successful resistance.

As the great momentum forced the German advance through the allied
lines into the open field beyond and was joined by a heavy column, which
had debouched from the vicinity of Auchy, British guns opened a
murderous fire and inflicted terrible slaughter upon these ranks.

The Coldstream and the Scots Guards retreated to their second line of
defense, where they joined others of their command held in reserve
there. Once again they turned to meet the oncoming Germans, and again
were forced to give way, leaving the Germans in possession of all the
ground previously gained. The remnants of the Guards retreated until
they were met by the London-Scottish regiment sent to reenforce them.
Here they halted while a counterattack was being organized by the First
Royal Highlanders, part of the Camerons, and the Second King's Rifle
Corps which also came up.

At one o'clock on January 25, 1915, and with the cooperation of the
French on their right, this rapidly improvised force moved forward,
making unobstructed progress on their wings by the canal and the road.
For some reason their center was delayed and held back. When they did
finally arrive and pressed forward with a rush to meet the German
forces, who were ready to receive them, the impact was fearful, and the
casualties on both sides enormous; but no gains were made by the Allies,
and the Germans held the ground they had won. At the height of the
battle the Second Royal Sussex rushed into the fray in support of their
hard-pressed comrades, but all to no purpose, for these as the others
were forced back to the rear of their starting point with but a fraction
of their forces remaining to report the events of the day.

While this terrible slaughter was in progress, the French left on the
other side of La Bassee road, which separated the Allies at this point,
had been attacked by the right of the German line, and driven back to a
considerable distance, but not as far back as the British, so that the
French left was in advance of the British right and badly exposed to
flank attack from the northward.

This obliged the entire allied forces to retreat some distance farther
to the rear, and as night came on and the severity of the action had
ceased, the Allies had an opportunity to realign their positions and
somewhat strengthen the same by the First Guard Brigade which now came
up, showing the terrible suffering to which they had been subjected.
Finally, how