Ypres found itself at the heart of the conflict as it was located right in the path of the sweep the germans planned across belgium it was therefore a major strategic spot for the germans. Explore ypres salient holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. During wwi, ypres known to many soldiers as wipers was the centre of intense and sustained battles between german and allied forces. The continued allied hold of the ypres salient throughout the war meant that the allies maintained a gap between the german army as it marched west. Our grand tour gives you an overview of the ypres salient 1914 1918. Here we look in depth at the north and south sections of the salient, and the area behind the lines, to gain an insight into this fascinating area. You can explore the rolling landscape of the ypres salient via. The area was the scene of a fouryear stalemate in the trenches and.
Throughout the war, the german positions were on the right of the map and the british positions were on the left, including ypres, which never fell to the germans. Ypres lies at the junction of the yprescomines canal and. One can buy this selfdriving car route from the ypres tourist office tourist office ieper for 6 euros. Take a car to some of the touching memorials in the ypres salient the site of some of the first world wars biggest battles.
The ypres salient and the battles that raged there continue to fascinate everybody with an interest in the first world war. Ieper ypres salient 70,00km nieuwpoort ijzerfront 74,00km diksmuide niemandsland 68,00km zonnebeke pionier 75,00km veurne vrij vaderland 92. With virtually ninety percent of belgium under german occupation, ypres became a symbol of. In the east the entry point is located at hooge crater museum along the menin road opposite hooge crater cemetery. Find the perfect belgium ypres ieper salient flanders stock photo. The walking route here passes among other things the monument to the liverpool scottish and maple copse military cemetery. The german army in the ypres salient tour 191418, 4 days. Here is an example route from the hotel ariane, ypres through the main battlefield sites in the northern part of the ypres salient. Battles of the ypres salient history learning site. The salient was formed by a bulge in the western front, where the allied lines bit into the territory occupied by the germans.
On 7th october 1914, some 8,000 soldiers of the imperial german army proudly marched into ypres. In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Understanding the ypres salient casemate publishers. The ypres salient is the area around ypres in belgium which was the scene of some of the biggest battles in world war i. All nonessential transport was left behind and the sikhs continued onward. They represented the vanguard of a nation hellbent on. During a trip to ypres in 2006 neil and myself had discussed how many cemeteries there were in the salient and how long it would take to visit them all. A night scene showing three soldiers on the fire step of a trench surprised by a brilliant star shell lighting up the view over the battlefield. We visit several battlegrounds and memorials, including. During the first world war ypres and its outlying villages were the focus for three immense battles octobernovember 1914, aprilmay 1915, and julynovember 1917 as well as being subjected to the near constant attentions of german artillery. Both armies dug in and fought from a continuous system of trenches and mineshafts. Messines ridge was located on the southern section of the ypres salient. In most sectors of the western front, long periods of nearly peaceful coexistence occurred between the opposing forces, but not so in the ypres salient.
Covering the important ww1 battles of ypres, including the notorious passchendaele, this guidebook takes readers on a historic trip through some of the wellknown and most important sites of the area. Ypres and its illfavoured salient became of symbolic importance to the british army high command. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three. A cold morning so a lazy start and once we were a little warmer, we set off to visit some of the world war i memorial sites in the ypres salient which saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war. The ypres salient was scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in world war one. The ypres salient and messines ridge are best toured over two days. A storm in flanders is novelist and prizewinning historian winston grooms gripping history of the fouryear battle for ypres in belgian flanders, the pivotal engagement of world war i that would forever change the way the world fought and thought about war. In late october, in the last free corner of belgium the allies fought the central powers for control of the city ypres.
In the case of ypres, the germans had the additional advantage that most of their trenches were on the high ground overlooking the wet lowlands held by the british. Passchendaele and ypres salient battlefields may 2020 april 2021 what you can expect. I learned a lot about ypres salient from my great pal, tony spagnoly with whom i had the good fortune to go, pottering up the menin road many times in the nineties. German bunker near the village of zandvoorde southeast of ypres. These include trenches, mine craters and concrete bunkers. The ypres salient commonwealth war graves commission. Daily guided tours of the ypres salient and tours on the western front. The study area includes the ypres salient a bulge in the front line around the town of ypres, the wijtschatemessines ridge, and the allied and german hinterland. You can explore the rolling landscape of the ypres salient via the westhoek walking network or the ieperboog cycle route. This entry point illustrates the creation of the front in the centre of the salient near bellewaerde ridge. Belgium flanders ypres the ypres salient world war 1. Disbandment of the ypres cavalry school on 1 august 1914.
The ypres salient is the area around ypres in belgium which was the scene of some of the. The great kaiserschlacht offensive of 1918 brought the germans to within sight of the city and the limit of their advance is inscribed on the landscape by a set of modest markers, known as demarcation stones permanent reminders of just how close. My dad has limited mobility and we were concerned before the trip if he would struggle. The salient is surrounded on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The area around ypres became known as the ypres salient. Battle of ypres, 28 september 2 october 1918 battles of the ypres salient. It sets out to transport the visitor around sites of importance for the first, second and third battles of ypres and in. In 1914, germany launched an invasion of france through neutral belgium and brought the wrath of the world. Holts battlefield guide ypres salient passchendaele. All nonessential transport was left behind and the sikhs continued onward by companies, leaving a three minute gap between each. This put the british at a disadvantage, since they were overlooked on three sides from this high ground. Apr 16, 2015 ypres and the ypres salient played a key role on the western front in world war one. The germans occupied the ridges which formed a semicircle around the city of ieper. The gheluvelt plateau stretched along the southern edge of the ypres salient.
Thereafter the line barely moved for more than two years. Ypres salient 70 km from battlefield to killing field market square ypres grote markt ieper. This driving route of about 45 miles takes in all the significant sites of the ypres salient, which was a bulge in the front line surrounded on three sides by german troops. Salient tours ieper ypres all you need to know before. A half million soldiers of over 50 different nationalities died there. Besides the historical film the emphasis here is on the beautiful castle parks that studded the landscape around ypres before the destructive war.
Flanders wwi battlefields are famed for red poppies, both real and metaphorical. In the game of wipers salient you play the part of the allies trying to hold back the massive forces of germany during a series of incessant attacks. Deze autoroute vertelt het verhaal van het front rond ieper. Dec 30, 2019 ypres didnt fall to the germans, but was a stones throw from the front line. Holts battlefield guide ypres salient passchendaele holt, tonie, holt, valamai on. The ypres salient was formed by british, french, canadian and belgian defensive efforts against german incursion during the 1914 race to the sea, culminating in the battle of the yser and the first. By this early stage of the war, operations on the western front were locked in stalemate as each side prepared strong defensive positions. The front line purple dashed line extends to passchendaele, several miles north east of ypres, by the end of 10 november 1917 after the allied offensive of the third battle of ypres. Our guide on that trip, clive harris, reckoned six days was a reasonable estimate. As imposing and dramatic as the menin gate is, it is only one of many objects in and around ypres that describe the global nature of the war. Jun 06, 2017 this driving route of about 45 miles takes in all the significant sites of the ypres salient, which was a bulge in the front line surrounded on three sides by german troops. The germans lines encompassed the ypres salient on three sides.
From 1914 the area suffered four years of senseless fighting during which hundreds of thousands of soldiers and whole towns disappeared into a muddy, bloody quagmire. The little ypres salient remained virtually unchanged from may 1915 to august 1917. The ypres salient was created at the end of october 1914. The entire salient was an extremely dangerous place throughout that time, but on four occasions the fighting reached such intensity that each instance has been designated as a separate battle of ypres. A salient in military terms is a battlefield feature that projects into an opponents territory. The importance of the area is best seen in the number of. I know his last hours was spent filling a gap on hill 37, which had opened up compromising the efforts of british western front. During the first world war, the ypres salient was an important strategic position. The area was the scene of a fouryear stalemate in the trenches and witnessed some of the fiercest battles of the first world war. On the 26th of april, 1915, the 15th ludhiana sikhs were assembling ready to move up into the ypres salient. This work aims to provide the reader with a clear understanding of what happened in the ypres salient between 1914 and 1918.
Essex farm advanced dressing station and john mccraes poem in flanders fields, pilckem ridge gas attack 1915, langemarck german cemetery, vancouver corner the brooding soldier memorial, new zealand war memorial gravenstafel, tyne cot cemetery the third. We covered all the ground from gheluvelt chateau and the bayonet charge of the worcesters 1914 to passchendaele church where tony lit a candle in memory of the canadians who. The ypres salient known as the ieperboog in flemish was a bulge in the front line. The civilian population were evacuated and the occupying forces settled into the long, grinding routine of trench warfare that was daily life in the ypres. Here we look in depth at the north and south sections of the salient, and the area behind the. On the left there is a flooded shellhole, beyond which stand three other soldiers, overlooked by a woodland of tree stumps. During wwi, ypres was the centre of intense and sustained battles between german and allied forces. Shortly after they moved off, the march was halted due to enemy shelling. The tourist office is located in the cloth hall where the in flanders museum is in ieper. The first uhlans are spotted on 26 august between westrozebeke and poelkapelle. From pilckem ridge and langemarck across to zonnebeke, polygon wood, tyne cot and passchendaele, by cycling the lanes of the salient you will appreciate the importance of small ridges and how they could dominate the battlefield. Trying to work out on a present day map where your ancestor fell in world war one is no easy task.
Canadian operations in the ypres salient the 1st canadian division arrived on the continent in february 1915, and after serving for several weeks in the armentieres sector, the division moved to ypres in april. Belangrijke bezienswaardigheden als tyne cot cemetery, het studentenfriedhof in langemark, het memorial museum. Fields museum en kom langs tyne cot cemetery, memorial museum passchendaele en ypres salient. Ypres salient from battlefield to killing field tourist car route 1418. Not just a business, but a way of life flanders battlefield tour is well known for organising both, daily tours of the ypres salient and the somme amongst other western front areas. Grand tour north salient flanders battlefield tours. You have to gather your resources to maintain your health. From early in 1916 it was the intention of the commanderinchief of the british expeditionary force b. Daily guided tours of the ypres salient and tours on the. Driving tour of the ypres salient first world war memorials. The decision to defend the salient at such high cost throughout the war has always been controversial, but there were tangible reasons for doing so. The book was published as part of the great war centenery of which there is a website with the same name.
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