Evening star., 1917-10-14

he terrible closing days of Octo-
followed by Gen. Won Besseler's army,
which had taken Antwerp and was ad-
vancing along the coast roads. were al
ready near the User line. which they
were to hold, and French troops were
being rallied up from the south to sup
port them. Bad as was the condition of
the Belgian army, 1t was still believed
Justly. as the result proved-that II
would be able to hold the User line.
At this moment the allied high COM
mand believed that between the Ger
the northern end OF the main German
front, which now extended from Switz-
erland to Lille, there was wide gap,
squarely In front of Ypres and extend
ing from Menfn to Rouiers. Field Mar
shall Sir John French had sent Sir
Douglas Haig north with the LIST
Army Corps; Allemby's cavalry, al
ready about Ar1nentieres, was to CO.
operate with 1T, and this force. together
with the eth Division, seizing the CROSS
ings OF the Lys from Menin to Cour-
traf was designed to turn the extreme
nank OF all the German armies, aim a.
their communications and compel a re-
tirement from the coast toward Brus-
sells. which was not felt to be beyond
the reach of the allies. Such a success
would isolate Besseler. on the User, and
probably lead to the capture OF his
army. In any event, it would release
northern France. now firmly held by the
German armies which had been
brought north and west from the Afsnc
and Lorraine fronts. And in conform
ity with this strategy French ordered
Rawlfnson to move out of Ypres on
October II and seize the crossings of
the Lys at Menin.
British Wrongly Informed.
Once more, as at Mons. British infor-
nation was wholly out of accord with
the fact. Actually the allies had in or
approaching the region between tho
Lys and User less than 100000 men. OF
whom only some French cavalry and
Rawltnson's fth Division had actually
arrived. while the Germans wero NOV
Ing four corps and some other forma-
lions. upward OF half a million men,
into this Ypres sector Already aware
OF an impending change. but still un-
able to measure the extent Of the
threat, Rawlinson conformed to the i'm
perious order OF French and the next
nebeke
On October le the 7th Division sent
out brigade from zonnebeke. which
actually reached the Roulers- -Menin
highroad. but there 1t encountered the
advance guards Of two German corps
and was compelled to fall back rapidly
to Zonnebeke. October 10 thus marks
the end of the advance toward Mentn
and the crossings of the Lys. That
night Sir Douglas Haig reached Ypres,
and the next day his 1st Army Corps
came up. At once there was posed the
question as to whether it should be put
IN to the east. to support the 9TH Di-
vision on the Messines zonnebeke
ridge north of the Menin road. or sent
north to cover the flank from zonne-
beke through Langemarck to Blk
schoote. Unless it was sent to the sup
port OF the 7th Division there was now
danger that Rawlinson would be over !
whelmed. but If 1t were sent thither,
then gap would open In the allied line !
between Zonnebeke and the marshes. |
and the Germans coming south through !
would outnank both the |
British and the Belgians, drive a wedge |
between them and have an open road to |
Calais and Boulogne.
Sir John French chose to risk the for !
mer peril and sent Haig north. When
Switzerland to the sea WAS complete, !
but from the Lys to the User 1t was in
credihly thin. and for some days no re- /
Inducements were available. as the /
French troops Joffre was aending up
would not arrive before the 23d and did |
not all come until the 24th. AS the f1rst
battle of Ypres began then the British
held the front from the inundated dis
trict at BfXschoote along the Pilkem
and Gravenstafel ridgea to the Mes
sines -Zonnebeke ridge, east OF this town.
and then south along the ridge through
Becelaere and Eandevorde to the CO.
mines canal. South Of the canal Aliem-
by's cavalry held the Messines-Wyt-
nificant cavalry screens. October 20 the
real battle opens.
Even Cooks Went to the Front.
From October 20 to October 81 the
lighting about Ypres was intense. On
october Is and "a the arrival OF the
french 9Th Corps permitted Sir Douglas
IaiK to bring his LIST Corps from the,
'ilkem-Gravenstafel to the Messines-
.onnebeke ridge and thus reinforce the
tn Division. which was rapidly ap-
preaching the point of annihilation.
lowly but surely driven from the crest
IF the Messine nes- -Zonebeke ridge, and on
October 81 their line was actually
broken on the Menin road, noar Qhelu-
velt. This was the crisis OF tho whole
battle. the moment when Sir John
French himself sent the cooks. the hos
tiers and every available man to the
front line.
A lost battle was saved by the sudden
appearance Of the I'd Worcesters on the
flank Of the Germans advancing on the
Menin road west Of Gheluvelt. The line
was restored. hut 0heiuvelt was lost.
AS Zandevorde had been. and the front
now ran from Zonnebeke south through
the PolyEon wood to o point on the :
Menin road just west OF Gheluvelt Like
Meade after the first day Of Gettysburg.
French had been battered into d new .
but strongly defensible position: from ,
zonnebeke to the Menin road the new ,
front was now to endure for many !
months and never to be lost to Q direct ,
attack. But It was an exhausted and :
almost annihilated force which now
held the line. )
0ermans' Greatest Success.
On November / the Germans shifted
heir attack to the MesBines.Wyts.t 9
:haete front and seised the southern 9
md Of the Messines-Wytschae ridge.
rhis was their greatest success In the