16.3.6

Battle of Passchendaele

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Battle of Passchendaele

The Battle of Passchendaele (also called Third Battle of Ypres) took place outside the city of Ypres in Belgium from July to November 1917 AD. It is most famous for the terrible conditions that soldiers had to fight in.

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Background

  • The British launched Passchendaele to try to reach the Belgian coast and attack German submarine bases.
  • With the worst rain in 30 years, the soil turned into a muddy marshland.
    • This mud and marshland clogged rifles and stopped them from working. It also stopped tanks from being used.
    • The mud was so deep that some soldiers and horses drowned in it.
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The battle

  • The British launched their attack on July 1917 AD.
  • With the difficult conditions, the attack was suspended and started again on 16 August and then again on 20 September 1917 AD.
  • With the successful battles of Menin Road Ridge, Polygon Wood and Broodseinde, the British succeeded to gain the east of Ypres.
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The battle ends

  • 6 November 1917: Field Marshal Haig called off the attack and declared British victory.
  • Passchendaele cost the Allies 325,000 casualties and Germany 260,000 casualties. The Allies gained five miles of territory in the offensive (attack).
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Haig's philosophy

  • Field Marshal Haig believed that World War One would be won on the Western Front.
  • To achieve this, he focused his efforts on the large offensives at places like Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele to end the stalemate.
  • He hoped that huge offensives would overwhelm the Germans and force their defeat.
    • In fact, huge offensives brought about mass casualties.

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1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

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1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

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1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

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3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

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11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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