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==Battle==

==Battle==

The First Battle of Ypres unfolded along a front some thirty-five miles in extent, stretching well to the north and south of Ypres proper. Because of this, and the fact that it is reckoned to have lasted slightly over a month, it is usually divided into smaller components: an opening action at the town of Langemarck, directly northeast of Ypres; battles at La Bassée and Armentières near the southern end of the line; renewed fighting around Ypres and especially at Gheluvelt to the east; and a final German offensive against the northern sector, at Nonne Bosschen, followed by some minor, local operations. Many of these "sub-battles" merged with one another in practice, though, so any such division is of limited utility. British veterans of the battle simply referred to it as "First Ypres" without further distinction. A corporal serving in a Bavarian Regiment, [[Adolf Hitler]], was temporarily blinded in a British gas attack.<ref>https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adolf-hitler-wounded-in-british-gas-attack</ref>

The First Battle of Ypres unfolded along a front some thirty-five miles in extent, stretching well to the north and south of Ypres proper. Because of this, and the fact that it is reckoned to have lasted slightly over a month, it is usually divided into smaller components: an opening action at the town of Langemarck, directly northeast of Ypres; battles at La Bassée and Armentières near the southern end of the line; renewed fighting around Ypres and especially at Gheluvelt to the east; and a final German offensive against the northern sector, at Nonne Bosschen, followed by some minor, local operations. Many of these "sub-battles" merged with one another in practice, though, so any such division is of limited utility. British veterans of the battle simply referred to it as "First Ypres" without further distinction. A corporal serving in a Bavarian Regiment, [[Adolf Hitler]], was temporarily blinded in a British gas attack.<ref>https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adolf-hitler-wounded-in-british-gas-attack</ref>

===Battle of Langemarck===

===Battle of Langemarck===

The BEF was heavily outnumbered, having on hand only seven divisions (three of them cavalry fighting dismounted) against fourteen German infantry divisions, and lacked sufficient artillery; however, the British were far better at delivering fast and accurately-aimed rifle fire, while the German attacks were poorly coordinated and delivered in large part by newly-trained troops advancing over open terrain in large, dense masses. Spearheaded by the 7th Division, the British defenders at Langemarck were able to repulse attack after attack, inflicting very heavy casualties in the process--the advancing waves of German infantry suffered casualty rates of upward of 70 percent. The greatest danger to the Allied line came on the northern flank, where French cavalry were pushed back to the Yser River by the XXIII Reserve Corps, which thus threatened to envelop the BEF's left; however, the line held until it was reinforced by the French IX Corps on the 23rd. The following day, these fresh troops, joined by the British 2nd Division, launched a counterattack from the Yser that relieved some of the pressure on Langemarck and Ypres, and this brought the most intense phase of the battle to an end, though active combat continued another two days.

The BEF was heavily outnumbered, having on hand only seven divisions (three of them cavalry fighting dismounted) against fourteen German infantry divisions, and lacked sufficient artillery; however, the British were far better at delivering fast and accurately-aimed rifle fire, while the German attacks were poorly coordinated and delivered in large part by newly-trained troops advancing over open terrain in large, dense masses. Spearheaded by the 7th Division, the British defenders at Langemarck were able to repulse attack after attack, inflicting very heavy casualties in the process--the advancing waves of German infantry suffered casualty rates of upward of 70 percent. The greatest danger to the Allied line came on the northern flank, where French cavalry were pushed back to the Yser River by the XXIII Reserve Corps, which thus threatened to envelop the BEF's left; however, the line held until it was reinforced by the French IX Corps on the 23rd. The following day, these fresh troops, joined by the British 2nd Division, launched a counterattack from the Yser that relieved some of the pressure on Langemarck and Ypres, and this brought the most intense phase of the battle to an end, though active combat continued another two days.

==References==

==References==