Operation Hush

Operation Hush
Part of The First World War
The Yser front in 1917
Date June–October 1917 Location Nieuwpoort, Belgian coast 51°07′N 02°45′E / 51.117°N 2.750°E / 51.117; 2.750 Result Cancelled
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Douglas Haig Henry Rawlinson Sir Reginald Bacon John Philip Du Cane	Friedrich Sixt von Armin Ludwig von Schröder
Strength
5 divisions	3 marine divisions, 1 army division
Casualties and losses
None	None

Operation Hush was a British plan to make amphibious landings on the Belgian coast in 1917 during the First World War, supported by an attack from Nieuwpoort and the Yser bridgehead, positions which were a legacy of the Battle of the Yser in 1914. Several plans were considered in 1915 and 1916, then shelved due to operations elsewhere. Operation Hush was intended to begin when the Third Battle of Ypres, the main offensive at Ypres, had advanced to Roulers, Koekelare and Thourout, linked by advances by the French and Belgian armies in between.

Unternehmen Strandfest (Operation Beach Party) was a German spoiling attack, conducted on 10 July by Marine-Korps-Flandern, in anticipation of an Allied coastal operation. The Germans used mustard gas for the first time, supported by a mass of heavy artillery, captured part of the bridgehead over the Yser and annihilated two British infantry battalions. After several postponements, Operation Hush was cancelled on 14 October 1917, as the advance at Ypres did not meet the objectives required to begin the attack.

In April 1918, the Dover Patrol raided Zeebrugge to sink blockships in the canal entrance to trap U-boats, which closed the canal for a short time. From September to October 1918, the Belgian coast was occupied by the Allies during the Fifth Battle of Ypres.