The City of Ypres, Belgium

The battles in and around strategic Ypres link this city forever with World War One. The land surrounding Ypres to the north is flat with canals and rivers linking it to the coast. Control of Ypres helped control the surrounding countryside, as all major roads converge on the town. The Messen Ridge just south of Ypres rises to about 500 feet, providing an advantage to any military operation.

There were five Battles of Ypres during World War I:
First Battle of Ypres (October 19 – November 22, 1914)
Second Battle of Ypres (April 22 – May 15, 1915)
Battle of Passchendaele (July 31 – November 6, 1917)
Battle of the Lys (April 9 - 29, 1918)
Fifth Battle of Ypres (September 28 – October 2, 1918)

In the area around Ypres, over 1,700,000 soldiers from both sides were killed or wounded.