Battle of Messines (1918)

Battle of the Lys
Part of the Western Front of World War I
Map of German Lys offensive, 1918
Date 7–29 April 1918 Location French–Belgian Flanders 50°42′20″N 2°54′00″E / 50.70556°N 2.90000°E / 50.70556; 2.90000Coordinates: 50°42′20″N 2°54′00″E / 50.70556°N 2.90000°E / 50.70556; 2.90000 Result German defeat
Belligerents
British Empire Australia  Canada Newfoundland  United Kingdom  South Africa Portugal  Belgium France  United States	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Herbert Plumer Henry Horne King Albert I Tamagnini de Abreu Gomes da Costa Philippe Pétain Arthur Currie	Ludwig von Falkenhausen Ferdinand von Quast Friedrich Sixt von Armin
Strength
	26 divisions 9 more divisions later
Casualties and losses
c. 120,000	120,000

 British Empire

The Battle of the Lys (7–29 April 1918), also known as the Lys Offensive, the Fourth Battle of Ypres, the Fourth Battle of Flanders and Operation Georgette (Portuguese: Batalha de La Lys and French: 3ème Bataille des Flandres), was part of the 1918 German offensive in Flanders during World War I, also known as the Spring Offensive. It was originally planned by General Ludendorff as Operation George but was reduced to Operation Georgette, with the objective of capturing Ypres, forcing the British forces back to the channel ports and out of the war. In planning, execution and effects, Georgette was similar to (although smaller than) Operation Michael, earlier in the Spring Offensive.

The German attack zone was in Flanders, from about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Ypres in Belgium to 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Béthune in France, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south. The front line ran from north-north-east to south-south-west. The Lys River, running from south-west to north-east, crossed the front near Armentières in the middle of this zone. The front was held by the Belgian Army in the far north, by the British Second Army (under Plumer) in the north and centre and by the British First Army (under Horne) in the south.

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