This far-reaching offensive, which lasted from July 31 to the end of October, may be divided into six successive phases, and ended with the liberation of Ypres.
=First Phase= (July 31--August 15.)
=Capture of the First and Second German Lines=
When the battle began, the firing line extended from Dixmude, along the Yser Ca.n.a.l, then followed the Yperlee River, on the left bank of the Yser Ca.n.a.l. It next pa.s.sed through Lizerne to Het Sas, whence it followed the ca.n.a.l to Boesinghe. Opposite this village the line crossed the ca.n.a.l and the Ypres-Bruges railway, then pa.s.sed the Quatre-Chemins cross-roads, descending thence to Essenfarm and Kruppfarm, which lie on either side of the Pilkem Road. Continuing west of Wieltje Village, it pa.s.sed south of Verlorenhoek Chateau, skirted Verlorenhoek Village, and descended west of Hooge, after crossing the Ypres-Roulers railway. It next skirted the northern part of Sanctuaire Wood, then entered the latter, coming out to the south of Zwateleen. From there, the line extended southwards, pa.s.sing west of Hollebeke, east of Gapaard, and skirting the eastern fringe of Ploegsteert Wood.
During the fortnight preceding the offensive, changes were made in the order of the forces holding the line.
British troops relieved the Belgians and French who had been operating near the coast, in the direction of Lombaertzyde. Moreover, the French forces, placed at the disposal of General Anthoine, had taken up positions between the Belgians and the British from Reninghe to Elverdinghe.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIRST STAGE OF THE ALLIES" ADVANCE FROM JULY 31 TO AUGUST 11, 1917 (31/7--11/8)]
At 4 a.m. on July 31, in spite of unfavourable weather, the British troops, under the command of Generals Plumer and Gough, co-operating with the Franco-Belgian troops led by General Anthoine, attacked in force along a front of fourteen miles from Dixmude to the Lys.
In the French sector, the greater part of the troops had crossed the Yser during the night. The artillery then pounded the first and second German lines, and as soon as the range had been lengthened, the infantry dashed forward. At the scheduled hour the first and second enemy lines from Dixmude to Bixschoote, to a depth in places of almost two miles, were occupied, while Bixschoote, Steenstraat, and Kortekeer Inn fell.
The British were on the right of the French. The Ypres-Roulers Road formed the axis on which their attack turned. On the left of this road they pierced the German lines to a depth of nearly two miles, and occupied the bridges over the Steenbeek Ca.n.a.l. Several villages were captured: Verlorenhoek, Frezenberg, St. Julien, Pilkem, in addition to a large number of fortified farms and woods.
On the right of the Ypres-Roulers Road, the British encountered a very strong resistance. The ground, more broken than that on the other part of the battle-front, and also intersected with woods, enabled the Germans to keep several _points d"appui_. Despite the fiercest fighting, it was impossible to drive them out of part of the second position on the right wing. Nevertheless, an advance of about a mile in depth was made in this sector, and the village of Hooge and Sanctuary Wood were captured.
On their extreme right the British had captured Hollebeke Village early that morning.
The next day (August 1), the Germans replied but feebly in the French sector, while in the British sector, in spite of the rain, they counter-attacked with the greatest fury.
Near St. Julien the line fell back slightly, but along the rest of the front the positions were fully maintained.
The first phase in the liberation of Ypres was over.
In forty-eight hours, the offensive, methodically prepared and carried out, had attained the objectives, given the Allies more than 6,000 prisoners and an immense quant.i.ty of stores.
During the following days, in spite of torrential rain, the Germans attempted unsuccessfully to retake the lost ground, some of the attacks being particularly fierce.
In the sector held by the French troops there was little more than a heavy bombardment on either side. French raids on fortified farms held by the Germans resulted in slight progress being made to the north of Bixschoote and Kortekeer Inn.
The British, on the other hand, had to face strong counter-attacks. On August 1, the Germans succeeded in regaining a footing in their old advanced positions along the Ypres-Roulers Road. On the 2nd, the British lines between St. Julien and the Ypres-Bruges railway were attacked in force. The village of St. Julien was lost, but was finally retaken on the 3rd. On the 4th, the British line was advanced beyond St. Julien.
On August 5, during a fresh attack on both banks of the Ypres-Comines Ca.n.a.l, the Germans retook Hollebeke, but were driven out almost immediately.
On the night of the 5th they again attacked Hollebeke, but without success.
On the 10th, an interesting operation was carried out by the British.
The front attacked was shorter than in the offensive of July 31, and extended about a mile and a half to the south of the Ypres-Roulers Road.
Early in the morning the British were in complete possession of Westhoek Village, after which a violent struggle took place for the high ground round the village. By evening all the objectives had been attained, including the capture of Westhoek Crest and Glencorse Wood.
August 12 was marked by six enemy counter-attacks, which caused a slight withdrawal of the line to the south of Glencorse Wood. Everywhere else the Allies" positions were fully maintained.
=Second Phase= (_August 15--September 19, 1917._)
The Allies resumed their offensive on August 15 along a front of some nine miles, from the Yser Ca.n.a.l to the Ypres-Menin Road.
The attack began at 4.45 a.m. The French attacked on both sides of the Steenstraat-Dixmude Road, crossing the Steenbeek stream in the morning.
Driegrachten Bridgehead was taken after hand-to-hand fighting, while in the evening the whole of the strip of ground between the Yser and the Martjet-Vaart Ca.n.a.l was in the hands of the French.
The British operating on the right of the French rapidly attained their first objectives, then vigorously following up this first success, they took by a.s.sault the village of Langemarck and its strong defences, advanced 800 yards beyond the village and captured the whole system of trenches.
To the south, along the Ypres-Menin Road, the struggle was more stubborn, the Germans resisting desperately. A series of furious counter-attacks enabled them finally to preserve their line practically intact in this district.
The day"s captures included more than 2,000 prisoners, of whom thirty were officers, and twenty-four guns, including several of large calibre.
Desperate fighting continued until September 19 without, however, altering the positions established on August 15.
On August 19, the British, by small local attacks, advanced about 500 yards on the Ypres-Poelcappelle Road and captured several fortified farms.
The Germans made desperate efforts to hold the high wooded ground comprising Polygone and Inverness Woods, near the Ypres-Roulers Road.
On the 22nd the fighting increased in fierceness. The British advanced only with great difficulty, and the eastern edges of Inverness Wood were hotly contested.
In these combats, from which neither side gained any decisive advantage, the Germans made use for the first time of liquid fire, thanks to which innovation they succeeded temporarily in retaking the north-western corner of Inverness Wood, but were soon driven out.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SECOND STAGE: THE ATTACK OF AUGUST 15 (15/8)]
Further north, the British, on August 24 and 25, advanced their lines to the north of St. Julien and Langemarck.
During the following days, persistent rains prevented any further operations. Infantry actions were now succeeded by continuous bombardments on both sides, and by isolated raids.
=Third Phase= (_September 20--October 3, 1917._)
On September 20 a fresh offensive was begun along the whole front from Langemarck to the Ypres-Menin Road, a distance of eight miles.
The part a.s.signed for the French troops under General Anthoine was merely to protect the left wing of the British Army which, pivoting on Hollebeke, was to wheel and advance its marching wing in a direction at right-angles to the Zonnebeke-Gheluvelt line.
All the objectives were attained at an early hour.
Inverness Wood, which had been hotly disputed for the six previous weeks, was taken by the London troops.
The Australians retook by a.s.sault Glencorse Wood--lost a few days before--and Nonnes Wood. The Scottish and South African Brigades captured the fortified farms of Vampire and Borry, and the Potsdam and Anzac Redoubts. Lancashire Territorials carried Iberian Farm and next day (the 21st) Gallipoli Farm.
The British then attacked the second German lines. On the right the Territorials[1] fought violent engagements to the north of the bend in the Ypres-Comines Ca.n.a.l, near Klein Zillebeke, and in the vicinity of the position known as Tower Hamlet.
In the centre, progress was more important. The ground hereabouts rises in a small plateau about 220 feet in height, which dominates the whole battlefield and extends in two long spurs: one running north-east towards Zonnebeke, the other southwards towards Menin. The Germans had fortified these positions very strongly and withdrawn their main line of defence to the eastern edge of the plateau, _i.e._ opposite the side by which the enemy must attack. This line protected the village of Zevenkote and the western edge of Polygone Wood, leaving in front the woods of Nonnes, Glencorse and Inverness, and Herenthage Park, the eastern edge of which latter it followed. The woods were strongly fortified, and the British had twice previously (July 31 and August 16) vainly endeavoured to capture them.
It was the Northern troops and the Australians who carried these positions, advancing to a depth of 1,700 yards and taking Veldhoek and the western part of Polygone Wood--the princ.i.p.al centre of the German resistance. Further north, Zevenkote was captured and the London Territorials, supported by the Highlanders, seized a second line of farms.