To direct operations in the north Joffre sent General Foch, whose splendid work at La Fere Champenoise and Rheims had revealed his emi nent military capacity. Hither came, also, on a visit, the aged General Roberts, of the British army. He wished to see ag-ain his beloved In dian corps, most of whose native officers looked on him as their 'best friend. He was hand somely received and spent several happy days in the camps. Looking over the plans Foch had made for the battle he said simply, as was his way: *You have a great general* On this visit he was stricken with illness and died at British headquarters on 14 Novemtrer. Be tween Foch and French was ever good under standing, and the British soldiers, realizing how completely their battles were for the safety of the empire, spent life and strength as few other soldiers have spent them. On 20 Oct 1914, the Allied line was well established though thinly held. Including,de Maud'Huy's sector, from Albert to La Bassee, it was 100 miles long, and its defenders were about 500,000. Against them were thrown probably three times that number, fighting-under the eye of the kaiser himself. Just as the battle began, 22 October General von Moltke, German Chief of Staff, re tired from office on the plea of bad health. He was succeeded by General von Falkenhayn.
To break through the Allied line the Ger mans had the choice of four points of attack: Nieuport, Ypres, La Bassee and Arras. If they had concentrated all or most of the strik ing force at either of them they could hardly have failed to break through to the coast They chose, however, to attack at all simul taneously, and they failed at all The first attempt was at Nieuport, on 18 October. The Belgians were exhausted and dispirited by their retreat from Antwerp, hut. they met the attack bravely. Nevertheless they were being pressed back steadily when three British monitors, built for service in shallow water, got inshore and opened fire on the Ger mans on the beach, driving them inland sev eral miles so that Nienport itself was saved. The attack was renewed a few miles south of the town with great force. The Germans crossed the canalized Yser and seemed abcrut to press on to the rear of Nieuport, when the Belgians managed to construct a dam across the canal, so as to flood the area held by their foes, who fell back with some losses. The battle then shifted to Dixmude, still farther south. Here again the superior force of the Germans seemed about to carry the day when their opponents cut the dikes and let the waters of the canal flaw over their field of battle. The Germans were caught in the flood, their artil. lery was swept away, a large number of men were drowned, and the survivors were forced to scramble to the small pieces of high ground, where a great many were tnade prisoners. This feature of the general attadc lasted from 18 October to 10 November and was hotly contested at all times. It was a signal failure
for the Germans.
Four days after it began, 22 October, they opened a severe battle against Smith-Dorrien, who stood with the British second corps at La Bessie, continuing_ it with intense fighting for 10 days until 2 November. The Brttish were outnumbered but fought courageously although they suffered severely. When the Germans grew tired of attacking they pushed the British line back two miles, losing a great many men, but they did not break through. Probably they would have succeeded if they had brought up fresh troops and kept up the fight a week longer; for the second corps was almost at the limit of endurance, and no re-enforcements were in sight. But by this time the lcaiser was putting all his strength into the attack on Ypres and drew off some of his troops to that area. The battle of La Bassee thus came to an end, and the net result was a German defeat Meanwhile, the Germans had opened a third battle at Arras, where Gen. de Maud'Huy was confronted by the' army of General von Kluck, who attacked on 24 October. After fighting two days without success the battle receded. Then Gen. de Maud'Hny assumed the offensive and forced. back von Kluck until the town of Arras, which had suffered severely from the German boinbarcknent was out of danger. The battle of Arras, 24 October to 1 November, was rated by the Germans as one of their impor tant engagements. It was of the greatest im portance to the Allies; for if the French had given way at this point, the British armies in the North would have been completely divided from the French, and would have been forced to surrender or vrithdraw under trying circum stances.' The fourth and most formidable of these attempts to reach the sea was made against Ypres, defended by the first British corps un der the immediate command of General Haig. On 20 October Haig's men were four miles northeast of Ypres. At that time the two bat tles to the south, just described, had not been begun. The Germans had screened their opera tions so well by cavalry that General French did not know how far their concentration had proceeded. Bent on carrying forward the plan agreed upon between him and Joffre, he or dered Haig to move forward, if possible, with the hope that he might reach Ghent and Bruges, and open the way into northern Belgium. Haig's men had just arrived from the Aisne and were tired, but they responded with firm ness to the order to advance on the 2Dth, and in doing so brought on the first battle of Ypres. The Gerraans were on their front in over whelming numbers and threw themselves on the British most furiously. South of Haig's corps -were Allenby's cavalry, the third British corps, under General Pulteney, and a French cavalry corps, under General Conneau, South of Con neau cante Smith-Dorrien, whose battle at La Bassee has been described.