Battle of Passchendaele

War is difficult on its own. Now imagine battling not on a battlefield but in a muddy bog, with casualties in the hundreds of thousands. This was the Third Battle of Ypres, or as it is better known, the Battle of Passchendaele. What made this battle different from any other battle on the western front? Let's explore!

Battle of Passchendaele 1917

The Battle of Passchendaele was the third battle around the Belgian town of Ypres. Despite major concerns from British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the Chief of Staff of the French Army Ferdinand Foch, Field Marshal Douglas Haig was approved to begin an offensive operation near Ypres.

Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Forces, received approval on 25 July 1917 and promptly began shelling German lines. He hoped that by practising attrition warfare, he could inflict a decisive blow against German forces and push them out of Belgium.

Fig. 1: Field Marshal Douglas Haig

Haig's main objective was to capture railways and naval bases used by German submarines. Submarines presented a serious threat to British ships and supply lines and Haig sought to ensure Germans would not be able to set up a naval blockade along the Belgian coasts.

Upon receiving approval for the Ypres offensive on 25 July, Haig began bombarding German lines to ensure a swift pushback of German forces and a British victory. Haig hoped to proceed with his plan and then retake the rest of Belgium. Over 3,000 artillery pieces bombarded the Germans for over a week. However, much to Haig's surprise, the bombardment failed to destroy German positions. Instead, it created a huge problem not just for the Germans but for the attacking British forces as well.

Fig. 2: Passchendaele and surrounding area before and after the battle

Vigorous shelling of the area resulted in destroyed drainage systems which protected the surrounding lands from floods. The land was ravaged by artillery fire, what made it worse was the heavy rain that followed. The heavy rain lasted three weeks and with the drainage systems now non-existent the battlefield was transformed into a muddy swamp. Trench warfare had never been more difficult.

Haig's bombardment ultimately proved devastating for the attacking British forces as they were struggling to advance. The Germans weren't any more successful however, they planned to counterattack after each British advance. This proved futile for both the British and the Germans as neither was making any important progress on the battlefield. It looked like the two forces were at a stalemate.

Battle of Passchendaele Outcome

As Haig's British Expeditionary Forces were fighting the German forces with no success, General Herbert Plumer, commander of the British Second Army devised a plan to attack the German lines bit by bit, instead of attacking the Germans head-on like Haig. Plumer employed the bite-and-hold tactics which proved to be more effective than a direct collision with the enemy.

Fig. 3: General Herbert Plumer

Plumer's strategy proved far more effective than that of Haig. This was also aided by the clearing of the weather after almost a month of heavy rain. The weather had drastically improved by late September which prompted Plumer to attack German positions with the Second Army.

Despite moving forward, Plumer, much like Haig, was suffering from heavy casualties. It had become evident that Haig's plan of driving the Germans out of Belgium was unrealistic. The end goal of this offensive was to take the Flemish village of Passchendaele, which, amidst German battles with Haig and Plumer's forces, was captured by Canadian forces on 6 November and fully cleared of German forces by 10 November 1917. The captured village of Passchendaele lay just five miles beyond the starting line of the offensive.

Fig. 4: The muddy marshes of Passchendaele

Casualties in the Battle of Passchendaele

The casualties suffered by both the British and the Germans forces were immense. However, to this day, no concrete number is given. The casualties of the British Expeditionary Forces range from 240,000 to 500,000, while the German casualties range from 220,000 to 400,000. Despite the ambiguity of the precise number of casualties, it is a fact that the Battle of Passchendaele proved extremely costly for both forces. A consensus seems to be as follows:

British casualties: 250,000 to 300,000

German casualties: 200,000 to 250,000

The Germans suffered fewer casualties than the British forces. However, the British were still in a better position despite their higher number of casualties. Unlike the Germans who could not afford the loss of over 200,000 men, the British forces were about to be joined by the American Expeditionary Forces. This would aid in replenishing the lost numbers suffered by the British forces at Passchendaele.

Significance of the Battle of Passchendaele

Primarily, the Battle of Passchendaele presents major significance for Canadian military history. The 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces captured the sought-after village of Passchendaele.

Fig. 5: Canadian Expeditionary Forces

Secondarily, regarding Field Marshal Haig, Haig believed that his offensive tactic would be able to push the Germans back far enough to consider the war finished. The Germans proved to be far more difficult to defeat, largely because British advances were having trouble moving into enemy territory after the heavy shelling that had turned the entire battlefield into a muddy marsh. This proved to many military officials including Haig, that their old military tactics were becoming counterproductive.

Battle of Passchendaele Facts

• The Battle of Passchendaele is also informally known as the 'Battle of the Mud', due to the extremely muddy environment caused by coinciding heavy rains.
• The Battle of Passchendaele was the longest war in the series of battles of Ypres (there were a total of five battles), lasting 102 days
• The extremely muddy environment caused many of the soldiers' rifles to clog up, at times even rendering them useless. In addition, tanks, horses and in several instances soldiers themselves would find themselves sinking to death into the muddy craters.
• Apart from the Canadian forces, the British forces were also made up of ANZAC forces.