 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. By 8:00 pm there were no formed bodies of French troops east of the canal, all their batteries in that sector had been captured, and the entire left flank of the 1st Canadian Division lay exposed to attack. Although the Belgian and Canadian hinges held firm, the gates to Ypres had been thrown open. However, no German troops were ready to pass through.
At the first alarm, the Canadian garrison at St. Julien had rushed to man the half-made trenches north of the village, and the two brigades already in line had ordered their reserve battalions up to the left flank. The leftmost Canadian units pushed on for an additional 700 yards (0.6 km), where they found about 200 French soldiers with a machine gun who were occupying elements of a trench and in contact with the enemy.
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Meanwhile, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade prepared for a counterattack to capture the Bois des Cuisinièrs—an oak forest whose name the British and Canadians had translated as “Kitcheners’ Wood”—roughly 1,000 yards (0.9 km) west of St. Julien. Shortly before midnight, two Canadian reserve battalions, the 10th and the 16th, began their advance on the wood. Hedges and ditches made it difficult to keep order in the darkness, but the Canadians pressed on. Three hundred yards (some 270 metres) from the German trench covering the southern approach to the wood, the German defenders detected movement. Flares soared upward, rifle fire flickered from the parapet, and the two battalions charged. Sweeping over the trench, the Canadians pressed on through the wood, recovering the four guns of the 2nd London Heavy Battery, but, instead of advancing northwestward toward the east side of Pilckem as planned, they lost direction and emerged to dig in along a hedge northeast of the wood. Thus far, the counterattack had been a remarkable success, but German machine guns placed near the southwest corner of the wood still commanded the southern approaches. Before daylight the Canadian line was withdrawn to the captured trench south and east of the wood. The 16th Battalion extended toward St. Julien and dug in while the 10th held the left and patrolled the wood.
The situation of the defenders at the point of the new salient was becoming more serious by the hour. Between the Algerians’ position and St. Julien, a distance of over a mile, was a gap through which the Germans had penetrated, and a German machine gun swept the unprotected rear of the Allies’ old front line. 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. Shortly after 3:00 am on April 23, conditions were further improved by the arrival of the bulk of the Canadian 7th Battalion, which moved westward to dig a north-south line some 700 yards (0.6 km) long. The left flank of this line was in contact with the St. Julien garrison, whereas the right bent back some distance from the old front line.
As soon as Allied commanders received news of the breaking of the line on their left, they sent reinforcements to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade to strengthen the line between St. Julien and the Bois des Cuisinièrs. The reinforcements arrived at the front line about 1:00 am. The 1st Canadian Brigade was first sent to the west bank of the Yser canal and then ordered to cross and attack at 5:00 am from Hill Top Ridge to German-held Pilckem (Mauser) Ridge in conjunction with a detachment of the British 3rd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment on the right and a projected French advance on the left. This latter attack had been ordered by French Gen. Ferdinand Foch at about 8:00 pm on April 22 to regain the ground lost to the gas attack. The French 153rd Division was being brought up, but it took some time to gather fresh troops, and three Belgian battalions were lent for the attack. The greatest handicap was lack of artillery support: the Canadian frontage was 300 yards (roughly 275 metres) per gun.
At daybreak on April 23 the Allies began the arduous process of establishing a continuous line along the Canadian flank to join the French on the Yser canal. British and Canadian units advanced throughout the morning, effecting a link with the French on the left. Moving in the open by short rushes and under devastating fire, the 3rd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, carried that part of the line to the lower slopes of Pilckem Ridge, a short distance from the new German trenches. The promised French attack did not materialize, however, and the survivors of the Middlesex Regiment, too few to hold their advanced position, were forced to fall back. However, the Canadian left, now strengthened by the Canadian 1st Battalion, had stabilized.
The position of the front line at nightfall on April 23 was little different from that of the morning. 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. 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.
On the British front, the counterattacks of the morning had made it possible to build up the long exposed Canadian left flank, and, but for a gap of about 1,000 yards (0.9 km) north of St. Julien, a solid line of defense now existed from the original Canadian left to the canal. The situation of the troops in the salient remained desperate, however. 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.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The British steamship RMS Falaba becomes the first passenger ship to be sunk by German U-boat, U-28. 104 people are lost to the sea, including one American passenger. 22 April. The Second Battle of Ypres begins. Germany uses poison gas for the first time in a major offensive.
Feb 7, 2010 · A Dominion Premier (Sir R. Borden, Canada) for the first time attends meeting of the British Cabinet (see April 14th). Sherif of Mecca opens direct negotiations with British Government for co-operation against the Turks (see October 31st, 1914, and October 24th, 1915). Battle of Schaulen begins. 15th July
What are the important events that happened on April 14, 1915? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day. April 14, 1915: Facts & Myths About This Day. April 14, 1915 is the 104 th day of the year 1915 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 261 days remaining until the end of this year.
1915: Early trench battles. During 1915, the British and French undertook a series of unsuccessful attacks against the Germans on the Western Front. Apart from their one offensive at Ypres in April, the Germans spent most of the year on the defensive. But for both sides it was a tough learning experience.
Historical events: Dutch merchant navy ship Katwijk sunk by Germany torpedo. Day of the week: April 14th, 1915 was a Wednesday. Zodiac Sign: Aries (in western zodiac), Rabbit (in Chinese zodiac) Moon Phase: New Moon. #1 US song: My Molancholy Baby by Walter Van Brunt.
