The Second Battle of Ypres, 1915

The Second Battle of Ypres, as it is known in British military history, encompassed four battles in the northern sector of the Ypres Salient. The first of these began on 22nd April 1915 as a surprise attack by the German 4th Army on the French sector of the Allied Front Line.

This attack witnessed the first use of a new German weapon on the Western Front: a cloud of poisonous gas. Its deadly effect was carried on a gentle breeze towards French troops and as a result of its devastating effect on the French the German infantry made a significant advance into Allied territory within a few hours.

During the following four weeks after the surprise gas cloud attack the Allied Forces of Belgium, France and Britain fought to hold off the successful German advance and to regain the ground that had been lost north of Ypres. The battle ended on 25th May 1915.

Prelude to the Battle

The Prelude to the Battle describes the build-up to the battle during the early months of 1915, the development of a new German weapon of poisonous gas and the reason why the attack with gas would take place in the Ypres Salient. Viewed from both the German and the Allied perspectives the study covers the period from January 1915 to 17.00 hours (5pm) on 22nd April 1915.

Read about the build-up to the German attack to capture the objectives of the Pilckem Ridge and Ypres-Yser canal:

Prelude to the Second Battle of Ypres

The Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge 22 and 23 April 1915

This phase of the study of the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge covers the period from the launch of the German gas attack at 17.00 hours on 22nd April through to the situation at the end of the day.

Read about the first few hours of the attack, accounts describing the gas by both French and the German soldiers, gassed civilians, the courageous stand made by the Canadians and the dramatic gains made by the German attacking divisions by the end of the day:

Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge: Phase One