Everything about Battle Of The Yser totally explained
Belgium France
|combatant2=
German Empire
|commander1=
Albert I of Belgium
|commander2=
Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg
|strength1=Belgium: 4 infantry divisions, 2 reserve divisions
France: 1 infantry division, 2 Marine regiments
|strength2=6 Corps (12 divisions)
|casualties1=Belgium: 40,000
France: 15,000
|casualties2=
|}}
The
Battle of the Yser secured the coastline of
Belgium for the allies in the "
Race to the Sea" in the first three months of
World War I.
Introduction
As part of the execution of the
Schlieffen Plan, Belgium had been invaded by
Germany and after the
Siege of Antwerp, the remnants of the Belgian Army were pushed into the far south west of the country, behind a 22 mile long front on the
Yser Canal as the Germans tried to reach the
French Channel ports of
Calais and
Dunkerque. Just to the south the
First Battle of Ypres started concurrent with the Battle of the Yser.
Battle of the Yser
The entire Belgian Army was deployed to defend the front. The troops were exhausted and low on ammunition after two months of fighting and retreat. France reinforced the Belgians with 6,000 Marines and an infantry division.
The first skirmishes started on
16 October 1914. The town of
Diksmuide was attacked but the Germans were repelled by French marines and Belgian artillery. The following day German troops (consisting of trained conscripts, reservists and untrained students) moved southwards from
Bruges and
Ostend in the direction of the Yser river. It became clear that the
German Fourth Army was to take the line from
Nieuwpoort to
Ypres.
Admiral
Hood of the
Royal Navy commanded three
monitors,
Severn,
Humber and
Mersey, which bombarded the German army in
Lombardsijde from the sea the following day.
On
18 October the German offensive started. It initially overran the frontal defense positions of the Belgian,
British and French armies along a line stretching from Nieuwpoort down to
Arras in France. The objective was to defeat the Belgian and French armies and to deprive the British of access to the harbours of
Calais,
Boulogne and
Dunkerque.
It took four days of heavy fighting for the German troops to drive the allies back and reach the borders of the river Yser. On
21 October, the Germans were able to establish a small bridgehead on the other side of the river. The last bridge over the Yser was blown up on
23 October. Diksmuide bore the brunt of repeated German offensives and bombardments yet the town was still not taken.
The French high command planned to inundate large parts of their territory with water as a defensive measure and asked the Belgians to inundate part of their territory between the river Yser and the canals. On
25 October the pressure upon the Belgian army had grown so large that the decision was made to inundate the the entire Belgian front line. After an earlier failed experiment on
21 October during the nights of
26 October to
29 October the Belgian army managed to open the
Nieuwpoort drainage channels to sea water, steadily raising the water level until an impassable flooded marshland up to a mile wide as far south as Diksmuide was created. On
29 October Diksmuide finally fell into German hands. For
30 October, the Germans had planned another decisive attack. The attack broke through the Belgian second defense line but faced with Belgian and French counterattacks in front and the flooding in their backs, the attack was called off and the front stabilized.
Importance
The historical importance of the Battle of the Yser wasn't only the fact that the Germans didn't manage to defeat the Belgian Army but also lost the
Race to the Sea. Due to the flooding the final phase of the Race to the Sea would be fought around Ypres.
Through the horror of war, and through the experiences of ordinary foot soldiers,
Flemish national consciousness started to grow in the then overwhelmingly Francophone-dominated Belgian society.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Battle Of The Yser'.
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