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 or 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, however, it was found advisable to
withdraw the Guard altogether and replace them by the First Infantry
Brigade.
Now the German tactical idea became clear. It was to force the
British to concentrate on the exposed line between Festubert and
Givenchy, north of the canal, and then to turn the British right
by the German forces in their new position just south of the canal,
thus calling for simultaneous action on both sides of the canal.
The Germans delivered an equally severe attack upon the allied
position in the village of Givenchy, about a mile north of the
canal, which bounded the scene of the attack just described. As
in the other attack, the Germans opened action by severe artillery
fire, using high-explosive shells, and after due preparation, at
about 8.
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