“The battle of Ypres was the culmination of a bold and somewhat desperate attempt to outflank the Germans which came very near success indeed and would have been successful but for the paucity of the forces available. Once again the region between Dixmude and the Lys is the scene of some very desperate fighting”.
APRIL 26, 1915
The War
As WAS ANTICIPATED, THE ADVENT OF SPRING HAS BROUGHT with it a renewal of the heavy fighting in the west and we are now witnessing, with a clarity of vision necessarily modified by the requirements of the censorship, the second of those terrific combats which will make Flanders famous in history. The previous great battle in this region was that of Ypres, also called the battle of Calais because the Germans wanted to get there and did not, though this is a detail. That battle, it will be remembered, was one of terrific importance, for its issue decided the fate of the Allied position on the Aisne, as well as the command of the Channel. Had the Germans taken Calais and Dunkirk they would have made use of these submarine bases which would have wrought havoc on Allies’ shipping in the Channel, besides interrupting the communications of the British Expeditionary force. The battle of Ypres was the culmination of a bold and somewhat desperate attempt to outflank the Germans which came very near success indeed and would have been successful but for the paucity of the forces available. Once again the region between Dixmude and the Lys is the scene of some very desperate fighting. The positions, however, of the protagonists are, if not reversed, much less unequal than they were in the previous battle. The Allies were then heavily outnumbered, but the numerical preponderance has been equalised now and both sides are not equally numerous on the long line of that front in the western theatre while the French have a mobile reserve which they can throw at any required point. The German troops had been suffering from want of reserves and the successes of the Allies in the past two months may be traced to this disability. The Germans had to withdraw troops from one part of the front to defend another, a dangerous proceeding with an alert enemy, as events have proved at Neuve Chapelle, the Champaigne and the Woevre. Great as have been the German losses, however, and these have been estimated to work out on both fronts to about 260,000 a month, Germany has still some reserves. The French Staff’s review of the war puts the total available reserves of the Germans at two millions of whom 800,000 have already been absorbed in the front while another 500,000 were expected to be ready this month. How large a proportion of this would be available as new formations it is difficult to say, but the German casualties in recent fighting in the west amounts probably to 100,000 in the west alone which would have to be replaced from the reserve. Then again the eastern front has been very costly to the Germans though we have no means of estimating the losses here. There is at present very little activity on the eastern front but the fighting in the past month and the early days of the present has been very heavy. It is not, therefore, unreasonable to estimate that the new German formations consist of at least six corps, of good material but poorly officered and with a not improbable shortage of guns and a certain shortage of munitions. It is no doubt with these formations that the attack in what will be known as the second battle of Ypres has been made. We are as yet in the early stages of this battle for the fighting, severe as it has been, is not over yet. It was, of course, anticipated that a big German effort was due in April, but it is probable that the effort was compelled to take place earlier than intended by the British success south of Ypres. The Germans’ preparations both in this region and in the north of Ypres were those of a big battle but the British anticipated them and by successful sapperwork succeeded in capturing an important point, Hill Sixty, which seriously threatens the German line. The Germans then instead of making one final effort for the breaking of the Allied lines were compelled to waste their strength first in a futile effort to recapture the position they lost south of Ypres. Their plan probably was a simultaneous attack north and south of Ypres which would result in the capture of the town and lead to that of Calais. The British anticipated the attack, however, and the Germans lost ground here so that their plan miscarried as regards the south. In the north, however, they did gain a success and even succeeded at one point in crossing the Yser canal, but were promptly driven back again while the French and Belgians are engaged in retrieving the ground lost. It is not improbable that further heavy fighting will take place in this region while the importance of Hill Sixty may tempt the Germans to make another effort to recapture it. If our interpretation of the German strategy is correct, then it is evident that the British have broken the shock of the new German offensive in Flanders. The German losses are stated to have been enormous while the British losses, though unfortunately no figures are yet available, must have been very serious though, of course, if the result achieved can be maintained it was worth the sacrifice. The German line around Ypres is in danger of being broken by the British hold on Hill Sixty.
Reference:
The First 100
A Selection of Editorials, 1878-1978, THE HINDU, VOLUME I