Battle Of The Lys And The Escaut
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The Battle of the Lys and the Escaut was the third and last phase of the
Second Battle of Belgium The Battle of Courtrai (also known as the Second Battle of Belgium (french: 2ème Bataille de Belgique) and the Battle of Roulers (french: Bataille de Roulers)) was one of a series of offensives in northern France and southern Belgium that took ...
(french: 2ème Bataille de Belgique) or the Ypres-Lys Offensive, and took place in Belgium between 20 October and 11 November 1918.


Background

In August 1918, the Allied Command launched an offensive across the Western Front. In Belgium the (GAF) was formed under the command of King
Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...
, with 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, comprising twelve Belgian divisions, ten divisions of the British Second Army and six divisions of the French Sixth Army. In the first phase of the offensive, the German 4th Army was defeated in the
Fifth Battle of Ypres 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 battles in northern France and southe ...
and Passchendale was retaken. Mud and a collapse of the supply-system had stopped the advance in early October but by the middle of the month the GAF launched the second phase of the offensive, the Battle of Courtrai. The French took
Roulers Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke. The ...
, the Belgians
Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
,
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
and
Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeeb ...
and the British
Courtrai Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...
,
Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
and
Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...
. The advance exhausted the Allied troops and the 37th and 91st divisions of the US Army were sent to Belgium to support the third phase of the offensive, which had as its goal driving the Germans east of the Escaut (Scheldt) River.


Order of Battle of the Allied Army (North to South)

The following forces were assigned to the Allied army: * Belgian Army (King
Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...
) ** 12 divisions * French 6th Army (
Antoine Baucheron de Boissoudy Antoine Baucheron de Boissoudy ( Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France, 12 October 1864 – Paris, 17 March 1926) was a French General in the First World War. He was the son of Admiral Philippe Baucheron de Boissoudy and studied at the École spécia ...
) ** 34th Army Corps (Lt-Gen Alphonse Nudant) *** 77th French Division *** 70th French Division *** 11th French Division ** 30th Army Corps (Lt-Gen Hippolyte-Alphonse Pénet) *** 12th French Division *** 37th US Division ** 7th Army Corps (Lt-Gen André Massenet) *** 128th French Division *** 91st US Division *** 41st French Division *
British 2nd Army The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. During the Second World War the army ...
(General Herbert Plumer) ** 10 divisions


Battle

In the North, the Germans had taken up positions behind the Deinze-Bruges Canal and put up fierce resistance against Belgian attacks between 20 and 31 October. On 2 November, the Germans were forced to fall back on the
Ghent–Terneuzen Canal The Ghent–Terneuzen Canal (Dutch: Kanaal van Gent naar Terneuzen), also known as the "Sea Canal" (Zeekanaal) is a canal linking Ghent in Belgium to the port of Terneuzen on the Westerschelde (Scheldt) Estuary in the Netherlands, thereby providin ...
, which they held until the end of the war. By 10 November, the Belgian Army had reached the western outskirts of
Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. In the South, the British army advanced steadily. Valenciennes was taken on 2 November, and Mons was reached on 10 November. Here,
George Edwin Ellison Private George Edwin Ellison (10 August 1878 – 11 November 1918) was the last British soldier to be killed in action during the First World War. He died at 09:30 am (90 minutes before the armistice came into effect), shot by a sniper while on ...
and
George Lawrence Price Private George Lawrence Price (December 15, 1892 – November 11, 1918) was a Canadian soldier. He is traditionally recognized as the last soldier of the British Empire to be killed during the First World War. Early life Price was b ...
were killed. They were the last British and British Empire soldiers to be killed during the First World War. In the Center, the 91st US Division suffered heavy losses against strong German resistance in Spitaals Bosschen near
Waregem Waregem (; vls, Woaregem), sometimes known as Waereghem, is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality lies in the valley of the river Leie, between Kortrijk and Ghent. It is part of the arrondiss ...
. The French 6th Army and 37th US Division advanced with less difficulties between the Lys and Escaut, but encountered stiff resistance when they reached the Escaut on 1 November. Several attempts to cross the river in the night between 1 and 2 November failed, only the 37th US Division succeeded in gaining a bridgehead at
Oudenaarde Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heu ...
. Between 3 November and 8 November, the allies were forced to rest and reorganize their forces. On 8 and 9 November the French launched a new attack, which was repulsed by the Germans, but which nevertheless resulted in a new bridgehead between Oudenaarde and
Melden Melden is a village belonging partly to the municipality of Oudenaarde and partly to the municipality of Kluisbergen. It is located in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the province of East Flanders, Belgium. History The village is ...
.


Aftermath

A new offensive to cross the Escaut which aimed at reaching Brussels was planned for 10 November, but this was cancelled when it became clear an armistice was imminent. The German retreat had not been a rout, but was relatively well organized with very mobile "Machinen Gewehr Kompanies" attacking the advancing Allies and which inflicted many casualties. The Belgian Army, for instance, lost one-fifth of its forces between 4 October and 11 November 1918, one-third of all the losses it sustained throughout the whole war.Osprey Publishing, ''The Belgian Army in World War I'' (2009) pp 36–37 The sudden end of the war came as a surprise to many Allied soldiers, as well as German soldiers. This contributed to the
Stab-in-the-back myth The stab-in-the-back myth (, , ) was an antisemitic conspiracy theory that was widely believed and promulgated in Germany after 1918. It maintained that the Imperial German Army did not lose World War I on the battlefield, but was instead ...
, which stated that the German Army was not yet defeated on the battlefield, but was instead betrayed by socialist and Jewish politicians on the home front.


Footnotes


References

* * *


External links


New River Notes, 91st Division American Expeditionary Force, World War I

Ypres-Lys Operation, November 9-11, 1918, 37th Division

37th division, summary of operations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of the Lys and the Escaut Lys and the Escaut Lys and the Escaut Lys and the Escaut Lys and the Escaut Lys and the Escaut Conflicts in 1918 1918 in Belgium October 1918 events November 1918 events Lys and the Escaut