Battles & Campaigns · 1914
Battle of the Yser
Yser River, between Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, Belgium
What happened
Belgian and French troops held the line of the Yser River against repeated German attacks. On several nights the Belgians opened sluice gates near the coast and let water flood the low fields. The flooded strip, about a mile wide, stopped the German advance, and the Germans pulled back on the night of 30–31 October.
Why it matters
Belgium kept a small strip of its own land for the rest of the war. The battle ended the 'Race to the Sea' and the period of open movement on the Western Front.
What came next
The Belgian army held the Yser front until 1918. The struggle also helped Flemish national feeling grow.
Did you know?
The Germans called off their last planned attack after realising the land behind them was flooding.
Timeline
- 16 Oct 1914Belgian and French troops defend Diksmuide.
- 26–30 Oct 1914Belgians open the sluices and flood the plain.
- 31 Oct 1914The Germans withdraw.
- 10 Nov 1914Diksmuide falls.