A failed British-Anzac assault at Ypres that demonstrated the catastrophic effect of mud and artillery degradation on offensive operations in World War I.
Key Facts
- Date
- 12 October 1917
- Distance from village
- 2,000–2,500 yards instead of planned 1,500 yards
- Part of
- Third Battle of Ypres
- Main attacking force
- I and II Anzac Corps, Second Army
- British October 1917 casualties rank
- Third highest monthly casualties of the war
- German divisions diverted
- Two divisions sent to Flanders to replace losses
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Heavy rains beginning 3 October 1917 rendered much of the British field artillery opposite Passchendaele inoperable due to mud and German fire. Poor positioning left guns at the limit of their range on unstable platforms, and air reconnaissance revealed the true attacking distance of 2,000–2,500 yards only too late to revise plans substantially.
On 12 October 1917, the Second Army's I and II Anzac Corps, supported by the Fifth Army to the north, launched the main assault on Passchendaele Ridge. German defences repulsed the attack or recovered captured ground through counter-attacks. On the Fifth Army's left flank, the fringe of Houthoulst Forest was taken, but the right flank assault was a costly failure.
The battle ended as a German defensive success, though both sides suffered heavy losses and two German divisions were diverted to Flanders. British attacks were postponed pending improved weather and restored communications. British casualties in October 1917 ranked as the third highest monthly total of the entire war, after July 1916 and April 1917.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Herbert Plumer, Douglas Haig.
Side B
1 belligerent