Report by Major-General Forester-Walker
on operations of the 21st Division at the Battle of Loos, 25-27 September
1915.
The Battle of Loos (25 September-8 October 1915) was a largely unsuccessful
British offensive against German lines north-west of Lens. The high casualty
rates - 60,000 killed, wounded or captured - produced gloom in Britain and
caused the Germans to name the battle 'the corpse field of Loos'. This report
analyses the reasons behind the retirement of two infantry brigades from
the battlefield. While a number of extenuating circumstances are pointed
out (including exhaustion and the loss of large numbers of officers in battle),
it also asserts that certain units 'did not behave with credit'.
Catalogue reference: WO 158/262 (15 Oct 1915)
Transcript
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