Battle of the Yser
Part of the Race to the Sea on the Western Front (World War I)
The "End of the Line": the Western Front reaches the sea near Nieuwpoort, Belgium
Date October 16 – October 31, 1914 Location River Yser, Belgium Result Franco-Belgian victory
Combatants
Belgium France	German Empire
Commanders
Albert I of Belgium	Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg
Strength
Belgium: 4 infantry divisions, 2 reserve divisions France: 1 infantry division, 2 Marine regiments	6 Corps (12 divisions)
Casualties
Belgium: 40,000 France: 15,000

The Battle of the Yser secured the coastline of Belgium for the allies in the "Race to the Sea" in the first three months of World War I. Course of the Race to the Sea showing dates of encounters and highlighting the significant battles. ... Combatants Belgium, British Empire, France, United States, other Western Allies of WWI Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then General Ferdinand Foch Kaiser Wilhelm II Casualties ~4,800,000 Unknown though considerably higher Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the German army opened the Western... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul... Image File history File links WW1_Western_Front_at_Nieuport. ... For most of World War I, Allied Forces, predominantly those of France and the United Kingdom, were stalled at trenches on the Western Front. ... Nieuwpoort is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Categories: France geography stubs | Belgium geography stubs | Belgian rivers | French rivers ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_German_Empire. ... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I   Capital Berlin Language(s) German (official) Polish (Posen, Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871-1888 William I  - 1888 Frederick... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Albert I (April 8, 1875 – February 17, 1934) was the third King of the Belgians. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_German_Empire. ... Duke Albrecht of Würtemberg (1865-1939) was a commander of the German Army in World War I in Belgium. ... Course of the Race to the Sea showing dates of encounters and highlighting the significant battles. ... The Battle of Albert began on September 25, 1914 as part of the Race to the Sea during World War I. The confrontation was between the French under Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre and the Germans. ... Combatants France German Empire Commanders Louis Maudhuy Crown Prince Rupprecht Strength French Tenth Army Three corps of the German First, Second and Seventh Armies The Battle of Arras (also known as the First Battle of Arras), which began on October 1, 1914, was an attempt by the French Army... Combatants United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders John French Ferdinand Foch Erich von Falkenhayn Strength UK: 7 infantry divisions, 3 cavalry divisions France: ? Fourth and Sixth Armies Casualties UK: 58,000 France: 50,000 130,000 The First Battle of Ypres, also called the Battle of Flanders, was the last... Course of the Race to the Sea showing dates of encounters and highlighting the significant battles. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul...

Belgium had been invaded by Germany and the remnants of the Belgian Army pushed into the far south west of the country, behind a 22 miles front on the Yser Canal as the Germans tried to reach the French Channel ports of Calais and Dunkerque. Just to the south the First Battle of Ypres started soon after the Battle of Yser. Categories: France geography stubs | Belgium geography stubs | Belgian rivers | French rivers ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Canal. ... Calais is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Location within France Dunkirk ( French: Dunkerque; Dutch: Duinkerke) is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the département of Nord, 10 km from the Belgian border. ... Combatants United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders John French Ferdinand Foch Erich von Falkenhayn Strength UK: 7 infantry divisions, 3 cavalry divisions France: ? Fourth and Sixth Armies Casualties UK: 58,000 France: 50,000 130,000 The First Battle of Ypres, also called the Battle of Flanders, was the last...

The entire Belgian Army was deployed to defend the front. The troops were exhausted and low on ammunition after two months of fighting and retreat. France reinforced the Belgians with 6,000 Marines and an infantry division.

The first skirmishes started on October 16, 1914. The town of Diksmuide was attacked but the Germans were repelled by French marines and Belgian artillery. The following day German troops (consisting of trained conscripts, reservists and untrained students) moved southwards from Bruges and Ostend in the direction of the Yser river. It became clear that the German Fourth Army Corps was to take the line from Nieuwpoort to Ypres. October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... Diksmuide (Dixmude in French) is a municipality in the province of West Flanders in Belgium. ... Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North, Bruges has many waterways that run through the city. ... The esplanade with the Thermae Palace, the former Royal Residence and the casino For other uses, see Ostend (disambiguation). ... The German Fourth Army (German: ) was a field army that fought in World War II. The Fourth Army was activated on December 1, 1938 with Field Marshal Günther von Kluge in command. ... Nieuwpoort is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ... The Belfry of Ypres Ypres (French, generally used in English;1 Ieper official name in the local Dutch) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ...

Admiral Hood of the Royal Navy commanded three monitors, Severn, Humber and Mersey, which bombarded the German army in Lombardsijde from the sea the following day. Rear Admiral The Honourable Horace Lambert Alexander Hood (1870 – 31 May 1916) was a young and respected admiral in World War I. He was the great-great-grandson of Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... USS Monitor became the prototype of a form of ship built by several navies for coastal defence in the 1860s and 1870s and known as a monitor. ... In 1914 during the First World War, the Royal Navy procured three Amazon-class monitors built by Vickers for Brazil. ...

On October 18, the German offensive started. It initially overran the frontal defense positions of the Belgian, British and French armies along a line stretching from Nieuwpoort down to Arras in France. The objective was to defeat the Belgian and French armies and to deprive the Brtish of access to the harbours of Calais, Boulogne and Dunkerque. Yet four days later in the battle, the German troops still had to reach the borders of the river Yser, let alone to cross the river. October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... Arras (Dutch: ) is a town and commune in northern France, préfecture (capital) of the Pas-de-Calais département. ... Calais is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city and commune in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Location within France Dunkirk ( French: Dunkerque; Dutch: Duinkerke) is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the département of Nord, 10 km from the Belgian border. ...

The last bridge over the Yser was blown up on October 23. Diksmuide bore the brunt of repeated German offensives and bombardments yet the town was still not taken. October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The French high command planned to inundate large parts of their territory as a defensive measure and asked the Belgians to inundate part of their territory between the river Yser and the canals.

A canal links Ypres with Nieuwpoort on the sea. The area consisted of reclaimed land, which drained into the canal. Eventually, the front line was held by flooding the land between the canal and railway between Diksmuide and Nieuwpoort by opening the drainage channels to sea water. This formed a barrier between the armies. Nieuwpoort is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ...

From October 30, the Germans planned another decisive attack but, this was called off due to the flooding. October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ...

The historical importance of the Battle of the Yser was not only the fact that the Germans did not manage to defeat the Belgian Army but, also that through the horror of war, and through the experiences of ordinary foot soldiers, Flemish national consciousness started to grow in the then overwhelmingly Francophone Belgian society. The term Flemings (Dutch: ) is currently mostly used to refer to the ethnic group native to Flanders (the northern half of Belgium, historically part of the Southern Netherlands), which in total numbers about 6 million people in Belgium (the majority of all Belgians) . The term also designates, not only the...

External links

• Flanders Fields tourism information site