The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. The battle was the British component of the combined Anglo-French offensive known as the Second Battle of Artois. General Douglas Haig, then commander of the British First Army, directed the battle however his plans were limited by the shortage of artillery shells which meant the preliminary bombardment, essential for success in the emerging trench warfare, was weak. The British also released 140 tons of chlorine gas with mixed success—in places the gas was blown back onto British trenches. WWI redirects here. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years). ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (June 19, 1861 - January 28, 1928) was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I. He had independent wealth: his family manufactured Haig & Haig whisky. ... See Western Front (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... WWI redirects here. ... Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (June 19, 1861 - January 28, 1928) was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I. He had independent wealth: his family manufactured Haig & Haig whisky. ... The British First Army was a field army that existed during the First and Second World Wars. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chlorine, Cl, 17 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 3, p Appearance yellowish green Atomic mass 35. ...

The battle opened on September 25 and the British were able to breakthrough the weaker German trenches and capture the town of Loos. However the inevitable supply and communications problems and the late arrival of reserves meant that the breakthrough could not be exploited. When the battle resumed the following day, the Germans were prepared and repulsed attempts to continue the advance. The fighting subsided on September 28 with the British having retreated to their starting positions. September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years). ...

Charles Sorley, a British poet, died in this battle. Charles Hamilton Sorley (May 19, 1895 - October 13, 1915) was a British poet of World War I. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, he was educated, like Siegfried Sassoon, at Marlborough College (1908-1913). ...

In another interesting turn of events during the battle of Loos, ten thousand inexperienced British troops were sent in a frontal charge against German positions.

The British commander lied to his own men, telling them that they were being sent to pursue routed German defenders.

Instead, the British marched directly into entrenched German machine guns, which mowed down 8000 of them. The British could not break through because their leaders had provided them with no wire cutters. There were no German casualties during this "Pickett's charge". Picketts Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg. ...