Second Battle of Ypres
From Metapedia
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in World War I and the first time a former colonial force (Canadians) pushed back a major European power (Germans) on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St. Julien-Kitcheners' Wood.
The Second Battle of Ypres consisted of four separate engagements:
- The Battle of Gravenstafel: Thursday 22 April – Friday 23 April 1915
- The Battle of St Julien: Monday 24 April – 4 May 1915
- The Battle of Frezenberg: 8 May – 13 May 1915
- The Battle of Bellewaarde: 24 May – 25 May 1915
The scene of the battles was the Ypres salient where the Allied line which followed the canal bulged eastward around the town of Ypres, Belgium. North of the salient were the Belgians; covering the northern part of the salient itself were two French divisions (one Metropolitan and one Algerian) The eastern part of the salient was defended by one Canadian division and two UK divisions.
In total during the battles, the British Commonwealth forces were the II and V Corps of the Second Army made up of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Cavalry divisions, and the 4th, 27th, 28th, 50th, Lahore and 1st Canadian Divisions.
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[edit] The Battle of Gravenstafel (22nd - 23rd April)
At around 17:00 (5:00 pm) on 22 April 1915, the German Army released one hundred and sixty eight tons of chlorine gas over a 6.5 km (4 mile) front on the part of the line held by French Territorial and colonial Moroccan and Algerian troops of the French 45th and 78th divisions.This was the first gas attack in military history. Approximately 6,000 French and colonial troops died within ten minutes, primarily from asphyxiation subsequent to tissue damage in the lungs. Many more were blinded. The chlorine gas, being denser than air, quickly filled the trenches and forced troops to climb out of their trenches, thus exposed them to enemy fire.
With the survivors abandoning their positions en masse, a 4 mile gap was left in the front line. However, the German High Command had not foreseen the effectiveness of their new weapon, and so had not put any reserves ready in the area. With the coming of darkness and the lack of follow up troops the German forces did not exploit the gap, and the Canadian Division reinforced the gap and held that part of the line against further gas attacks until 3 May 1915 at a cost of 6000 wounded or dead.
One thousand of these "original" troops were killed and 4,975 were wounded from an initial strength of 10,000.
Kitcheners Wood
The name of this oak plantation derived from the French name, Bois-de-Cuisinères, a reference to the fact that French soldiers housed their field kitchens there, and not in reference as is sometimes thought to the British general officer of the same name. (Thus the name of the feature is "Kitcheners' " with the apostrophe after the "s", indicating the plural possessive.)
At Kitcheners' Wood, the 10th Battalion (Calgary Highlanders) of the 2nd Canadian Brigade Group (CBG) was ordered to counter-attack; they formed up after 23:00 (11pm) on the night of 22 April. The 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) of the 3rd CBG arrived as they were forming, tasked to support the advance. Both battalions had over 800 men at the start line (today called a "line of departure") and formed up in waves of two companies each. The order to advance was given at 23:46 (11:46pm). The leading waves of the 10th covered half the distance from the start line to the Wood, running into a strong hedge interlaced with wire. No reconnaissance had been done prior and the battalion was forced to break through the obstacle with rifle butts, bringing down fire from alerted German machine gunners about 200 yards distant. Both battalions charged the last 200 yards to the wood, throwing the Germans out, and suffering more than 75 percent casualties. The commander of the 10th, Lieutenant Colonel R.L. Boyle, was mortally wounded in the opening moments of the firefight, being hit five times in the groin by a German machine gun.
After the war, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the Allied Supreme Commander, remarked that the "greatest act of the war" had been the assault on Kitcheners' Wood by the 10th and 16th Battalions.
[edit] The Battle of St Julien (24th April - 4th May)
On the morning of 24 April, 1915, the Germans released another cloud of chlorine gas, this time directly towards the re-formed Canadian lines just west of the village of St. Julien. On seeing the approach of the greenish-grey gas cloud, word was passed among the Canadian troops to urinate on their handkerchiefs and place these over their noses and mouths.
The village of St. Julien was occupied by German troops after their attack initiated with gas broke the Canadian line there.
The following day the York and Durham Brigade units of the Northumberland Division counterattacked failing to secure their objectives but establishing a new line close to the village. The third day the Northumblerland Brigade attacked again, briefly taking part of the village but forced back with the loss of more than 1,900 men and 40 officers - two thirds of its strength.
[edit] The Battle of Frezenberg (8th - 13th May)
The battle began the 8th of May when German forces attempted to break Allied lines held by the 27th and 28th divisions. On the 10th of May the Germans released another gas cloud but made little progress. The battle ended after six days of fighting with a German advance of 1000 yards.
[edit] The Battle of Bellewaarde (24th - 25th May)
On the 24th of May the Germans released a gas attack on a 4.5 mile front. British troops were able to defend against initial German attacks but eventually they were forced to retreat to the north and south. Failed British counterattacks forced a British retreat 1000 yards northwards. Upon the end of the Battle the Ypres salient was 3 miles deep.
[edit] Aftermath
By the end of the battle the size of the Ypres Salient had been reduced such that Ypres itself was closer to the line. In time it would be reduced by shelling until virutally nothing would remain standing.
The surprise use of poison gas was not a historical first (poison gas had already been used on the Eastern Front) but did come as a tactical surprise to the Allies. After Second Ypres, both sides developed more sophisticated gas weapons, and countermeasures, and never again was the use of gas either a surprise, nor especially effective. The British quickly developed their own gas attacks using them for the first time at the Battle of Loos in late September. Development of gas protection was instituted and the first examples of the PH helmet issued in July 1915.
The Canadian Division was forced to absorb several thousand replacements shortly afterwards, but had presented a mostly favourable image to their allies and the world. Another Canadian Division would take to the field in late 1915, joined eventually by a third and fourth. The battle also blooded many commanders, singling out some for praise, such as brigade commander Arthur Currie, and others for criticism, such as Garnet Hughes.
The inadequacies of training and doctrine in the early CEF was made obvious by the antique tactics used at Kitcheners' Wood and St. Julien, though tactics in the British Colonial armies would be slow to evolve. At Second Ypres, the smallest tactical unit in the infantry was a company; by 1917 it would be the section. The Canadians would be employed offensively later in 1915, but not successfully.
A Third Battle of Ypres, more commonly known as Passchendaele was fought in the autumn of 1917. The battle would be marked by Canadian tactical successes as a result of many innovations in organization, training and tactics in both the infantry and artillery.
Canadian Honour
After the war, Second Ypres and St. Julien were granted as Battle Honours, but to the dismay of the units that fought there, Kitcheners' Wood was not. Image:Oakleafmet.jpg
The commanding officer of the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) which perpetuate the 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) CEF, organized a lobby to have a dress distinction awarded for the part the 10th and 16th Battalions played at Kitcheners' Wood, which was never recognized with a Battle Honour. In the 1930s a distinctive brass shoulder title was awarded. In the case of the Canadian Scottish, the title consisted of a brass acorn and oak leaf over a red felt backing surrounded by the title CANADIAN SCOTTISH. The Calgary Highlanders and Winnipeg Light Infantry, both of whom perpetuated the 10th Battalion (Canadians) CEF, were also awarded distinctive shoulder badges, though their pattern consisted only of a brass badge with the initials of the regiment directly on the oakleaf. The WLI were absorbed into the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in 1955 and the WLI badge fell out of use. The acorn and oak leaf are symbolic of the heavy oak trees of Kitcheners' Wood which were a significant obstacle to infantrymen in 1915. Photos taken two years later showed that the forest was eventually obliterated during the fighting. Tradition in the Canadian Army has been that metal shoulder badges consist only of letters or numerals, with only a few exceptions. The use of honorary distinctions is common, however, in the British Army, such as the addition of the Sphinx to regimental badges.
It was during the Second Battle of Ypres that Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae M.D. of Guelph, Ontario, Canada wrote the memorable poem In Flanders Fields in the voice for those who perished in the war. Published in Punch Magazine December 8, 1918, it is still recited today, especially on Remembrance Day and Memorial Day.
