The+Battle+of+Ypres+1914

//**﻿ **// //**S **//**a **//**s **//**h **//**a **//**V **//**o **//**z **//**n **//**y **//**u **//**k **//** & **//**J **//**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 22px;">u **//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 22px;">l **//**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 22px;">i **//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 22px;">e **//**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 22px;">K **//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 22px;">i **//**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 22px;">m **// **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">In Flanders Fields ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">By: Lieutenant Colonel <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Background Information on the First Battle of Ypres﻿ **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• During the First Battle of Ypres was the final German attempt to break through the Allied line in the West and take the Channel ports. However, they did not succeed due to the efforts of the Allied defense of the salient which formed around Ypres. • Both sides suffered devastating losses, yet the British & the French managed to halt the Germans. The Belgian town of Ypres was taken by Germans in August 1914, but the British recaptured it in October. • During a failed German counterattack, British forces were destroyed.

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Who? **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The Second Battle of Ypres was an attack by the German forces on the Western front in 1915, and concentrated efforts on the Eastern Front against the Russians. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The battle was also significant for Canadians because this was the first time Canadians had pushed back a major power (Germany) on European land.

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Why? **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The Germans wanted to keep the Allies at bay while German divisions put forth their efforts on Russia in the east by mounting limited offensives such as gas attacks. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The goal of the Second Battle of Ypres was to divert Allied attention from the Eastern Front, as well as to test the use of chlorine gas. <span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Where? **//



//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">When? **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Begun in April 1915 and ended as a failure in May 1915, due to which the German army gave up attempts to take the town of Ypres and chose to demolish it instead. Allied defenders and German attackers became equally exhausted by their efforts.

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">What Happened? **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• A t sunrise on the 22nd of April, 5,700 canisters containing 168 tons of chlorine gas were released by Germany against French Algerian and territorial division troops. A greenish-yellow mist could be seen from the German front lines to the French positions. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The gas attack was very effective; Allied troops fled in panic to Ypres as gas settled and clogged the trenches. Death by asphyxiation (suffocation) affected approximately 10,000 troops, half of them died within ten minutes of the gas reaching the front line. The survivors suffered as well; they were temporarily blinded, stumbling in confusion and coughed severely. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• However, after German troops advanced 3 km into Allied lines, they were halted by the British General’s Second Army counter-offensive. Still, the loss of high ground to the north weakened the Allied position. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The Germans released chlorine gas again on April 24, two days later, against Canadian troops that were north-east of Ypres. This gas attack was preceded by artillery bombardment as was the previous. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• A withdrawal closer to Ypres was executed, as only a large-scale counter-offensive was likely to succeed in pushing the German forces back to their original positions. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The withdrawal took place 1-3 May, 1915 by the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Fighting continued at Ypres from May 8-13, with repeated gas attacks on May 24-25. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• In the Battle of St. Julien, on 24 May, a heavy assault by the Germans caused some more withdrawal from the Allies, although the need for supplies and manpower forced the Germans to call off the offensive. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Germany resorted to bombarding the town, yet reducing the size of the Allied salient was accomplished. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• The significance of the Second Battle of Ypres was that it the use of gas by the Germans set the scene for the rest of the war, where the Allies adopted the use of poison gas as well even thought they had condemned it barbaric. In fact, the Allies ended up using more gas than the Germans!

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Canadian Involvement **// //**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">﻿ **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• In April 1915, Canadian troops were moved from a quiet sector to the Ypres Salient, where the British and Allied line bulged into the German line. (The Germans held higher ground, enabling them to fire into Allied trenches from the north, south, and east.) <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• On the Canadian right were two British divisions, and on the left a French division. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• On April 22, the Germans wanted to remove the Salient with the introduction of their new weapon; poison gas. When the Germans could not arrive behind the Canadian trenches due to lack of supplies and offensive, they were unable to take full advantage of the gap in the Allied line they had created with the help of the poison gas. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Canadian troops fought hard to close this gap, such as mounting a counter-attack to drive the enemy out of Kitcheners' Wood (near St. Julien). The Canadians held on until reinforcements arrived, even though they were violently sick and gasping for air through the urine-soaked handkerchiefs they used as protection from the toxic fumes. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Disastrous attacks were made against the enemy, little ground was gained and casualties were heavy, but the attacks bought time to close the gap for the Canadians. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Success was achieved by Canadians when advancing German infantry suffered heavy losses from the Canadians as they fought with the aid of arriving British troops on May 3rd. However, Canadians suffered heavy losses as well, with some 5,975 casualties. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Overall, Canadians had created a reputation for being an impressive fighting force in their first major appearance on a European battlefield.

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Did You Know? **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae's military unit lost half of its men, including his comrade Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, which inspired him to write the poem, "In Flanders Fields". • The poppy was chosen to symbolize sacrifice in the battle, yet now it is known as a general symbol for Allied soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in battle. • Canadians fighting in the Second Battle of Ypres called it “Wipers”. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Videos﻿﻿: **//

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//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 25px;">Questions: **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">1. What were some of the side effects of breathing in chlorine gas? How did it cause death amongst the troops? <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">2. Name one reason why the Second Battle of Ypres occurred. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">3. Why did the Germans need to call off their offensive in the Battle of St. Julien? What did they do instead? <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">4. What was an accomplishment of Canadians in this battle? <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">5. What famous poem was produced during this battle? What did it symbolize?

//**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">Links: **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• [] <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• []  <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18px;">• []  //**<span style="color: #eb4242; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">Sources: **// <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">• <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">Adams, Simon. Eyewitness World War I. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2004. Print. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">• Christie, Norm. Gas Attack! The Canadians at Ypres, 1915. Ontario: CEF Books, 1998. Print. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">• Duffy, Michael. "The Second Battle of Ypres, 1915." First World War. N.p., 22 Aug 2009. Web. 14 Oct 2010. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/ypres2.htm>. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">• "First World War: Battlefront, 1915-16." Military History. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum, 27 Dec 2001. Web. 14 Oct 2010. <http://www.lermuseum.org/ler/mh/wwi/ypres.html>. <span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 20px;">• "On the Western Front Ypres 1915." Veterans Affairs Canada. Government of Canada, 29 Jul 2004. Web. 14 Oct 2010. <http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/firstwar/canada/canada4>.