Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient, around Ypres, in Belgium, was the scene of several battles and a major part of the Western Front during World War I.
Location
Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the
In 1914, Ypres had 2,354 houses and 16,700 inhabitants inside medieval earth ramparts faced with brick and a ditch on the east and south sides. Possession of the higher ground to the south and east of the city gives ample scope for ground observation, enfilade fire and converging artillery fire. An occupier of the ridges also has the advantage that artillery positions and the movement of reinforcements and supplies can be screened from view. The ridge had woods from Wytschaete to Zonnebeke, giving good cover, some of notable size such as Polygon Wood and those later named Battle Wood, Shrewsbury Forest and Sanctuary Wood. The woods usually had undergrowth but fields in gaps between the woods were 800–1,000 yd (730–910 m) wide and devoid of cover. Roads in this area were usually unpaved, except for the main ones from Ypres, with occasional villages and houses. The lowlands west of the ridge were a mixture of meadow and fields with high hedgerows dotted with trees, cut by streams and ditches emptying into the canals. The Ypres–Comines Canal is about 18 ft (5.5 m) wide and the Yperlee about 36 ft (11 m); the main road to Ypres between Poperinge and Vlamertinge is in a defile, easily observed from the ridge.[2]
Battles
A
First Battle of Ypres
By 29 December 1914, German troops dug in on higher ground to the east of Ypres and consequently, the Ypres Salient was formed by British, French, Canadian and Belgian defensive efforts against German incursion during the 1914 Race to the Sea. This culminated in the Battle of the Yser and the First Battle of Ypres, which lasted until 22 November.[3] German and British units conducted operations, made advancements, captured territory and attacked using mines and underground warfare at locations like Broodseinde and Sint Elooi.
Second and Third Battles of Ypres
The
This line defined the Ypres Salient for over two years, during which
Fourth Battle of Ypres
After the
Archaeological significance
In the aftermath of trench warfare, mine explosions, extensive tunnelling, craters and archaeological landmarks remain. Although many craters have been covered, built over, destroyed, or remodelled, some are still visible and can be preserved, such as The Bluff, a key location in the
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Edmonds 1925, pp. 128–129.
- ^ Edmonds 1925, pp. 129–131.
- ^ a b c d Stichelbaut et al. 2016, pp. 64–72.
References
- OCLC 220044986.
- Stichelbaut, Birger; Gheyle, Wouter; Saey, Timothy; Van Eetvelde, Veerle; Van Meirvenne, Marc; Note, Nicolas; Van den Berghe, Hanne; Bourgeois, Jean (1 January 2016). "The First World War from Above and Below. Historical Aerial Photographs and Mine Craters in the Ypres Salient". Applied Geography. LXVI: 64–72. ISSN 0143-6228.
Further reading
- Barton, P.; et al. (2004). Beneath Flanders Fields - The Tunnellers' War 1914–1918. Staplehurst: Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-237-8.
- Dendooven, D; Dewilde, J. (1999). The Reconstruction of Ieper - A Walk Through History. Openbaar Kunstbezit in Vlaanderen. ISBN 978-90-76099-26-2.
- Holt, T; Holt, V (2003). Major and Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide to the Ypres Salient (Pen and Sword ed.). Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0-85052-551-9.