Fourth Battle of Ypres

Warbox
conflict=Allied "Hundred Days" Offensive, 1918
partof=the Western Front of World War I
campaign=


caption=
date=September 28, 1918 – November 11, 1918
place=Ypres, Belgium to Ghent, Belgium
result=Decisive Allied victory
combatant1=flag|Belgium
flag|France
flag|United Kingdom
flag|United States|1912

combatant2=flag|German Empire
commander1=flagicon|Belgium King Albert I
flagicon|France Jean Degoutte
flagicon|UK Herbert Plumer
commander2=flagicon|German Empire
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=
casualties2=

The Fourth Battle of Ypres (also known as the Advance in Flanders) was a series of battles in northern France and southern Belgium from late September through October 1918.

Background

After the German Spring Offensive was stopped, decreasing German morale, and increasing numbers of American soldiers arriving on the Western Front gave the western allies a substantial advantage over the German soldiers. To take advantage of this, Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch developed a strategy (the Grand Offensive) that would involve a number of offensives over a wide front. As a result, the Belgium, British and French forces around the Ypres Salient were to be the northern pincer of an attack aimed at the Belgium city of Leige.

Battles

Battle of Ypres - 1918

28 September - 2 October

Attacking on September 28, the Army Group of Flanders (G.A.F.) (comprising 12 Belgian divisions, 10 British divisions (from the BEF's 2nd Army) and 6 French Divisions (from the French 6th Army)) under the command of King Albert I of Belgium quickly penetrated the German defensive lines, advancing up to 6 miles (9.7 km) on the first day. Continuing the same advance on the next day, it wasn't until October 2 (by which time the supply situation was so bad that troops had to be air dropped food) that the offensive had outrun it's supply line and was forced to stop. During this battle, the British has sustained 4695 casualties, while the Belgians had sustained approximately 4500. However, they had advanced the front line by up to 18 miles (with an average advance over the entire front of 6 miles), and captured approximately 10000 German soldiers, 300 guns and 600 machineguns.

Battle of Kortrijk

14 October - Armistice

Continuing the attack, by October 17 Ostend had been recaptured, by October 19 Bruges had been recaptured, and by October 20 the Dutch border had been reached. By the Armistice, the front line had been advanced by an average of 45 miles, and ran from Terneuzen, to Ghent, along the River Scheldt to Ath and from there to Saint-Ghislain, where the front line linked up with the BEF on the Somme.

References

* [http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dccfarr/summary.htm Ypres and the Great War - Summary of Events]
* [http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/encyclopedia/article_show/Flanders_Battle_of/m0044818.html The History Channel - The Battle of Flanders]
* Marix Evans, Martin (2003). Over the Top, Great Battles of the First World War. Arcturus Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-84193-111-X.
* Marix Evans, Martin (2003). 1918: The Year of Victories. Arcturus Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-84193-114-4.
* Gilbert, Martin (1994). The First World War: A Complete History. Henry Holt and Compant, Inc. ISBN: 0-8050-1540-X

ee Also

* [http://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/page/affichepage.php?idLang=en&idPage=13626 Article on course of Fourth Battle of Ypres - with more details]