Battle Of Ypres Facts History Outcome Summary Dates And More

The battles which took place in and around Ypres marked a significant point in the history of World War I, especially those which were fought in the months of October and November.Not just the battle of Ypres and Passchendaele, but also the Battel of Somme, have all occupied a significant place in history. Even before the battles, this place was a center of conflict for the major powers in the world war because of its strategic location.The sheer devastation of the surrounding countryside and the town very clearly showcased the futility of these battles in World War I. The land that surrounds the Ypres in the north has rivers and canals that link Ypres to the coast. The land also was flat. Ypres was the major center of Flanders Fields. If a power got control over this town, it would get control of the roads and the surrounding area of the countryside as well. The land was about 500 ft (152.4 m) high in the south, giving a prime advantage to the ruling power.In October 1914, British troops entered Ypres, but they did not anticipatethe size of the forces of Germany and their control of the town. The Germans would have experienced an upper hand here, but they used students against the professional army of the British on the battlefield of Langemark for fighting, which is present in the north of town. It is said that those German troops just had their six weeks of training. Although the German army had ammunition and arms, their standoff was very weak for obvious reasons. This led to the casualties of 1,500 German soldiers, and 600 were made prisoners of war.You can also read Battle of Gallipoli and Battle of France articles on our website.Who won the battle of Ypres?In the series of battles of Ypres, the British, ANZAC, Canadian, and French troops won the battle.Why was Ypres important?Ypres, which is a small city in Belgium, had a strategic significance during World War I. The area which developed the most tension was the Ypres Salient. Because of this, in the year 1914, a series of Ypres battles were fought, which ended the Race to the Sea and identified the beginning of trench warfare.The German army also wanted Ypres very desperately. They wanted to give protection to Ypres as it offered road and rail links to those ports on the coast, which the Allies wanted to snatch from the hands of German forces.Ypres was very important to Canada as well. Canadian forces, which were as yet untested, distinguished themselves to be a determining force who were recovering from the horror of the first massive gas attack in modern history.The Second Battle of Ypres (April 22–May 25, 1915), which was the second among the entire series of five battles at Ypres during the First World War in western Flanders, made use of poison gas (chlorine gas) as a weapon. This was the first time when poison gas was used. Although they managed to open a wide hole because of the gas attack in the line of allies, the Germans couldn’t manage to make efficient use of this advantage. French troops then also started to make use of their chemical weapons.How many battles of Ypres were there?The First Battle of Ypres took place during the First World War in the year 1914. This first battle is considered to be the last fight between the British and the Germans among the entire series of battles for the race to the sea. This battle began on October 19. On this day, Germans started to attack the south of Ypres from the coast. The Belgian forces were fighting the war desperately, but the BEF got under the attack. The German forces attacked the spare area between the Ypres and Langemarck on October 20 when they were attacking the British. Around 29,562 were wounded, and 7960 were killed. The army of France incurred 85,000 casualties, while the German army lost 19,530 soldiers and 83,520 were wounded.The Second Battle of Ypres is called the battle of the First world war. The second battle was fought to get control over the town of Ypres in western Belgium. It took place in the year 1915 in the spring season. The second battle was very prominent as this was the first war where the German corps made use of chemical weapons on the Western Front on a very large scale. It was also very important because it was the first time when the major European powers were defeated by a former Colonial power on European soil. This battle was like the commencement of a new weapon which was a ‘poison gas attack (chlorine gas)’. This cost the lives of thousands of soldiers and common people. The Canadian field battery stopped the German advance in their territory.The Third Battle of Ypres, which is popularly known as Passchendaele (synonymous with blood, futility, and mud), effectively managed to shape the perceptions regarding the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the months of July and November in the year 1917, where both sides had suffered massive casualties and faced appalling conditions. In the year 1917, General Douglas Haig prepared a plan for a major offensive to counter the control of Allied forces over the Ypres since the year 1914. The vision of Haig was a war-winning mindset, and he was the one who formulated the plan to capture the high ground there and align with the prime key junction, after which they could advance on the ports which were occupied by the Germans of the Belgian coast. This battle did not achieve what Haig had set as a goal, though it lasted for around 110 days.The fourth battle of Ypres, also known as The Battle of the Lys, took place from 7-29 April in the year 1918. This battle was a part of the German spring offensive in the First World War in Flanders. This was planned by General Erich Ludendorff and was given the name of Operation George but was later altered to the name of Operation Georgette, as the objective was to capture Ypres and force the British army to push back to channel ports and eventually out of war. Operation Georgette was very similar to Operation Michael in terms of planning, effects, and execution.The Fifth Battle of Ypres was popularly known as the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders and the Advance of Flanders. It was like a series of names used for the battles of World War I, which happened from September to October in the year 1918. In this war, the British faced 4000 casualties, while the Belgian army suffered around 2000 casualties, and 10,000 men were wounded.What happened in the Battle of Ypres?The Battles of Ypres were a series of battles of the First World War. These five battles were fought between the German side and the Allies (French forces, Belgian, British, and Canadian) around Ypres. Because of World War I, Ypres began a period of futile environment. These five wars surpassed the casualty count of one million. Germans began to have significant progress, but because of their few mistakes, the French began to push the German side. Germans intended to make an efficient battle strategy using the army of students who got six weeks of training to fight on the Western Front. Ypres salient was the region where most of the tension was built by the allies like the British line and French forces to have an offensive war. Field marshal Ferdinand Foch, a French commander, is a notable commander of these wars.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our battle of Ypres facts, then why not take a look at our articles on the battle of Jutland or the battle of Chancellorsville?

The battles which took place in and around Ypres marked a significant point in the history of World War I, especially those which were fought in the months of October and November.