Battle of Loos

Template:Short description Template:See also Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English {{#invoke:Infobox military conflict|main}} The Battle of Loos took place from Template:Nowrap 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used gas as a weapon and the first mass engagement of New Army divisions. The French and British tried to break through the German defences in Artois in the north and Champagne at the south end of the Noyon Salient to restore a war of movement.

Despite improved methods, more ammunition, better equipment and gas, the Franco–British attacks were contained by the Germans, except for local losses of ground. The British gas attack failed sufficiently to neutralise the defenders and the artillery bombardment was too short to destroy barbed wire and machine-gun nests. German defensive fortifications and tactics could not be overcome by the British who were still assembling a mass army suitable for Western Front conditions.

BackgroundEdit

Strategic developmentsEdit

The battle was the British part of the Third Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive (known to the Germans as the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Autumn Battle). Field Marshal Sir John French and Douglas Haig (GOC First Army), regarded the ground south of La Bassée Canal, which was overlooked by German-held slag heaps and colliery towers, as unsuitable for an attack, particularly given the discovery in July that the Germans were building a second defensive position behind the front position. At the Frévent Conference on 27 July, Field Marshal French failed to persuade Ferdinand Foch that an attack further north offered greater prospects for success. The debate continued into August, with Joffre siding with Foch and the British commanders being over-ruled by Herbert Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, on 21 August.Template:Sfn On 3 May, the British had decided to use poison gas in military operations in France. At a conference on 6 September, Haig announced to his subordinates that extensive use of chlorine gas might facilitate an advance on a line towards Douai and Valenciennes, despite the terrain, as long as the French and British were able to keep the attack secret.Template:Sfn

PreludeEdit

British preparationsEdit

The battle was the third time that specialist Royal Engineer tunnelling companies were used to dig under no-man's-land, to plant mines under the parapets of the German front line trenches, ready to be detonated at zero hour.Template:Sfn

British planEdit

File:Battle of Loos, 1915 png.png

Template:Centre

French decided to keep a reserve consisting of the Cavalry Corps, the Indian Cavalry Corps and XI Corps (Lieutenant-General Richard Haking), which consisted of the Guards Division and the New Army 21st Division and 24th Division, recently arrived in France and a corps staff (some of whom had never worked together or served on a staff before). Archibald Murray, the Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff (DCIGS) advised French that as recently-trained troops, they were suited for the long marches of an exploitation rather than for trench warfare. French was doubtful that a breakthrough would be achieved. Haig and Foch, commander of the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Northern Army Group), wanted the reserves closer, to exploit a breakthrough on the first day. French agreed to move the reserves nearer to the front but still thought they should not be committed until the second day.Template:Sfn

Haig was hampered by the shortage of artillery ammunition, which meant the preliminary bombardment, essential for success in trench warfare, was insufficient. With only 533 guns and a shortage of shells to cover Template:Cvt front with two German trench lines to bombard, the British would probably be attacking positions that had not been disrupted enough to be broken through and reliant on the success of the gas attack.Template:Sfn The British commanders did not grasp that German defensive tactics included placing the second line of machine gun nests on the reverse slopes of hills; destroying them would need howitzers and high explosive shells.Template:Sfn Prior to the British attack, about Template:Cvt of chlorine gas was released, with mixed results; in places the gas was blown back onto British trenches, while in others it caused the Germans considerable difficulty.Template:Sfn Due to the inefficiency of contemporary gas masks, many soldiers removed them as they could not see through the fogged-up eyepieces or could barely breathe with them on, which led to some being affected by their gas. Wanting to be closer to the battle, French had moved to a forward command post at Lilliers, less than Template:Cvt behind the First Army front. He left most of his staff behind at GHQ and had no direct telephone to the army HQ, which attacked at Template:Nowrap on 25 September, sending an officer by car to request the release of the reserves at Template:Nowrap Template:Sfn

BattleEdit

Template:See also

25 SeptemberEdit

File:Hohenzollern Redoubt October 1915 map.jpg

Template:Centre

In many places British artillery had failed to cut the German wire.Template:Sfn The engineers manning the chlorine gas cylinders warned against their use, because of the weakness and unpredictability of the wind but they were overruled by General Sir Hubert Gough. In some places the gas drifted back into the British lines and caused more British than German casualties.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Advancing over open fields, within range of German machine-guns and artillery, the British infantry suffered many casualties.Template:Sfn The British were able to break through the weaker German defences and capture the village of Loos-en-Gohelle, mainly due to numerical superiority. Supply and communications problems, combined with the late arrival of reserves, meant that the breakthrough could not be exploited. Haig did not hear until Template:Nowrap that the divisions were moving up to the front. French visited Haig from Template:Nowrap and agreed that Haig could have the reserve but rather than using the telephone he drove to Haking's headquarters and gave the order at Template:Nowrap Haig then heard from Haking at Template:Nowrap that the reserves were moving forward.Template:Sfn French had not understood the state of the roads the reserves would have to use and had not constructed new ones. Most of the reserve divisions had to march through the day and night in single file up the only accessible roads.Template:Sfn

26–28 SeptemberEdit

When the battle resumed the following day, the Germans had recovered and improved their defensive positions. Much of the barbed wire, in some places Template:Cvt deep, remained uncut and the British had used their stock of chlorine gas.Template:Sfn British attempts to continue the advance with the reserves were repulsed.Template:Sfn The British preparatory bombardment, which amounted to desultory fire for about twenty minutes, apparently inflicted no casualties.Template:Sfn German machine gunners reported being "nauseated" from the sight of so many corpses and ceased firing so that the British could retreat with their wounded.Template:Sfn French told Foch on 28 September, that a gap could be "rushed" just north of Hill 70, although Foch felt that this would be difficult to co-ordinate and Haig told him that the First Army was in no position for further attacks.Template:Sfn A lull fell on 28 September, with the British back on their start lines, having suffered more than Template:Nowrap including three major-generals.Template:Sfn Template:Efn

Air operationsEdit

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) came under the command of Brigadier-General Hugh Trenchard.Template:Sfn The Template:Nowrap wings under Colonels Edward Ashmore, John Salmond and Sefton Brancker participated. As the British were short of artillery ammunition, the RFC flew target identification sorties prior to the battle, to ensure that shells were not wasted.Template:Sfn During the first few days of the attack, target-marking squadrons equipped with better wireless transmitters, helped to direct British artillery onto German targets.Template:Sfn Later in the battle, pilots carried out a tactical bombing operation for the first time in history. Aircraft of the Template:Nowrap wings dropped many Template:Cvt bombs on German troops, trains, rail lines and marshalling yards.Template:Sfn As the land offensive stalled, British pilots and observers flew low over German positions, providing target information to the artillery.Template:Sfn

AftermathEdit

AnalysisEdit

File:British infantry advancing at Loos 25 September 1915.jpg

style }}

Rawlinson wrote to the King's adviser Arthur Bigge (28 September)

Template:Quote

Major-General Richard Hilton, at that time a Forward Observation Officer, said of the battle,

Template:Quote

File:Elizabeth Thompson - A London Irish at Loos.png

Template:Centre Shows Rifleman Frank Edwards leading the charge while kicking a football.Template:Sfn

French had been criticised before the battle and lost his remaining support in the government and army due to the British failure and a belief that he handled poorly the reserve divisions.Template:Sfn French was replaced by Haig as Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on 15 December 1915.Template:Sfn Though Haig and Gough committed too many of their forces on the first day, they largely escaped blame for the debacle. French's combination of poor tactical planning, lack of knowledge of the conditions and poor execution in releasing the reserves was blamed for the British failure by John Keegan in 1998.Template:Sfn

CasualtiesEdit

British casualties suffered in the main attack were Template:Nowrap they suffered Template:Nowrap in the subsidiary attack, a total of Template:Nowrap of the Template:Nowrap casualties on the Western Front in 1915.Template:Sfn James Edmonds, the British official historian, gave German losses in the period Template:Nowrap as Template:Circa of Template:Circa on the Western Front during the autumn offensives in Artois and Champagne.Template:Sfn In {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the German official account, 6th Army casualties are given as Template:Nowrap 21 September; by the end of October losses had risen to Template:Nowrap total German casualties for the autumn battle ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) in Artois and Champagne, were given as Template:Nowrap Template:Sfn About 26,000 of the German casualties were attributable to the Battle of Loos.Template:Sfn Fifty-four British commanding officers were killed or wounded in the battle.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Subsequent operationsEdit

3–13 OctoberEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

The Germans made several attempts to recapture the Hohenzollern Redoubt, which they accomplished on 3 October.Template:Sfn On 8 October, the Germans attempted to recapture much of the remaining lost ground by attacking with five regiments around Loos and against part of the 7th Division on the left flank. Foggy weather inhibited observation, the artillery preparation was inadequate and the British and French defenders were well prepared behind intact wire. The German attack was repulsed with Template:Nowrap but managed to disrupt British attack preparations, causing a delay until the night of Template:Nowrap Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The British made a final attack on 13 October, which failed due to a lack of hand grenades.Template:Sfn Haig thought it might be possible to launch another attack on 7 November but the combination of heavy rain and accurate German shelling during the second half of October persuaded him to abandon the attempt.Template:Sfn

CommemorationEdit

File:Dud corner cemetery-Loos memorial-2.jpg

Dud Corner Cemetery

The Loos Memorial commemorates over Template:Nowrap of Britain and the Commonwealth who fell in the battle and have no known grave.Template:Sfn The community of Loos in British Columbia, changed its name from Crescent Island to commemorate the battle and several participants wrote of their experiences, Robert Graves described the battle and succeeding days in his war memoir Good-Bye to All That (1929), Patrick MacGill, who served as a stretcher-bearer in the London Irish and was wounded at Loos in October 1915, described the battle in his autobiographical novel The Great Push (1916) and J. N. Hall related his experiences in the British Army at Loos in Kitchener's Mob (1916).Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn