The Fifth Battle of Ypres, also called the Advance in Flanders and the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders () is an informal name used to identify a series of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

battles in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and southern

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

(

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

) from late September to October 1918.

Background

After the

German spring offensive The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

of 1918 failed to achieve a decisive victory, German

morale Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower, ...

waned and the increasing numbers of American soldiers arriving on the Western Front gave the Allies a growing numerical advantage over the western armies of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. To take advantage of this,

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general, Marshal of France and a member of the Académie Française and French Academy of Sciences, Académie des Sciences. He distinguished himself as Supreme Allied Commander ...

developed a strategy which became known as the Grand Offensive, in which attacks were made on the German lines over as wide a front as possible. Belgian, British and French forces around the Ypres Salient were to form the northern pincer of an offensive towards the Belgian city of

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

. The British Second Army had followed up some minor withdrawals and had fought the action at Outtersteene Ridge on 18 August, after which there was a lull. Allied troops in the area were well rested by late September.

Battle

The (GAF, Flanders Army Group,

King of the Belgians The monarchy of Belgium is the Constitutional monarchy, constitutional and Inheritance, hereditary institution of the monarchical head of state of the Kingdom of Belgium. As a popular monarchy, the Belgian monarch uses the title king/quee ...

) attacked at on 28 September, after a three hour artillery preparation. The GAF attacked with divisions, divisions of the Second Army and divisions of the Sixth Army. The British attacked on a front up to the Ypres–Zonnebeke road, from where the Belgian army attacked on a line north to Dixmude. The Allied attacks quickly penetrated the German defences and advanced up to . Much of the ground west of Passchendaele, abandoned during the withdrawal of early 1918, was recaptured. Rain began to fall but by the evening the British had taken Kortewilde, Zandvoorde, Kruiseecke and Becelaere; Belgian troops had captured Zonnebeke, Poelcappelle, Schaap Baillie and Houthulst Forest. On the southern flank, minor operations by three British divisions advanced to St. Yves, Messines and the ridge from Wytschaete to Hollebeke. The German front line ran from Diksmuide to Houthult, Becelare, Zandvoorde and Hollebeke. Messines, Terhand and Dadizeele fell on 29 September and by the next day, despite the captured ground becoming another slough of mud, all of the high ground around Ypres was occupied by the Allies. By 1 October, the left bank of the leie (Lys) had been captured up to Comines and the Belgians were east of a line from Moorslede to Staden and Diksmuide. The advance continued until 2 October when German reinforcements arrived and the offensive outran its supplies. Due to the state of the ground, were delivered by parachute from and British aircraft.

Aftermath

Casualties

The British suffered the Belgians " nett" casualties from among and ill or wounded. The Allies advanced up to , with an average advance of and captured prisoners, and

Subsequent operations

The offensive was continued with the Battle of Courtrai (14–19 October).

Order of battle

The Allied units of Army Group Flanders (King Albert I of Belgium), had the French General Jean Degoutte as Chief of Staff. * British Second Army (General Herbert Plumer) ** XV Corps (

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Beauvoir De Lisle) *** 31st Division ** X Corps (Lieutenant General Reginald Stephens) *** 30th Division *** 34th Division ** XIX Corps (Lieutenant General Herbert Watts) *** 14th (Light) Division *** 35th Division *** 41st Division - in reserve ** II Corps (Lieutenant General Claud Jacob) *** 9th (Scottish) Division *** 29th Division ***

36th (Ulster) Division The 36th (Ulster) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitchener's New Army, formed in September 1914. Originally called the ''Ulster Division'', it was made up of mainly members of the Ulster Volunteers, who f ...

- in reserve * Belgian Army (King Albert) ** South Group (Lieutenant General Aloïs Biebuyck) *** 11th Division *** 8th Division *** 12th Division *** 6th Division ** Centre Group (Lieutenant General Jules Jacques de Dixmude) *** 9th Division *** 3rd Division *** French - in the rear ** North Group (Lieutenant General Louis Bernheim) *** 7th Division *** 1st Division *** 10th Division ** The remaining Belgian infantry divisions protected the inundated

Yser Front The Yser Front (, or ), sometimes termed the West Flemish Front in British writing, was a section of the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I held by Belgium, Belgian troops from October 1914 until 1918. The front ran alo ...

from Clercken to the sea *** 4th Division *** 2nd Division *** 5th Division ** Belgian Cavalry Division * French Sixth Army ( Antoine Baucheron de Boissoudy) - as reserves ** (Gen ) - under Belgian Command *** 41st Division *** *** - attached to the Belgian Army ** (Gen Alphonse Nudant) - still under the control of Foch *** *** *** ** (Gen ) - bivouacked in the area of Proven- Houtkerque- Herzeele *** *** ***

German 4th Army

Army Group Rupprecht of Bavaria ( Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria), commanding the northern German army group, held Flanders with the 4th Army, which had less than five divisions in the area. * 4th Army ( Friedrich Sixt von Armin) ** Naval Corps (Admiral Ludwig von Schröder) **

Guard Corps The Guards Corps/GK () was a corps level command of the Prussian Army, Prussian and then the Imperial German Army, Imperial German Armies from the 19th century to World War I. The Corps was headquartered in Berlin, with its units garrisoned in ...

( Alfred von Böckmann) ** X Reserve Corps ( Arthur von Gabain)

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Ypres and the Great War, Summary of Events

The Battle of Ypres, 28 September – 2 October 1918
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ypres 5 Battles of the Western Front (World War I) Battles of World War I involving Belgium Battles of World War I involving France Battles of World War I involving Germany Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom Battles in 1918 1918 in France Ypres Salient 1918 in Belgium September 1918 in Europe October 1918 in Europe