Gen. Plumer and his divisional commanders hurried what avail able troops they had to cover the gap, and when Gen. Putz in the course of the evening informed Gen. Smith-Dorrien that he meant to counter-attack at 4.3o A.M., and requested that the British should assist, arrangements were made to co-operate. But no movement of the French took place, nor were they in the suc ceeding days able to make any serious effort to recover the ground they had lost on the eastern bank of the canal.
Several counter-attacks were made by the British on April 23 to regain the ground lost by the French. They were carried out by the Canadians, the 13th Infantry Brigade, and Geddes's detach ment—a temporary formation composed of six battalions of the 27th and 28th Divisions—without avail. The forces were too small, and there was not sufficient artillery or ammunition to sup port them. The Germans did no more than repel the counter attacks on the 23rd, but from the 24th onward proceeded to fol low two objectives : first to roll up the flank of the British line, aiming to get behind the troops still in position; secondly, to in crease their gains across the canal near Steenstraat and separate the Belgians from the French and British. By the division of their forces, they failed to achieve either purpose.
The Second Gas Attack.—On April 24, at 4 A.M., the enemy released gas against the front of the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Bri gades. In spite of having only extemporized means of protection (handkerchiefs, linen bandoliers, etc., dipped in water), they held fast for a time, but the enemy, after breaking in at one place, enlarged his gains, and the 3rd Canadian Brigade was gradually forced back, involving in the retirement through St. Julien the troops on the new left flank that had been built up. Gen. Snow, the only divisional general who had his headquarters east of the canal, at Potijze, took charge of the defence, and such reserves as could be hurried up were eventually placed by Gen. Plumer under his command, as communication across the canal between the headquarters of the other commanders and their troops was constantly interrupted. Although the Germans were driven out of St. Julien by a counter-attack of two battalions of the York and Durham Infantry Brigade of the Northumbrian (Territorial) Division, another large piece of the salient was lost, and after further German attacks on the 25th, Gravenstavel was abandoned, and the British line ran from the original left of the 28th Division past St. Julien, almost due west to the canal.
The British Counter-Attacks.—Counter-attack after coun ter-attack was now made by fresh troops hurried up to Ypres, the Infantry Brigade (4th Division), the Lahore Division and the Northumberland Infantry Brigade (Northumbrian Division) with assistance on the left from the French. All were without suc cess; they found the enemy well entrenched, and their only result was heavy casualties. In the operations of April 26, when some of the French 45th Division co-operated on the left of the Lahore Division, the Germans opened a few gas cylinders in defence, and broke the attack; whilst on the 27th gas shelling alarmed the African natives and caused them a second time to retreat in panic.
The position of the British troops in the narrow salient, pro jecting 6m. in front of Ypres and only some 3m. across was obviously untenable, as it was surrounded on three sides by the enemy and subject to constant bombardment. Gen. Smith-Dor rien proposed to withdraw to a line nearer Ypres. In consequence, however, of Gen. Foch's protests and promises that the French would regain the ground they had lost, and of the political desir ability of not abandoning any more Belgian territory if it could be avoided, Sir John French agreed to leave his troops in their exposed position for some days longer. Gen. Joffre, having in preparation his great offensive which was to begin on May 9, near Arras, was not disposed to allow Gen. Foch to employ any more troops near Ypres ; and the French attacks languished.
The Withdrawal from the Apex of the Salient.—When on May i the French infantry in a projected attack failed to leave their trenches, all hope of their recovering ground came to an end, and Sir John French directed Gen. Plumer, who by his orders was now in special charge of the operations near Ypres, to begin the retirement to the Frezenberg line, abandoning a zone some 2111. deep. This retirement was carried out with complete success by the infantry brigades of the 27th, 28th and 4th (which had re placed the Canadian) Divisions in the line on the nights of May 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4. The French now held the i 2m. of the left of the new semicircle round Ypres.
The Renewed German Attacks.—All hope of obtaining vic tory by gas attacks having disappeared, as the Allies were prepared for them, the Germans now tried by sheer weight of artillery to drive the British off their new position. After finally getting pos session of Hill 6o on May 5-6, they made carefully prepared attacks on May 8 and on May 24. In spite of splendid defence and desperate British counter-attacks, in which the 4th, 27th, 28th, and Northumbrian Divisions and the Cavalry Corps troops were engaged, the enemy, dominating the situation with heavy artillery, gained a small amount of ground. Meanwhile, on the night of May 15-16, he had been compelled by the French to abandon his position on the western bank of the canal. On May 25, after the II. Corps had established itself on a strong line, the Germans brought the battle to a close.
The total British losses in the Ypres and Hill 6o fighting were 2,I5o officers and 57,125 other ranks, the total killed being 10,519. The German losses on the Allied front were returned at 86o of ficers and 34,073 other ranks.
See "Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1915," History of the Great War based on Official Documents, vol. i., with a bibliog raphy (1927) ; Palat, Grande Guerre sur le front Occidental, vol. ix. (1922) ; M. Schwarte, Der deutsche Landkrieg, vol. ii. (1923) . The French and German official accounts are not yet available, but official information furnished in advance is included in the British account. (J. E. E.)