Langemarck
| Langemark, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium | |
|---|---|
| Deelgemeente | |
| Langemark, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 50°54′48″N 2°55′05″E / 50.91333°N 2.91806°E | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Province |
 West Flanders
|
| Municipality | Langemark-Poelkapelle |
| Area | |
| • Total | 31.67 km2 (12.23 sq mi) |
| Population (1999) | |
| • Total | 5,084 |
| Source: NIS | |
| Postal code | 8920 |
Coordinates: 50°55′N 2°55′E / 50.917°N 2.917°E
Langemark is a village in the Belgian province of West-Flanders, and a deelgemeente of the municipality of Langemark-Poelkapelle. The village has about 5,000 inhabitants. Besides the village center, there are also two smaller hamlets on the territory, Madonna and Saint-Julien/Sint-Juliaan.
Written as Langemarck on French, British and German maps, the village is known in military history as the scene (see trench map) of the first gas attacks by the German army, which marked the beginning of the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915.
Before and during the First Battle of Ypres, the German reserve corps suffered enormous losses: over 10,000 young soldiers (some only 15 years old), led by young officers without practical experience, died without achieving any objective. On 10 November 1914, about 2,000 soldiers died during an attempted breakthrough. One day later, the German Command (Oberste Heeresleitung) published the following communiqué:
A popular and enduring myth of heroic self-sacrifice for the nation known as the "Mythos von Langemarck" arose from the propagandistic story.
...
Wikipedia