When he volunteered at age 41 for service in the First World War, McCrae wrote to a friend that “I am really rather afraid, but more afraid to stay at home with my conscience.” In April 1915, McCrae and a young friend, Alexis Helmer,…, …a 6-km (4-mile) front at Ypres, Belgium, on April 22, 1915, creating a wind-borne chemical cloud that opened a major breach in the lines of the unprepared French and Algerian units. 90 of them served with the 1 st /5 th King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. Trench Warfare In 1915A brief analysis of the effectiveness of Allied military tactics at the Second Battle of Ypres. “Many soldiers never reported their multiple minor gassings, which, at the time, were not immediately debilitating. Thus far, the counterattack had been a remarkable success, but German machine guns placed near the southwest corner of the wood still commanded the southern approaches. Valour Road View a brief video about three Canadian soldiers from Winnipeg who earned the Victoria Cross in the First World War. First Battle of Ypres (19 October – 22 November 1914). That same day, German heavy guns, including a 17-inch howitzer, began the preparatory bombardment of Ypres, and an increase of tear gas dispersion in the forward area was an ominous sign of the coming battle. Most of the 109 men who were buried or commemorated in France in that month were also victims of the battle. Between the Algerians’ position and St. Julien, a distance of over a mile, was a gap through which the Germans had penetrated, and a German machine gun swept the unprotected rear of the Allies’ old front line. On April 19 French pilot Roland Garros was forced to land behind the German lines east of Ypres; he and his plane were captured, and the Germans recovered Garros’s revolutionary machine-gun–synchronizing device. The 24 April attack opened serious gaps in the Canadian lines and forced the retreat of several battalions. In. The 16th Battalion extended toward St. Julien and dug in while the 10th held the left and patrolled the wood. Before daylight the Canadian line was withdrawn to the captured trench south and east of the wood. The Second Battle of Ypres was fought during the First World War from 22 April to 25 May 1915. Conditions to the left of the Canadian front were precarious from the first, but some 200 Algerians, although gassed, took up a position near and parallel to the road between Ypres and the village of Poelcappelle (now Poelkapelle) to the northeast. The situation of the defenders at the point of the new salient was becoming more serious by the hour. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Canadian forces would return to the Ypres salient in 1917 for the Battle of Passchendaele — also known as the Third Battle of Ypres — a bloody conflict that resulted Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa is dedicated to the men and women who served with valour and distinction in Canadas armed services. At daybreak on April 23 the Allies began the arduous process of establishing a continuous line along the Canadian flank to join the French on the Yser canal. Roy, R.,, & Foot, R., Canada and the Second Battle of Ypres (2018). at Essex Farm dressing station near Ypres — a bunker with a dirt floor and with light provided only by lanterns and the doorway. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Sitemap. At 5:00 pm on April 22 a heavy greenish yellow haze rose from the German trenches opposite Langemarck and rolled southwestward on the gentle breeze of that sunny afternoon. in England, arrived in France in February 1915. The untested Canadians distinguished themselves as a determined fighting force, resisting the horror of the first large-scale poison gas attack in modern history. The Canadians, and the French-Algerian troops manning the trenches to their left, watched as a As soon as Allied commanders received news of the breaking of the line on their left, they sent reinforcements to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade to strengthen the line between St. Julien and the Bois des Cuisinièrs. McCrae’s lungs were damaged by gas during the battle, making his asthma much worse; nevertheless, he tended soldiers The First Battle of Ypres comprised three phases: The Battle of Langemarck. Although the gas attack opened a wide hole in the Allied line, the Germans failed to … British and Canadian units advanced throughout the morning, effecting a link with the French on the left. claims approved, having failed to document their injuries at the time.”, “[The gas] came up and went over the trenches and it stayed, not as high as a person, all the way across,” said Lester Stevens, a member of the Eighth Battalion from Winnipeg, The War Amps The War Amps website commemorates Canada's proud military heritage and the sacrifices of Canadian war veterans. This article was most recently revised and updated by, The Canadian Encyclopedia - Canada and the Second Battle of Ypres, Government of Canada - The Second Battle of Ypres (22 April-25 May 1915). Two German corps were to follow through the gap made by the gas cloud. The situation of the troops in the salient remained desperate, however. But overall, the battered First Division held the ground outside Ypres, buying time until French and British reinforcements could be brought in.
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