The second of two Battelground Europe titles covering this highly
significant battle of spring 1918.
The German offensive in Flanders in April 1918 came close to catastrophe
for the British Armies, but ultimately ended in strategic defeat for the
Kaiser's men. Following close on the heels of the devastating 'Operation
Michael' attack in March, which had been aimed against the British front
on the Somme and Arras, this offensive, 'Operation Georgette', was aimed
at strangling the vital railways and roads that supplied the British at
Ypres and threatening the vital logistics links with the Channel Ports.
Having assembled an overwhelming numerical advantage, the Germans
attacked in thick fog on 9 April 1918. By day's end, the Germans had
succeeded in gaining a crossing of the River Lys and were well on their
way to the railway junctions at Hazebrouck. Next day, they extended the
attacked front northwards and advanced to the very gates of Ypres,
forcing a British retirement from the bloodily won advances during the
Third Battle of Ypres. Messines Ridge, captured so spectacularly by the
British in June 1917, was soon in German hands and fighting inched
towards Mont Kemmel, which dominated the Ypres front. Once this fell,
the way was open for the capture of the main supply roads into Ypres.
To find sufficient reserves to counter the German attack, the British
took the heart-breaking decision to abandon the ground won so dearly in
the Passchendaele offensive in the summer and autumn of 1917. Gradually,
fresher British and French reserves arrived and held their ground. With
disappointing results, mounting casualties and a diminishing return for
their efforts, the Germans paused to regroup. Late in the month they
unleashed a rapid, unstoppable attack that captured Kemmel from the
French forces that had been rushed north to reinforce the threatened
line and which had been holding the summit: one of the finest military
feats of the Great War.
Behind the scenes, however, the Germans were already calling off a
continuation of the offensive and so, by a seeming miracle, the bastion
that was Ypres remained in British hands.
What the British call 'The 'Battle of the Lys 1918' is a fascinating yet
curiously neglected period of military history. Chris Baker examines
this major battle from the strategic down to the platoon level,
highlighting the key events, characters and acts of enormous bravery on
both sides, both in historical narrative and in a series of tours of the
area.
This volume concentrates on the northern half of the battlefield; nearly
all of the actions described in this volume took place in Belgium.
