What if the Germans captured Ypres in 1914?
On 31 October 1914, during the First Battle of Ypres, German forces launched a major assault and actually broke through the British line at Gheluvelt, a village just southeast of Ypres. For a few hours the road to Ypres lay essentially open.
If the Germans had pushed through, they likely could have taken the town and possibly rolled up the whole Allied position, with serious consequences for the Channel ports. Maybe Dunkirk or Calais could have fallen into German hands.
The line was saved by a famous counter-attack from the 2nd Worcestershire Regiment, who charged in and retook Gheluvelt, plugging the gap just in time. It's often cited as one of the true "hinge moments" of 1914.
But what if the Germa s had pushed through, or the atta k of the 2nd Worcestershire Regiment had failed? What would the consequences for WW1 be?