![]() The Belgians suffered some 18,000 casualties at the Yser, and the French more than 5,000, but the Allied left flank had been secured. Three German divisions were forced into hasty retreat as the floodwaters rose around them. That night, Belgian engineers unleashed the sea, destroying the town of Nieuport and inundating the battlefield. ![]() When German guns renewed their bombardment of Belgian positions on October 29, Albert ordered the opening of the sluices at Nieuport ( Nieuwpoort). Beginning on October 25, the Belgians began manipulating the floodgates on canals and watercourses in the Yser valley, opening them at high tide and closing them before the water could recede. The Belgians were exhausted and critically short on ammunition, but Albert held a trump card that he was loath to use. The situation was critical: if the Belgians broke at the Yser, the Allied left flank would be compromised, and the “Race to the Sea” would be won by the Germans. Thus, the first phase of the battle ended with the French holding the northern half of a semicircle east of Ypres and the British occupying the southern half. A German assault at Langemarck, north of Ypres, was checked, but a French counterattack on October 24 yielded little result. When Joffre was informed of the situation, he dispatched the IX Corps to Ypres, a move that brought the opposing forces to near numerical parity. Thoughts of outflanking the Germans were abandoned as it became clear that there was a very real danger of losing the Channel ports to a German advance. It was not until October 21 that French began to grasp the situation on the ground he ordered that positions be entrenched and held defensively. With Foch the delusion persisted still longer, and the failure of Allied commanders to grasp the situation made the First Battle of Ypres essentially a “soldiers’ battle.” Like Inkerman during the Crimean War or Shiloh during the American Civil War, the absence of effective high-level command meant that success or failure hinged on personal valour rather than a grand strategic plan. For at least 24 hours, French persisted in the belief that he was attacking while his troops were barely holding their ground. The effort was stillborn, for it coincided with the opening of the German offensive on October 20. Although the British right and centre already had been held up by strong German defenses, Field Marshal Sir John French, discounting even the underestimate of German strength furnished by his intelligence, on October 19 ordered his left to begin the offensive from Ypres toward Menin (Menen). Beyond it, the embryo of a new French Eighth Army was taking shape, and the Belgians continued the line along the Yser (IJzer) River to the sea. The BEF deployed in turn between La Bassée, France, and Ypres, where it effected a junction with Lieut. While Falkenhayn waited to spring his trap, the new Allied advance was developing piecemeal, as corps detrained from the south and swung eastward to form the hook of the attempted flanking maneuver. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.
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