Seeing their success in partially flooding the battle field, the Belgians made more breaches in the dams, and, opening the sluices in the canal, threw a flood of water greater still over the area occupied by the Germans.  In seething brown waves the water rose up to the high ground at the railway near Ramscapelle.  The Germans were caught in this tide and scores of them were drowned.  Many escaped, some struggled to land on the Allies front and were made prisoners.

Sir John French summarized part of the fighting in Flanders, after the capture of Antwerp, in the following official report:  “The Second Corps under General Smith-Dorrien was opposed by overpowering forces of Germans, but nevertheless advanced until October 18, 1914, when the German opposition compelled a reenforcement.  Six days later the Lahore Division of the Indian Army was sent to support the Second Corps.  On October 16, Sir Henry Rawlinson, who had covered the retreat of the Belgian army from Antwerp, with two divisions of English cavalry and two divisions of French infantry, was stationed on the line east of Ypres under orders to operate over a wide front and to keep possession of all the ground held by the Allies until the First Army Corps could reach Ypres.

“General Rawlinson was opposed by superior forces and was unable to prevent the Germans from getting large reenforcements.  With four divisions holding a much wider front than their size justified he faced a rather awkward situation, as the enemy was massed from the Lys.

“The shattered Belgian army and the weary French troops advanced to check the Germans—­but in vain.  Sir Douglas Haig with the First Army Corps was sent to recapture Bruges on October 19, 1914, while the Belgian army intrenched along the Yser Canal.  General Haig failed—­owing to bad roads.  October 21 brought the most severe attack made on the First Corps at Ypres, in the checking of which the Worcestershire Regiment did good work.  This day marked the most critical period in the battle which resulted in the recapture of the village of Gheluvelt.”

South of Dixmude is one of the most historic and quaintly attractive cities of Belgium, Ypres.  It is situated on a tributary of the Yser called the Yperlee, and a railway runs through it from Roulers to the main Lille-St. Ower line at Hazebrouck and a very important canal runs from the Yser in the north to the Lys at Comines.

The allied lines were held by the British First and Third Corps and several cavalry divisions, at this point all under the chief command of General Haig, while the Bavarian Crown Prince directed the movements of the German forces.  On October 20, 1914, the allied line stretched—­a few miles to the northeast of Ypres—­from Bixschoote to the crossroads a mile and a half northwest of Zonnebeke.  The cavalry only were kept busy during this day, while the other forces were making elaborate preparations for the main drive.  The great attack was delivered October 21 against the point of the salient between Zonnebeke and Besselaere.  The allied line on the left was so much exposed that the Twenty-second Brigade was enfiladed by the Germans at the very beginning, and in the center the Germans pierced the line held by the Royal Scots Fusiliers, with the Yorkshires on the extreme right.  The fierce assaults from both sides ended in a draw for this day.