y helped the Allies
win victories elsewhere by keeping the German troops on that part of
the line from going to reenforce those who were being hard pressed by
the French. In this manner the British and Canadians, who fought so
valiantly and with so little apparent success at Stony Mountain and
Rue d'Ouvert, were in a measure responsible for the French victories
at Angres, Souchez, and the Labyrinth. The Crown Prince of Bavaria
could not hold out against both the French and British, but he
believed it was more important for him to check the British, because a
victory for them would threaten Lille to a greater extent.

CHAPTER XXIII

OPERATIONS AROUND HOOGE

The next action of importance on the British front occurred at the
Chateau of Hooge on the Menin road about three miles east of Ypres.
Here had been the headquarters of Sir John French and Sir Douglas Haig
at the first battle of Ypres. From the Chateau Sir John French had
seen the British line break at Gheluvelt, thereby opening the road for
the Germans to Calais. That opening, however, had been closed by the
Worcesters. After the Germans began to use their deadly gas in the
spring of 1915 they again took possession of Hooge, and used the Menin
road for a forward movement which threatened what was left of Ypres.

The Duke of Wuerttemberg was in command of that part of the line
opposed to the British, and his forces extended from near Pilkem in
the north to near Hill 60 in the south, in the form of a crescent. He
made use of the asphyxiating gas cloud and gas bombs so frequently on
this part of the front that the British soldiers became expert in
donning their hoodlike masks and in using respirators. Moreover, the
British were constantly on the alert for the appearance of the poison
gas. So that this method of attack was much less effective. Before the
Germans discovered how well the British had prepared themselves
against the gas, they met with disaster twice when using it. On both
occasions they had followed their gas cloud expecting to find their
foes writhing on the ground in choking agony--an easy prey for an
attack.

But the British had put on their curious-appearing headgear, and were
waiting for the men whom they knew would be following the cloud at a
safe distance. As soon as the Germans were near enough the British
turned loose everything that would hurl a projectile large or small.
By the time the gas cloud had cleared, or, to be more accurate,