Battle of Passchendale
World War One
Description
- The Battle of Passchendaele, fought on July 31 1917, is sometimes called the Third Battle of Ypres
- known as the 'Battle of Mud'
- is a sign of the mud, madness and the unconcious slaughter of the WW1
- the British planned assaults on German, but failed many and forced them to hold the plateau overlooking in the city of Ypres, Belgium
- Preparatory Artillery Bombardment: was use to wipe out soldiers in enemy that line trenches as well as destroy those trenches. This would then be followed by waves of infanty attacking these trenches in case there were any enemy soldiers left.
- Gas Attacks: was to injure and clear trenches of enemy soldier. The most common gases used at Passchendaele were Mustard gas and Phosgene gas. Soldiers could protect themselves from these gases by wearing gas masks.
Canada's role in the battle
Soldiers carrying a fallen troop
Soldiers in No-mans land
Soldiers in trenches
Results and casualties
The final assault was carried out on November 10, 1917, which was the last day of the battle. The battle lasted more than 4 months. In the end Allied armies were able to take over Passchendaele, but it took many tactics and casualties. There were more than 4,000 Canadian casualties and 12,000 Canadians wounded. In total there were over 275,000 casualties in the British army. On the German side there were 220,000 killed and wounded. A century later, the battle of Passchendaele symbolized the worst horror of the First World War.
Websites
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-passchendaele/
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/fact_sheets/passchendaele
http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/passchendaele.html
http://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/battles-and-fighting/land-battles/passchendaele/
Role of Canadian soldier
Canadians were sent to release the battered ANZAC forces and take part in the push to capture Passchendaele. Canadian commander Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie examined the battlefield and couldn't believe the conditions. He tried not to let his men fight there but was denied. Currie took the time to carefully prepare as much as possible and on October 26, the Canadian offensive began. Success was made possible due to acts of great individual heroism to get past spots of heavy enemy resistance. On November 6, the Canadians and British launched the assault to capture the ruined village of Passchendaele itself. In heavy fighting, the attack went as planned. The task of capturing the “infamous” village fell to the “City of Winnipeg” 27th Battalion and they took it that day. After fierce enemy counterattacks, the last phase of the battle saw the Canadians attack on November 10 and clear the Germans from the eastern edge of Passchendaele Ridge. Canadian soldiers succeeded in the face of almost unbelievable challenges.