Dixmude

Belgian town in province of West Flanders, 20 km/12 mi north of Ypres. It was occupied by the Germans 1914-18 and was awarded the Croix de Guerre by President Poincaré of France 1920.

In the early stages of World War I the town changed hands several times before finally being held by the Germans late 1914, but the delay caused effectively halted the German drive to Dunkirk and allowed the French armies of the North to prepare for the Battle of the Yser. The town was nearly recaptured during the Battle of Ypres 1915, but remained in German hands until taken by the Belgian Army 29 September 1918, by which time the civilian population had fallen from 4,000 to 450.