Key Facts
- Dates
- 26 September – 3 October 1917
- Planned advance depth
- 1,000–1,500 yards (910–1,370 m)
- Creeping barrage layers
- 5 layers on Second Army front
- German counter-attacks
- Multiple failed attempts, 27 Sep – 3 Oct 1917
- Objective captured
- Large part of Flandern I Stellung (4th German defensive line)
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 26 September, British infantry advanced behind five layers of creeping barrage, using skirmishers and small columns in depth. Drier weather firmed the ground and early morning mists concealed the initial assault. Once mist cleared, German Eingreif counter-attack formations were exposed to air and ground observation before they could intervene effectively. British forces captured the Flandern I Stellung and consolidated gains on reverse slopes, establishing defences in depth to repel expected German responses.
01 / The Origins
The Battle of Polygon Wood was the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres, part of the broader Allied campaign in Flanders during World War I. General Herbert Plumer's Second Army continued a methodical step-by-step offensive strategy, targeting limited objectives along the front from the Menin Road north past Polygon Wood to beyond St Julien, aiming to seize dominant ground and degrade German defensive capacity ahead of further advances.
03 / The Outcome
German counter-attacks (Gegenangriffe) from 27 September to 3 October all failed to recapture lost ground, inflicting further casualties on German forces and prompting hasty revisions to German defensive doctrine. The British secured Polygon Wood and threatened Broodseinde ridge, setting conditions for the subsequent Battle of Broodseinde. The German 4th Army suffered significant losses and was forced to adapt its defensive arrangements.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Herbert Plumer.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.