The YpRes Times. 3 Veldhoek General Douglas Haig's corps was very strongly pressed. The G.O.C. 9th Corps sent him two battalions of the 32nd Regiment, who counter-attacked and re-took the hamlet. Further south the Germans made an attack on St. Eloi to take Ypres in reverse a breach was made at this part of the line the 71st Hussars were sent from the gth Corps their colonel made his squadrons dismount, and restored the situation. The fight continued on November 3rd, 4th and 5th, in a series of indecisive frontal engagements. General Douglas Haig handed back the two battalions of the 32nd Regiment which had been lent him on November 2ndthey had lost 60 per cent, of their strength. The day of November 6th was marked by a violent recrudescence of the battle, and the bombardment of Ypres became extremely intense. The town had been untenable since the 4th, and the maintenance of communications between French and British Headquarters and the front line had become precarious and costly. General Douglas Haig's H. Q. therefore moved to the Chateau des Trois Tours near Brielen on the 4th 9th Corps H.Q. followed 24 hours later, and occupied a villa in the suburbs of Ypres. These moves were timely, for, on the very next day, the house that had been occupied by the I. Corps was set on fire by a shell, while that of the 9th Corps was completely destroyed by several hits. This bombardment made the supply of the troops a matter of very great difficulty, since the only available roads lay through the town. The renewed German attack, heavily supported by artillery, began at daybreak, but was held everywhere except at Zillebeke, where General Moussy's front was penetrated at three points, and Ypres was again uncovered. The G.O.C. 9th Corps sent up his only reserve, the 7th Hussars, who dismounted, joined the infantry, drew them forward, and charged the enemy with their bayonetless carbines. Meanwhile General Moussy collected a crowd of odds and ends in Zillebeke (clerks, batmen, cooks, etc.), some eighty strong, led them into the front line, and chargedMuch of the lost ground was regained, and a continuous front was re-established. On the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th November German attacks succeeded each other to north and south of Ypres without gaining anything. The more worn units of General Moussy's detachment (the 68th and 268th Regiments) were relieved by the 90th, but they were hardly out of the line before they were sent, reinforced by two battalions of the 32nd that had been decimated at Veldhoek, to the help of the 32nd Corps further to the north, near Pilcken, where the situation was critical. A fine feat of arms indeed, for they had been fighting without respite from October 23rd to November 8th. They were relieved on the 8th, and put into line again on the 10th, without a chance of being re-organised when they returned to the 9th Corps they were to all intents and purposes annihilated. November nth saw the putting into the line of new forces with which the German High Command was making a supreme last effort. The principal attack took place at the junction of the I. and 9th Corps, but it failed completely before the solid fronts of the English and French regiments. A division of the Prussian Guard, which had been brought from Arras expressly for this operation, was very severely handled. Round Zillebeke and Hill 60 General Moussy's detachment was again heavily engaged the slopes of Hill 60 were lost, and Ypres once more threatened. General Dubois sent up the 7th Hussars yet again. Eed by their officers, the hussars traversed the German barrage and reached the infantry. But we can't let the hussars go there alone cried an infantry officer, so horse and foot together threw back the enemy troops who had reached the village of Verbranden-Molen, restored the situation at Hill 60, which had never been actually abandoned, and nightfall closed the battle. This brilliant action earned a mention in Army Orders for the 7th Hussars. On November 12th and 13th the enemy continued his attacks untiringly, but without the smallest success. On the 14th the fighting was less intense, and by the 15th the First

HISTORISCHE KRANTEN

The Ypres Times (1921-1936) | 1924 | | pagina 5