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Encyclopedia > Battle of Neuve Chapelle

The Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Artois was a battle in the First World War. It was a British offensive in the Artois region and broke through at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915, but they were unable to exploit the advantage. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Artois is a former province of northern France. ... The Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Artois was a battle in the First World War. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...


The battle of Neuve Chapelle was an action in which, through a surprise attack the British reconquered the position which the Germans had occupied in October and had powerfully organized in front of the British pivot at La Bassée. This position formed a salient in the British line, and in order to preserve the integrity of that line (in other words to make it stronger), it was necessary to take the village of Neuve Chapelle - which had been once before attacked unsuccessfully (October 28th). The former attempt had failed because it had been made with inadequate means. This time the operation was carried out by two army corps, the 4th Corps and the Indian Corps, which were swiftly and secretly concentrated on the line Rue d'Enfer-Richebourg-St. Vaast, their forward movement being covered and supported by the fire of 350 guns, British and French. In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. ...


The Germans were surprised, outnumbered, outflanked on both sides, and, after a stubborn struggle, they were ousted from the position. The victory was complete and would have been more satisfactory had it been less costly. The British casualties exceeded 2,000 out of 50,000 men engaged on that occasion. This was due to the impetuosity of the new troops and of some officers who misunderstood the object of the attack, advanced too quickly and too far, and thus uselessly exposed their men to the effects of the severe counterblows which the Germans, with their accustomed thoroughness, did not fail to deliver. There also was confusion in the matter of bringing up reinforcements. The position, however, remained in the possession of the British, although their opponents did all they could to recapture it - a fact which when contrasted to the previous engagement makes it clear that the enemy was inferior both on the defense and the attack.


The French offensive in Champagne, which synchronized with the battle of Neuve Chapelle, was a more lengthy and methodical affair; it had also a totally different object. It started at the beginning of February and reached its climax at the date of Neuve Chapelle; it was carried out ostensibly to relieve the "pressure" exercised at the time by the Germans on the Russians in East Prussia and Suwalki; and for that reason it may be characterized as the first attempt at a coordination of movements between the two fronts. Locally it yielded good results; it displayed once more the offensive qualities of the French troops and gave them good practice in the newly adopted methods of artillery preparation and the combination of infantry and artillery assaults on a large scale; but its primary object was not attained, simply because it was sought on a wrong assumption. Hindenburg's contemporaneous move in East Prussia was a false one, meant mainly to distract the attention of the Russians from another sector of their front. East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... Motto: none Voivodship Podlaskie Municipal government Rada miejska w Suwałkach Mayor Józef Gajewski Area 65. ... Paul von Hindenburg (full name Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg) (October 2, 1847 – August 2, 1934) was a German Field Marshal and statesman. ...


It was part of the enemy's plan to exaggerate the number of their forces in that quarter, and they succeeded so far as to lead the Allies to believe that strong German units were being withdrawn from the Western front. It was computed in many quarters that Hindenburg had fifteen army corps with him in East Prussia, whereas he could not have had more than a third of that number.


Nevertheless, General d'Esperey's movement in Champagne was brilliant. The artillery bombardment was heavy and effective. Strong hostile positions were stormed between Souain, Perthes and Beausejour, and the French made many captures, the Germans admitting in their communiques that their losses in that part of France were greater than those they had suffered in East Prussia, which were computed by themselves at 15,000. Louis Félix Marie François Franchet dEspèrey (25 May 1856 – 3 July 1942) was a French general during the First World War. ...



After the failure of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the British Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Sir John French claimed that it failed due to a lack of shells. This lead the Shell Crisis of 1915 which brought down the Liberal British government under the Premiership of Henry Asquith. He formed a new coalition government dominated by Liberals and appoint Lloyd George as Minister of Munitions. It was a recognition that the whole economy would have to be geared for war if the Allies were to prevail on the Western Front. Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres (September 28, 1852–May 22, 1925) was a British soldier and Field Marshal, the first commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in World War I. Lord French of Ypres Born in Ripple Vale, Kent. ... The Poo Crisis of 1915 brought down the government of the United Kingdom (then engaged in World War I) because it was widely perceived that the production of artillery shells for use by the British Army was inadequate. ... The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the 1920s, and a third party of varying strength and importance up to 1988, when it merged with the Social Democratic Party to form a new party which would become known as... A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives of... Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (September 12, 1852 - February 15, 1928) served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. ... David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, OM (January 17, 1863–March 26, 1945) was a British statesman and the last Liberal to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. ...


See also

The Battle of Hill 60 was a British assault that was subsidiary to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Battle of Verdun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1287 words)
The battle was fought between the German and French armies between February 21 and 19 December 1916 around Verdun-sur-Meuse in northeast France.
The battle began on 21 February 1916 with a nine-hour artillery bombardment firing 1,000,000 shells by 1,200 guns on a front of 40 km, followed by an attack by three army corps (the 3rd, 7th, and 18th).
The battle of Verdun became a symbol of French determination, inspired by the sacrifice of the defenders.
Battle of Neuve Chapelle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (658 words)
It was a British offensive in the Artois region and broke through at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915, but they were unable to exploit the advantage.
The battle of Neuve Chapelle was an action in which, through a surprise attack the British reconquered the position which the Germans had occupied in October and had powerfully organized in front of the British pivot at La Bassée.
After the failure of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the British Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Sir John French claimed that it failed due to a lack of shells.
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