In military terms, a salient is a part of the front line that projects into enemy territory. It is an especially vulnerable area because the force within the salient is surrounded on three sides by the force outside of the salient. An attack on the salient can occur from any of those three directions and it can be difficult to move men and supplies around the inside of the salient when necessary.

The salient to the northeast of the Belgian city of Ypres was formed during the so called “Race to the Sea” when the Allies and German armies were trying to turn each others flank following the First Battle of the Aisne in September 1914.

The Allies had made a stand at the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914 and were determined to keep this area from falling into German hands. The result was a four year long gristmill. A constant artillery barrage across the lines along with numerous individual and particularly deadly battles made the Ypres Salient one of the most dangerous places in the history of mankind during the Great War.

The Second Battle of Ypres began on April 22 1915 and was marked by the first use of poison gas when the Germans used chlorine against Allied troops. 100,000 men would be killed or injured.

In June 1917 the British launched the Battle of Messines. Tunnels had been dug under the German lines of the Messines Ridges south of Ypres and explosive charges set into place. At 3:10am on June 7 nineteen mines were detonated and thousands of German soldiers were instantly vaporized. 

The Third Battle of Ypres began on July 31 1917. As the Belgian fall weather poured rain on the battlefield thousands of men found themselves fighting not just the enemy, but the Flanders mud that would trap any unfortunate soul that slipped off the duckboards, slowly sucking them down and drowning them in the mire. Almost one million soldiers would be killed, lost or injured. Thousands would go missing, buried in the mud or blown apart, their remains never found.

The Germans began their last hope spring offensive in April of 1918 which included the Fourth Battle of Ypres. 230,000 men would be killed, injured or go missing.

The stalemate was finally broken during the Fifth Battle of Ypres in September 1918 when, reinforced with ever increasing numbers of American soldiers, the Allies pushed out of the Ypres Salient and advanced 18 miles into German held territory and capturing thousands of German soldiers.

Few areas of the Western Front can compare to the carnage seen in and around Ypres. By the end of the war the city was reduced to rubble. The numerous cemeteries and memorials, both Allied and German, attest to the toll that this salient took over the four years of the Great War.

Menin Gate, Ypres Belgium

Tyne Cot, Zonnebeke Belgium

German War Cemetery of Langemark, Poelkapelle Belgium

French Cemetery & Ossuary Kemmel, Heuvelland Belgium

Messine Ridge Memorial, Mesen Belgium

Het Laatste Nieuws

The event on Sunday evening in the market square is a BBC production and will be broadcasted worldwide, deredactie.be will also be giving live coverage of the visit.