Freepedia
is a series of free encyclopaedias. We currently specialize in history
but we intend to branch out into other areas. This section is about
the Battle of Artois.
While
the 2nd Battle of Ypres was taking place,
the French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre,
decided to try and break through German lines on the Western
Front at Artois. After a five-day preliminary
bombardment of German positions, Henri-Philippe
Petain and 9th Army launched an attack on 9th May, 1915. Petain
initially made good progress but was unable to take the main objective,
Vimy Ridge. General Sir
Douglas Haig, who led an attack at Neuve
Chapelle at the same time, also failed to make a serious break through.
On 25th September Anglo-French forces launched another offensive at
Artois. General Auguste Dubail and the French
Tenth Army made some progress and one division managed to reach the
crest of Vimy Ridge on 29th September. However,
Count Prince Rupprecht and the German
Sixth Army made sure that the French made no long-term gains.
General Sir Douglas Haig, and the British
First Army, attacked at Loos. By the end of the first day the British
troops were on the outskirts of Lens. Strong counter-attacks by the
Germans forced the British back. When a second British attack suffered
heavy losses on 13th October, Sir
John French, decided to being an end to the Artois-Loos offensive.
The campaign cost the British Expeditionary Force
50,000 casualties. The French lost 48,000 and the Germans about 24,000.
Battle
of Artois: The Western Front Association
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of Artois: Wikipedia
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Debates
War
Propaganda Bureau
Military
Commanders and the First World War
Battle
of the Somme
Battle
of Artois
(1)
Charles Repington, Daily
Mail (15th May, 1915)
The
results of our attacks on Sunday last in the districts of Fromelles
and Richebourg were disappointing. We found the enemy much more strongly
posted than we expected. We had not sufficient high explosive to level
his parapets to the ground. When our infantry gallantly stormed the
trenches, as they did in both attacks, they found a garrison undismayed,
many entanglements still intact, and Maxims on all sides ready to pour
in streams of bullets. The attacks were well planned and valiantly conducted.
The infantry did splendidly, but the conditions were too hard. The want
of an unlimited supply of high explosives was a fatal bar to our success.
