WW1 1915 BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE MAP GERMAN TRENCH AND WIRE ORDNANCE SURVEY

Description: BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE 1915 Reference points for Atttack10 March 1915 Published by ORDNANCE SURVEY, London, 1925 An original 1925 Ordnance Survey Map of the reference points for the attack on 10th March 1915 during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. This map (59cm x 49cm) covers the area of the British and German frontline trenches close to Neuve Chapelle. Battle of Neuve Chapelle: The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915): took place in the Artois region of France. The attack was intended to break through the German lines, folowed by an advance to the Aubers Ridge and possibly Lille. A French assault at Vimy Ridge on the Artois plateau was also planned to threaten the road, rail and canal junctions at La Bassée from the south as the British attacked from the north. The first major British offensive of WW1 began on 10 March 1915 with the attack on the salient around the village of Neuve Chapelle, midway between Bethune and Lille. The assault was undertaken by General Sir Douglas Haig's First Army, with Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Rawlinson's IV Corps on the left and General Sir James Willcock's Indian Corps on the right. Although the initial artillery bombardment was too light to entirely disrupt the enemy defences, the first phase of the infantry attack went well. The soldiers rapidly gained the German front-line trenches. By nightfall Neuve Chapelle had been captured. Unfortunately, there were delays in sending forward further orders and reinforcements. The initial gains were not exploited and a German counter-attack prevented further progress. After three days of fighting, a small area of land had been gained at a cost of over 7,000 British and 4,000 Indian casualties.The offensive showed that although it was possible to break into the German positions, it was not so easy to convert local success into a major breakthrough. It also showed that a heavier artillery bombardment and better communication were needed. After the battle, the British Commander-in-Chief, Sir John French, blamed the attacks's failure on the lack of available shells. This led to the 'Shell Crisis' of 1915 and the collapse of Herbert Asquith's Liberal Government. A new coalition government was formed with Lloyd George as Minister of Munitions. The creation of this new post was recognition that the whole economy would have to be geared for total war if the Allies were to prevail on the Western Front. Ordnance Survey WW1: Following the declaration of the Great War, Ordnance Survey was immediately placed at the disposal of the War Office and lost 16 of its 22 officers to war duties and 285 civilians volunteered for war too. By 1915, some 22 printing presses were working solely on producing war maps and 90% of all maps used in France were supplied by Ordnance Survey. The primary aim for Ordnance Survey staff working at the front was to provide a reliable ranging method to help the artillery hit their targets. Captain Winterbotham (later to be a Director General), earned himself the nickname of ‘the astrologer’ by telling the gunners the direction and elevation to fire their guns and the shells regularly hitting their distant targets. In addition to the work on ranging methods, there was a need to map parts of northern France. Survey work needed to be completed much faster than in peacetime and surveyors used plane-tables to achieve this. Their survey work in France was continuous from 1915 to the end of the war, not just mapping the country, but plotting positions of trenches, machine-guns and batteries. As well as supplying trained staff, Ordnance Survey enlisted and drafted a further 800 topographers, observers, draughtsmen and printers. During the war 67 Ordnance Survey staff lost their lives, around 6% of the men that were sent overseas. In this time, Ordnance Survey supplied almost 33 million maps, plans and diagrams to the forces, a vital tool for the war effort. Condition: The map is in very good condition, with minimal signs of use. Published: 1925Paper folding mapDimensions: 59cm x 49cm ***I have several other original military maps and books listed at the moment. Combined postage is available*** Please email if you require any further information _gsrx_vers_1680 (GS 9.8.3 (1680))

Price: 12 GBP

Location: Lancashire

End Time: 2024-12-06T20:30:50.000Z

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