Map of the positions in the Battle of Ypres, November 5 through 9, 1915 from Military Operations France and Belgium, 1914, Vol. II, October and November, by J. E. Edmonds with maps and sketches compiled by Major A. F. Becke. The British had been subjected to repeated German attacks since mid-October.

Sketch 13.

The Battles of Ypres, 1914.

5th-9th November, 1914.

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The British Navy had been on maneuvers in the North Sea when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Awaiting the outcome of events, the Fleet remained.

On September 22, 1914,German U-boat U-9 commanded by Lieutenant Otto Weddigen sank three British armored cruisers: Aboukir, Hogue, and Cressy. Fearful of losing even more ships, the British fleet withdrew from the North Sea. It returned to mine and patrol the northern end of North Sea, and imposed an increasingly restrictive blockade. The British stopped and boarded ships, originally to prevent military supplies from reaching German, but the blockade became increasingly restrictive as the Royal Navy seized anything that could have a military use, which, of course, is everything.

Start Date: 1914-11-05