 The Allies halted the German advance in the First Battle of the Marne ; the ensuing retreat , which prompted an Allied counter @-@ offensive , ended at the Aisne . After both battles had been fought , the battalion moved north to Ypres , during the so @-@ called " Race to the Sea " . In an action at Langemarck during the First Battle of Ypres , the battalion captured the small village of <unk> , just north @-@ east of Polygon Wood . As the battle progressed , the German command sought a decisive victory against the outnumbered BEF and launched First Ypres ' last major assault on 11 November . 
