The Fifth Battle of Ypres, also called the Advance in Flanders and the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders (french: Bataille des Crêtes de Flandres) is an informal name used to identify a series of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

battles in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and southern

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

(

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-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 cultu ...

) from late September to October 1918.

Background

After the German spring offensive of 1918 failed to achieve a decisive victory, German

morale Morale, also known as esprit de corps (), 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 ...

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. To take advantage of this

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...

developed a strategy which became known as the

Grand Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Central Powers ...

, 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. The British Second Army had followed up some minor withdrawals and had fought the

action at Outtersteene Ridge Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

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) 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 "

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" 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 Jean Marie Joseph Degoutte (18 April 1866, Charnay, Rhône – 31 October 1938) was a French general active in the colonies and the First World War. Colonial career Degoutte joined the 31st Artillery Regiment on 7 March 1887 and then attended Sai ...

as Chief of Staff. * Second Army (General Herbert Plumer) ** XV Corps (

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

Beauvoir De Lisle General Sir Henry de Beauvoir De Lisle (27 July 1864 – 16 July 1955), known as Beauvoir De Lisle, was a British Army officer and sportsman. He served in both the Second Boer War and the First World War. Military career Born in Guernsey and edu ...

) *** 31st Division ** X Corps (Lieutenant General Reginald Stephens) *** 30th Division *** 34th Division ** XIX Corps (Lieutenant General

Herbert Watts Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Edward Watts (14 February 1858 – 15 October 1934) was a British Army officer who commanded 7th Division and later XIX Corps during the First World War. Early military career Watts was born on 14 February 1858, ...

) *** 14th (Light) Division *** 35th Division *** 41st Division - in reserve ** II Corps (Lieutenant General

Claud Jacob Field Marshal Sir Claud William Jacob, (21 November 1863 – 2 June 1948) was a British Indian Army officer. He served in the First World War as commander of the Dehra Dun Brigade, as General Officer Commanding 21st Division and as General Offi ...

) ***

9th (Scottish) Division The 9th (Scottish) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front during the First World War. A ...

*** 29th Division *** 36th (Ulster) Division - in reserve * Belgian Army (King Albert) ** South Group (Lieutenant General Aloïs Biebuyck) *** 11th Division ***

8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 8th Division (Australia) * 8th Canadian Infantry Division * 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China) * 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Repu ...

*** 12th Division *** 6th Division ** Centre Group (Lieutenant General Jules Jacques de Dixmude) *** 9th Division *** 3rd Division *** French 128th Division - 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 (french: Front de l'Yser, nl, Front aan de IJzer or ), sometimes termed the West Flemish Front in British writing, was a section of the Western Front during World War I held by Belgian troops from October 1914 until 1918. The front ...

from Clercken to the sea *** 4th Division *** 2nd Division *** 5th Division ** Belgian Cavalry Division * French Army - as reserves ** VII Army Corps (Gen André Joseph Emmanuel Massenet) - under Belgian Command *** 41st Division *** 164th Division *** 128th Division - attached to the Belgian Army ** XXXIV Army Corps (Gen Alphonse Nudant) - still under the control of Foch *** 5th Division ( fr) *** 70th Division ( fr) *** 77th Division ** II Cavalry Corps (Gen Félix Adolphe Robillot) - bivouacked in the area of

Proven Proven is a rural village in the Belgian province of West Flanders, and a "deelgemeente" of the municipality Poperinge. The village has about 1400 inhabitants. The church and parish of Proven are named after Saint Victor. The Saint Victor Churc ...

- Houtkerque- Herzeele *** 2nd Cavalry Division ( fr) *** 4th Cavalry Division ( fr) *** 6th Cavalry Division ( fr)

German 4th Army

Army Group Rupprecht of Bavaria An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

(

Crown Prince Rupprecht Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine by (the) Rhine (''Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand''; English: ''Robert Maria Leopold Ferdinand''; 18 May 1869 – 2 August 1955), was the last hei ...

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 ( Sixt von Armin) ** Naval Corps (Admiral Ludwig von Schröder) **

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

(

Alfred von Böckmann Alfred Hans Emil Friedrich von Böckmann (1859-1921) was a German general in World War I. He commanded several corps throughout the war and commanded the Guard Corps during the Fifth Battle of Ypres. Early Military Career Alfred von Böckmann w ...

) ** 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 Conflicts in 1918 1918 in France Ypres Salient 1918 in Belgium September 1918 events October 1918 events