Ypres 1914
Diksmuide
10th November 1914
Having failed to break through on the eastern side of Ieper the Germans now tried once again to the north and west against the French and Belgians.
The Germans commenced a heavy bombardment on the Diksmuide salient at 0100 hours and attacked at 1300 hours. Within three hours they had driven the four French and Belgian battalions out of the town and across the Ijzer river (Yser).
Further east they launched a large scale offensive against Langemark. Although German troops had been seen massing opposite the British and French around Zillebeke nothing much had come of it despite a constant bombardment. Everything seemed to point to a last ditched attempt by the Germans to break through the main French line.
The developing situation put a strain on the French reserves and Général d’Urbal was forced to ask Field Marshal French to return a number of units to him from the Zillebeke area. What the Allies had not realised was that the major assault was supposed to have taken place against Geluveld and north of the Comines Canal, the very areas from which reserves were being drawn.
Mist had prevented the fresh German arrivals to fully reconnoitre the area and they had decided to postpone the attack by twenty-four hours.
11th November 1914
Believing that the French were taking the brunt of the new offensive the British managed to pass a fairly quiet night. Their world was, however, turned on its head the moment that daylight appeared.
Just after 0630 hours the Germans opened fire with a terrific bombardment unlike anything that the British had, up until then, been subjected to. Whilst nowhere near the intensity that would be seen in later years the soldiers were far more exposed in their makeshift shelters and open trenches.