Ypres 1914: An Official Account Published by Order of the German General StaffSchwink, Otto
History
Ypres 1914: An Official Account Published by Order of the German General Staff
Schwink, Otto
World War, 1914-1918 -- Belgium -- Ypres; Ypres, 1st Battle of, Ieper, Belgium, 1914
The 201st Reserve Infantry Regiment advanced rapidly at first by
frontal attack. North of it, the 15th Reserve _Jäger_ Battalion under
Captain Hameln worked forward across the deep marshes between the
canal and the railway. The 202nd Reserve Infantry Regiment came under
a heavy enfilade fire from the YSER embankment, and at 1.30 P.M.
orders were issued for the Corps reserve under Colonel Teetzmann,
consisting of a few battalions of the 43rd Reserve Division and of the
4th _Ersatz_ Division, to be brought up into the line. Its task was
to help carry forward the attack of the 202nd Regiment against the
railway embankment, and to secure the left flank of the advance. The
nearer the attack approached to the town, the more desperate became
the resistance of its defenders. The gallant commander of the 201st
Reserve Regiment, General von Seydewitz, always in the front line
encouraging his men, was killed leading the attack just as his regiment
and the _Jäger_ entered the devastated town at about 3.30 P.M. Our
well-directed artillery fire had cleared the front at the critical
moment, and the enemy withdrew to the flanks of and behind DIXMUDE, but
did not cease to offer resistance. He held the railway embankment south
of the town with particular tenacity. Even when this had been finally
stormed, the 202nd Regiment had to continue the fight, with heavy loss,
among the burning houses in the southern part of the town, until the
201st Regiment by a wheel southwards were able to give assistance.
Teetzmann's brigade in its attack on the YSER embankment, to protect
the flank of the division, had meanwhile reached the river. Thence it
pressed on towards the bridges west of the town, so that the enemy's
retreat was threatened. In spite of this, however, he gave nothing
up without a struggle, and every block of houses had to be captured:
in fact the street fighting that ensued was hardly less bitter and
terrible than at WYTSCHAETE and MESSINES.
During the struggle in DIXMUDE, the French artillery fired into the
place regardless of friend or foe, and both suffered alike. The fight
was still raging among the houses at the northern exit, where von
Beerst was only making slow progress with the advanced detachments of
the 4th _Ersatz_ Division, when our reserves were assembled in the
market-square to deliver the final blow. The French infantry and Marine
Fusiliers put up a desperate defence, but finally had to give way, for
though not numerically superior, the offensive spirit of the German
troops overcame all resistance. It was not until the west bank of the
canal had been reached, that the mass of the enemy put up another
defence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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