into their hands by October 15,
after the English and Belgian troops had been taken away by an English
fleet; the Belgians were transported to France where they were
re-formed while the English marines were sent back to England.

In the meantime the Germans were drawing on reenforcements from the
Vosges and the Champagne districts and every day their numbers
increased. West Flanders was swarming with German cavalry, and about
this time they were as far west as Hazebrouck and Cassel, and only
twenty-five miles distant from Dunkirk.

By October 20, 1914, the allied line was in position from Albert to the
sea, a little short of 100 miles, eighty as the crow flies. From south
to north the allied front was commanded by General Maud'huy from Albert
to Vermelles; General Smith-Dorrien from Vermelles to Laventie, opposite
Lille; General Poultney, from Laventie to Messines; General Haig from
Messines to Bixschoote; General de Mitry had French and Belgian mixed
troops defending the line from Bixschoote to Nieuport and the sea,
supported by an English and French fleet.

For days this fleet under the British Admiral Hood had shelled the coast
defenses under General von Beseler's command. As the naval guns had a
far better range than General von Beseler's artillery, it was an easy
matter to hold the coast at Nieuport Bains, and even six miles inland
without subjecting any of the ships to the fire of the German guns.

On the German side General von Buelow held the front against General
Maud'huy, the Bavarian Crown Prince against General Smith-Dorrien, while
the Duke of Wuerttemberg commanded the forces on the balance of the line
to the sea. It is estimated that upward of thirty army corps covered the
German front.

Throughout the balance of October, 1914, and well into November, 1914, a
great many different actions and some of the heaviest fighting of this
period took place all along this line. On the 21st the new German
formations pressed forward in great force all along the line. On the
south of the Lys the Germans assaulted Violaines. On the north of the
Lys in the English center a fiercely contested action took place near La
Gheir, which village the Germans captured in the morning. The German
Twenty-sixth Reserve Corps pressed on to Passchendale, where they met
with stout resistance from the English-Belgian forces.

On October 22, 1914, the Germans attacked from the La Bassee region and
gained several small villages. Both A