Third Battle of Ypres

Germany invaded the neutral country, Belgium, on 4th August 1914, in order that its troops could gain access to its enemy, France. The invasion of Belgium was the official reason given for Britain's declaration of war on Germany

The land was low-lying and relied on canals and ditches to drain it. These had been all but destroyed by the ongoing conflict and consequently the ground was wet and muddy, even when the weather was dry

The advance was scheduled to begin at dawn, but in the event clouds on the horizon blocked the sun and the attack commenced in darkness. The Allied forces managed to advance 4,000 yards but a German counter attack drove the British back, with 70% of their men dead or wounded. The German advance was halted by machine guns, artillery and, most effectively, mud

Many of the decisions made by General Gough had led to failure and the loss of lives. He was not at all popular with either officers or men. Field Marshall Haig said of the matter, "not to mention to Gough the state of feeling amongst the troops... (it)...might make Gough lose confidence in himself." Gough was eventually relieved of his command but many think that he was made a scapegoat and dismissed to quell public anger at the number of men lost

Plumer's plan was to bombard the Germans and then to attack them with infantry concentrated on a small area. This was a different tactic to the one which Gough had used. Gough had favoured mass infantry attacks spread over a wider front. Plumer's tactic won less ground per attack but was more successful overall

It was Plumer's plan to use his artillery to destroy German concrete pill-boxes and machine gun nests. The British captured the majority of their objectives on the first morning of the assault. The Germans launched counter attacks with little success and were driven away on 26th September in the engagement at Polygon Wood

It rained throughout October and artillery was hard to deploy on the muddy ground. On one day, 13,000 Allied men became casualties. 2,735 New Zealanders were injured or killed and 845 of them were stranded in no-man's-land by the mud. It is the most men ever to have been lost in one day in all of New Zealand's history

Haig had asked the French many times to launch the attack. It had originally been due to commence four months before. If it had come earlier it might have had a greater effect on the outcome of Passchendaele, shortening the battle and lessening the number of men lost

Dry weather in early November helped the Allied attack. On 6th November the 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions advanced and within three hours the village of Passchendaele had been taken. The final action of the battle took place on 10th November when the Canadians took control of the hills which overlooked the village

The figures are disputed but it is believed that between 200,000 - 448,614 Allied soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner and 217,000 - 410,000 Germans suffered similar fates