Battle of the Yser

Battle of the Yser
Part of the Race to the Sea on the Western Front in the First World War

Depiction of the "admirable resistance" of Belgian forces
Date16–31 October 1914
Location51°09′10″N 02°43′23″E / 51.15278°N 2.72306°E / 51.15278; 2.72306
Result Allied victory
Territorial
changes
Yser Front created
Belligerents
Belgium Belgium
 France
 United Kingdom
 German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Belgium King Albert I
Belgium Émile Dossin
Belgium Augustin Michel
Belgium Jules Jacques
French Third Republic Pierre Ronarc'h
French Third Republic Paul Grossetti
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Horace Hood
German Empire Albrecht of Württemberg
German Empire Hans von Beseler
Strength
Belgium: 52,000 men[1]
France: 6,600 men (1,450 infantry)[2]
Britain: 3 monitors
auxiliary ships
60,000–85,000 men[1]
Casualties and losses
Belgium: 3,500 killed[3]
15,000 wounded[3]
Germany: Heavy

The Battle of the Yser (French: Bataille de l'Yser, Dutch: Slag om de IJzer) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a 35 km (22 mi) stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee Canal, in Belgium.[4] The front line was held by a large Belgian force, which halted the German advance in a costly defensive battle.

The victory at the Yser allowed Belgium to retain a small strip of territory, with Germany in control of 95 per cent of Belgian territory, which made King Albert a Belgian national hero, sustained national pride and provided a venue for commemorations of heroic sacrifice for the next hundred years.

  1. ^ a b Amez 2013, p. 53.
  2. ^ Edmonds 1925, p. 51.
  3. ^ a b Schaepdrijver 2004, p. 171.
  4. ^ Barton, Doyle & Vandewalle 2005, p. 17.