Battle of the Yser
The Battle of the Yser (French: Bataille de l'Yser, Dutch: Slag om de IJzer) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a 35 km (22 mi) stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee Canal, in Belgium.[4] The front line was held by a large Belgian force, which halted the German advance in a costly defensive battle.
The victory at the Yser allowed Belgium to retain a small strip of territory, with Germany in control of 95 per cent of Belgian territory, which made King Albert a Belgian national hero, sustained national pride and provided a venue for commemorations of heroic sacrifice for the next hundred years.
Aftermath[edit]
The Belgian Army and its allies had managed to hold the last corner of Belgium, ending the Race to the Sea and the period of open warfare. The front line along the Yser River became known as the Yser Front and was held by the Belgian Army until 1918. The British official historian, James Edmonds, wrote in 1925, in the second 1914 volume of the History of the Great War, that from 18 October to 30 November 1914, between Gheluvelt and the coast, the Germans suffered an estimated 76,250 casualties.[31]
In 2010, Jack Sheldon wrote that from 18 to 30 October, the Belgian army suffered 20,000 casualties and that German casualties may have been much greater.[32] The struggle of the Belgian army to hold on to its territory during the remainder of the war and the experiences of ordinary Flemish infantrymen, led to an increase in Flemish national sentiment and the foundation of the Frontbeweging, the first party of the Flemish Movement, in 1917.[33]
Legacy[edit]
The Dodengang, a Belgian trench from the battle, was preserved after the war as a tourist attraction and war memorial.
"The Man Who Won the War", a 1936 short story by Robert Buckner, is set during the battle and details a fictional alternate account of the Belgian victory, where the Belgians are supported by HMS Firedrake and disguise themselves as members of the Cameron Highlanders to deceive the Germans into believing the British Army is supporting the Belgians. In reality, HMS Firedrake did not take part in the battle, and British involvement was limited to naval support.