45th Algerian Division in the Second
Battle of Ypres (April-May, 1915).
Thh Ypres Times.
47
By COLONEL OUDRY (a Staff Officer to the Division).
(The Map published with the January number of The Ypres Times should be used when
reading this article.)
The 45th Division was moved from Artois to a position to the north of Ypres in the
first days of April in order to relieve the 20th Corps, the whole of which was detailed to
take part in the offensive that was being planned in Artois. The division comprised two
regiments of Zouaves, one regiment of Sharpshooters, and two battalions of African
Light Infantry. It was a very fine unit, and had just fought brilliantly in Artois, where
it had earned a mention in Army Orders. It was under the command of General
Quiquandon, an old Franco-African, of great energy and courage. One of its brigades
was under the orders of Colonel Mordacq, a very brave and brilliant officer, the other
under the orders of Colonel Aubert, a senior officer of the highest merit. This great
unit was therefore well led its regiments and battalions, in spite of serious losses
sustained both during the pursuit after the battle of the Marne and in Artois, were still
high-spirited and unshaken they had good leaders and a sufficiency of non
commissioned officers.
In the early days of April the 45th Division took over from a division of the 20th
Corps, with a Canadian division on its right, and the 87th French Territorial Division
on its leftHeadquarters were at Elverdinghe. So as to facilitate reliefs, the Divisional
Commander, under whose orders the 87th Division had been placed, only put one brigade
into the line and extended the sector of the 87th Division to the east. The latter was
in touch on its left with the Belgian Army to the west of Steenstraet and extended on the
right to the western edge of Langemark. The 45th Division held the Langemark
district and extended further east. One of its brigades was in army reserve to the west of
Elverdinghe.
The Division was hardly in position, the various fronts were in course of modification,
and a relief was actually being carried out, when it and its neighbours were subjected
to a furious assault, preceded for the first time by clouds of poison gas. The German
attack was launched at 17.30 hours on April 22nd, on a ten kilometre front, against both
French and British troops. Its objective was the reduction of the great Ypres Salient
and the clearing of the whole right bank of the Yser.
The German advance was very rapid on the French left against the Territorial
Division, and their foremost parties reached the Yser in half an hour. The 45th Division
held on with more determination, in spite of the surprise caused by this new weapon of
poison gas, against which the men had at that time no protection. Their lines were never
theless deeply penetrated. On the left the 1st Battalion of African Light Infantry
preferred to die where they stood rather than yield an inch of ground, but the Zouaves
about Langemark retired to a line which ran roughly from St. Julien to Boesinghe Station
in conformity to the deep penetration of the line on their left. The left of the Canadian
Division, which was fighting magnificently on the French right, was bent back to the
east of St. Julien,
At about 18.30 hours the French artillery was silenced, most of the guns on the right
bank of the Yser having been put out of action before being abandoned. The fire of the
German artillery on the other hand redoubled in violence with furious bombardments
of Boesinghe, Elverdinghe, and the approaches to the Yser, so as to prevent reserves
from reaching the battlefield.
