The Battle of Neuve Chappelle

March 10, 1915

Now that the stagnant fighting of trench warfare had gripped the western front, the only goal the allies had was to break the deadlock. In the opening months of 1915, the allied leadership launched multiple offensives, trying to break through the German lines to win a quick victory, still somehow believing that a possibility. However, soon after any breakthrough the allies achieved, the Germans would immediately launch a fierce counterattack to take back their position. This was a constant for almost every allied offensive attempted. 

One assault in particular that followed this pattern was the British attack at Neuve Chappelle, where the objective was to take a tactically significant ridge occupied by the Germans. The attack was led by General Douglas Haig, a highly successful leader who was promoted after exceptional performance as a corps commander during the First Battle of Ypres.

The assault at Neuve Chappelle was well planned and initially well executed. The British, for the first time in history, used aerial photography to effectively map out the German defenses, which were found to be poorly manned and constructed. Haig's men, with their equipment, were moved under cover of darkness, so as not to alert the German sentries. Everything was in place.

The attack began at 7:30 AM, on March 10th, with a massive artillery bombardment. The Germans were taken completely by surprise. They were overrun with extreme ease. In fact, in some places, the attackers barely took any losses taking the German front lines. It seemed everything was going perfectly. Haig envisioned his forces breaking through the rest of the German defenses and flooding into open country. The battle was his! However, there was one small problem.

Communication between Haig and his men had been cut off. Any order he gave took hours to reach them, likewise, any report of the events on the battlefield took just as long to reach him. Not only that, but some of the surviving Germans set up a small number of machine guns at one of the British flanks, inflicting heavy casualties, and causing mass confusion and panic. Additionally, many units lost their way in the difficult terrain of the war-torn battlefield. 

The time they lost milling around in confused masses was time the Germans spent moving their reserves in to strengthen their lines, blocking the British from their goal of reaching open countryside. The Germans then mounted a fierce counter attack. The fighting continued until March 13, when the fighting once again bogged down and both sides went back to hiding in their trenches. It was a disaster. The British had lost around 11,700 men, and they had only advanced a total of one square-mile.

This tragic loss of life was a constant during the allied spring offensives of 1915. Despite all of this, the British and French forces were unable to break through the German defenses in any significant way. The entire western front was still gripped with a savage and inescapable stalemate.

The Battle of Neuve Chappelle (March 10 - March 13)

The Christmas Truce

December 24, 1914

Rifleman H.C. Brazier was manning his position in a British trench, when the Germans opposite him began calling out to him and his companions. They were shouting in English, saying things like "A Happy Christmas" and "English means good". A few of the British soldiers climbed over the parapet  and began making their way towards the German trenches. A group of four Germans met with them halfway, and said they wouldn't shoot at the British on Christmas Day if they did not. This remarkable event, witnessed by Brazier and his British counterparts, happened in many other parts of the western front on December 24 - 25. In fact, some 100,000 British and German soldiers took part in the unofficial truce.

Brazier recounts this miraculous event: "I went out with some more of our fellows and we were met by about 30 Germans, who seemed to be very nice fellows. I got one of them to write his name and address on a postcard as a souvenir. All through the night we sang carols to them and they sang to us and one played 'God Save the King' on a mouth organ.

"On Christmas Day we all got out of the trenches and walked about with the Germans, who, when asked if they were fed up with the war, said 'Yes, rather'.... Between the trenches there were a lot of dead Germans whom we helped bury....

"A hundred yards or so in the rear... there were old houses that had been shelled. These were explored... and we found old bicycles, top hats, straw hats, umbrellas, etc. We dressed ourselves up in these and went over to the Germans. It seemed so comical to see our fellows walking about in top hats with umbrellas up.... We made the Germans laugh.

"No firing took place on Christmas night and at four the next morning we were relieved by regulars."

The series of ceasefires that took place during Christmas of 1914 were nothing short of a miracle. It portrayed, like nothing else, the humanity of the soldiers fighting and suffering in this terrible war. Sadly, when the short cease-fire ended early morning on the 26th, the fighting resumed just as before. 

The Christmas Truce (December 24 - December 25)

The First Battle of Ypres

October 19, 1914

Chief of the General Staff Erich Von Falkenhayn, leader of the German army at Ypres, was assembling a massive force to assault and capture the French town. There, he believed, would be the gateway to the coastal cities of Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne. He chuckled to himself. If he could take those towns, the British would have no hope of sending any further troops to the front. France would be completely isolated! "Yes," he thought, "this will be a day long remembered in German history." Little did he know, Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre was thinking about that very same thing. He too knew of the gravity of the situation. If his troops were to fail, Germany would cut off the only help his country could receive. "I will not fail." He thought, "I cannot fail."

The first German assault was directed at Langemarck. It was one of

many small towns that surrounded Ypres. The German 4th army, on October 21, committed to a series of attacks. These were poorly planned and with little support, however. The British 7th Division, defending the town, was able to temporarily push the Germans back. The allied defenses consisted of soldiers using shallow trenches, stone walls, and village houses as makeshift cover. The British defended the front lines, while the French forces covered the rear. Fierce fighting continued for another week around Langemarck, but soon, the fighting bogged down, and Falkenhayn knew he needed to target another location if he had any hope of breaking through to Ypres.

With the 6th army holding its position in the south, and the 4th army halted in the north, Falkenhayn ordered an attack through the center, through Gheluvelt, hoping to break through the village defenses, and push on into Ypres. However, the British and French put up stiff resistance. After repeated attacks near Gheluvelt, the Germans managed to break through for a short time. However, they were pushed back soon after by a British counterattack.

For the allies all along the line, it was a brutal struggle. Having a far weaker force in numbers than the Germans, their defense seemed hopeless. Nonetheless, they continued on, desperately fending off the waves of German assaults.

From November 10 to November 11, the fighting was at its peak in ferocity. The Germans focused the majority of its attacks towards the area between Langemarck and Diksmuide. They were able to break through parts of the allied lines, but couldn't be supported, so they were soon pushed back. With neither side able to achieve any significant advantage over the other, both began digging in. Both the allies, and the Germans were utterly exhausted. Losses for all sides were considerable. German casualties numbered over 80,000, with the French at a similar figure, while the BEF casualties at over 50,000 (89,964 since the Battle of Mons).

With the end of this battle, came the end of the mobile phase of the war. From now on, trench warfare would rage along the western front for the next four long years.

The First Battle of Ypres (October 19 - November 22)