Okla-homey
3/13/2006, 08:49 AM
sorry its late. I'm on Spring break and I slept in until 6:30. It won't happen again.;)
March 13, 1915 Battle of Neuve Chapelle ends
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7082/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzwar2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
91 years ago on this day in 1915, British forces ended their tragic three-day assault on the German trenches near the French village of Neuve Chapelle in northern France, the first offensive launched by the British in the first full year of WWI in the spring of 1915.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/1853/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz0335hm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The Battle of Neuve Chapelle began on March 10, 1915, at 8:05 a.m., when British forces attempted to break through the German trenches at Neuve Chapelle and capture the village of Aubers, less than a mile to the east.
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/6156/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzbattlescene27.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Indian troops advance against the German trenches
In the opening assault, 342 guns barraged the trenches for 35 minutes, partially directed by 85 reconnaissance aircraft flying overhead. The total number of shells fired during this barrage exceeded the number fired in the whole of the Boer War (a conflict fought in South Africa between British forces and South African revolutionaries in 1899-1902)—a frightening testament to how much the nature of war had changed in less than 15 years.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/4517/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz0190aq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Following the opening barrage, British and Indian (India, like Canada and Australia still being a part of the British Empire) infantry forces immediately moved in to attack the German trench line along a 4,000-yard-long front.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4721/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzskk9ze.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Khudadad Khan was born in the Punjab (now in Pakistan) in 1887. His family were Pathans who had moved to the Punjab from the North-West Frontier between India and Afghanistan. He joined the army as a sepoy or private soldier for the sake of regular pay and a chance of honour and glory.He won the Empire's highest honor, the Victoria Cross during this battle
Though the troops in the center moved swiftly and successfully forward, taking the German front line within 10 minutes and capturing the village of Neuve Chapelle itself before 9 a.m., the artillery had been less effective on the left, and nearly 1,000 advancing soldiers, not knowing the enemy trenches had been left undamaged, had been immediately mowed down by German guns.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9537/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz03.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
British women were exhorted to join in as nurses...especially since the German nurses were depicted as heartless witches
Lead units on the right were told to halt and await further instructions, as they faced being isolated if they moved forward. Meanwhile, the Allied command, receiving news of the early gains in the center, ordered a general advance.
The slowness and inaccuracy of communication between the front lines and the corps headquarters—the army then had no wireless technology, and telephone lines at the front were usually cut or destroyed by enemy fire during battle—caused Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Rawlinson, the corps commander, to order a fresh advance when support troops were unprepared.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/1086/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzgwrawlinson017.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rawlinson
In the confusion, some artillery even opened fire on friendly infantry. By the late afternoon, forward units were attacking without adequate artillery support or effective coordination, in failing light, against a hardening German defense.
On March 13, the third and final day of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, British troops repelled a German counter-attack and launched another of their own. They were forced to call a halt after less than two hours, however, as many units had been practically destroyed in the assault.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5379/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzznwgeorgevhai.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
King George (left) and overall British commander Alexander Haig. Haig, a Scot, was quipped to have killed more English soldiers in WWI than William "Braveheart" Wallace.
By the time the attacks were called off later on this day, Allied forces had captured a small salient 2,000 yards wide and 1,200 yards deep, along with 1,200 German prisoners, at the cost of 11,200 British casualties over the three day period.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/7026/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzwesternfront.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Neuve Chapelle is in the northern sector of the solid red line depicting the British and French positions at the war's beginning. The dotted lines depict the limit of the allied advance by the time the war ended.
The Battle of Neuve Chapelle highlighted the primitive state of communications on the battlefield during World War I, which made it incredibly difficult for commanders on both sides to know where and when to effectively deploy their reserve troops.
General John Charteris, director of military intelligence under British commander Alexander Haig, took another sobering lesson from the battle, writing that “England will have to accustom herself to far greater losses than those of Neuve Chapelle before we finally crush the German army.” For the record, the German army was never "crushed" and "The War To End All Wars" would drag on until November of 1918.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8826/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzncfarmcemgr.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
One of the thousands of British fallen at Neuve Chapelle. Joined by hundreds of thousands more before the armistice was signed over three years later on 11 November 1918
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2908/insane7zo2ha.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
March 13, 1915 Battle of Neuve Chapelle ends
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/7082/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzwar2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
91 years ago on this day in 1915, British forces ended their tragic three-day assault on the German trenches near the French village of Neuve Chapelle in northern France, the first offensive launched by the British in the first full year of WWI in the spring of 1915.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/1853/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz0335hm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The Battle of Neuve Chapelle began on March 10, 1915, at 8:05 a.m., when British forces attempted to break through the German trenches at Neuve Chapelle and capture the village of Aubers, less than a mile to the east.
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/6156/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzbattlescene27.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Indian troops advance against the German trenches
In the opening assault, 342 guns barraged the trenches for 35 minutes, partially directed by 85 reconnaissance aircraft flying overhead. The total number of shells fired during this barrage exceeded the number fired in the whole of the Boer War (a conflict fought in South Africa between British forces and South African revolutionaries in 1899-1902)—a frightening testament to how much the nature of war had changed in less than 15 years.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/4517/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz0190aq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Following the opening barrage, British and Indian (India, like Canada and Australia still being a part of the British Empire) infantry forces immediately moved in to attack the German trench line along a 4,000-yard-long front.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/4721/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzskk9ze.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Khudadad Khan was born in the Punjab (now in Pakistan) in 1887. His family were Pathans who had moved to the Punjab from the North-West Frontier between India and Afghanistan. He joined the army as a sepoy or private soldier for the sake of regular pay and a chance of honour and glory.He won the Empire's highest honor, the Victoria Cross during this battle
Though the troops in the center moved swiftly and successfully forward, taking the German front line within 10 minutes and capturing the village of Neuve Chapelle itself before 9 a.m., the artillery had been less effective on the left, and nearly 1,000 advancing soldiers, not knowing the enemy trenches had been left undamaged, had been immediately mowed down by German guns.
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9537/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz03.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
British women were exhorted to join in as nurses...especially since the German nurses were depicted as heartless witches
Lead units on the right were told to halt and await further instructions, as they faced being isolated if they moved forward. Meanwhile, the Allied command, receiving news of the early gains in the center, ordered a general advance.
The slowness and inaccuracy of communication between the front lines and the corps headquarters—the army then had no wireless technology, and telephone lines at the front were usually cut or destroyed by enemy fire during battle—caused Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Rawlinson, the corps commander, to order a fresh advance when support troops were unprepared.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/1086/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzgwrawlinson017.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rawlinson
In the confusion, some artillery even opened fire on friendly infantry. By the late afternoon, forward units were attacking without adequate artillery support or effective coordination, in failing light, against a hardening German defense.
On March 13, the third and final day of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, British troops repelled a German counter-attack and launched another of their own. They were forced to call a halt after less than two hours, however, as many units had been practically destroyed in the assault.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5379/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzznwgeorgevhai.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
King George (left) and overall British commander Alexander Haig. Haig, a Scot, was quipped to have killed more English soldiers in WWI than William "Braveheart" Wallace.
By the time the attacks were called off later on this day, Allied forces had captured a small salient 2,000 yards wide and 1,200 yards deep, along with 1,200 German prisoners, at the cost of 11,200 British casualties over the three day period.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/7026/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzwesternfront.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Neuve Chapelle is in the northern sector of the solid red line depicting the British and French positions at the war's beginning. The dotted lines depict the limit of the allied advance by the time the war ended.
The Battle of Neuve Chapelle highlighted the primitive state of communications on the battlefield during World War I, which made it incredibly difficult for commanders on both sides to know where and when to effectively deploy their reserve troops.
General John Charteris, director of military intelligence under British commander Alexander Haig, took another sobering lesson from the battle, writing that “England will have to accustom herself to far greater losses than those of Neuve Chapelle before we finally crush the German army.” For the record, the German army was never "crushed" and "The War To End All Wars" would drag on until November of 1918.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8826/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzncfarmcemgr.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
One of the thousands of British fallen at Neuve Chapelle. Joined by hundreds of thousands more before the armistice was signed over three years later on 11 November 1918
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2908/insane7zo2ha.jpg (http://imageshack.us)