Battle of La Bassée
Battle during the First World War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of La Bassée was fought by German and Franco-British forces in northern France in October 1914, during reciprocal attempts by the contending armies to envelop the northern flank of their opponent, which has been called the Race to the Sea. The 6th Army took Lille before a British force could secure the town and the 4th Army attacked the exposed British flank further north at Ypres. The British were driven back and the German army occupied La Bassée and Neuve Chapelle. Around 15 October, the British recaptured Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée but failed to recover La Bassée.
Battle of La Bassée | |||||||
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Part of the Race to the Sea on the Western Front (First World War) | |||||||
Neuve Chapelle to La Bassée area, 1914 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France | Germany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sir John French, Horace Smith-Dorrien James Willcocks Louis de Maud'huy Louis Conneau | Crown Prince Rupprecht | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
II Corps 2nd Cavalry Brigade Lahore Division French II Cavalry Corps (detachments) | 6th Army | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
c. 15,000 | 6,000 | ||||||
German reinforcements arrived and regained the initiative, until the arrival of the Lahore Division, part of the Indian Corps. The British repulsed German attacks until early November, after which both sides concentrated their resources on the First Battle of Ypres. The battle at La Bassée was reduced to local operations. In late January and early February 1915, German and British troops conducted raids and local attacks in the Affairs of Cuinchy, which took place at Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée and just south of La Bassée Canal, leaving the front line little changed.[lower-alpha 1]