The First Battle of Ypres (19 October – 22 November 1914) was a crucial first phase of the fighting in the Ypres salient. Fought after the “Race to the Sea”, the Allied forces—including the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), French, and Belgian armies—halted a major German offensive, ending mobile warfare and starting four years of static trench warfare.
Key Details of the Battle
- Dates: 19 October to 22 November 1914
- Location: Around Ypres (Ieper) in West Flanders, Belgium
- Main Forces: British Expeditionary Force (BEF), French Eighth Army, and Belgian forces against the German Empire.
- Outcome: Indecisive tactical result, but a strategic Allied success that stopped the German push toward the English Channel ports.
- Casualties: Roughly 54,000–58,000 British, 50,000–80,000 French, 21,000 Belgian, and 80,000–130,000 German losses.
Major Sub-Engagements
- Battle of Langemarck (21–24 October): British and French forces stopped massive infantry assaults, heavily depleting young German volunteer regiments.
- Battle of Gheluvelt (29–31 October): A dangerous German breakthrough near Gheluvelt was closed by a decisive counter-attack by the Worcestershire Regiment.
- Battle of Nonne Bosschen (11 November): Allied defenders, including the famed Prussian Guards, clashed in fierce woods before the onset of winter weather locked the lines in place
Such were the casualties sustained by the BEF, that the First Battle of Ypres saw many cavalry regiments dismounted and fighting in the trenches.
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