The year of 1915 brought about a renewed vigor in the armies on the western front. The British forces were growing at a phenomenal rate as elements of Kitchner’s volunteer army began to show up in training camps in France. Both sides wanted to make the grand final attack as quickly as possible and end the war that was supposed to have been over by Christmas of 1914.
By spring 1915, the British had again begun planning what they felt would be the knock out blow which would at last break the German lines and lead the allies to victory. A small salient surrounding the town of Neuve Chapelle would be the focus of the attack. The town had been lost during the race to the sea back in October 1914. The aim of the assault was to retake the old British positions and then continue on through the German lines until they reached the town of Aubers. From there, the allied forces would have a clear path to take Lille and move towards Germany itself.
The battle began on March 10th with a massive artillery assault on a 2000 yard stretch of the German line. The initial assault was a complete success as the British and territorial forces overran the German defenses and retook the town. Then the British attack lost momentum as communications between the commanders broke down. Soon, the attack stopped all together. The British attempted to regroup and continue the attack on March 12th, but the Germans launched a very powerful counter-attack before they could get any sort of action underway. The British successfully repulsed the attacks but were kept from launching any further advances. By the end of the day, Gen. Haig, commander of the British First Army, had ordered the newly held lines consolidated and called off any further offensive actions.
For their efforts, the British had regained the old British lines lost the year before. However, they had suffered over 12,000 casualties taking the 1000 yards of land. They had also failed to deliver the knock out blow that the attack had been supposed to accomplish. This was to be the way of things for the next few years for both sides.
Get your own Free Home Page