Battle of Passchendaele 100 Years Ago Today.

Today, 31st July 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Passchendaele. It ended on the 10th November 1917.

Armies of The British & French Empire along with Belgium Forces faced the German Army in one of the bloodiest encounters of The Great War.

Casualties for both sides range between 500,000 - 700,000. The true number is not known. During the battle, The Allies fired around 4.5 million shells from 3,000 guns.

During the battle period, the heaviest rain for 30 years fell on the battlefield. Men and horses actually drowned in the thick heavy mud of the battlefield.

At the end of the battle, just 5 miles of ground had been advanced. The pure futility of war.

www.bbc.co.uk...

a reply to: alldaylong

I was the most pointless battle of WWI besides Verdun.

Even the somme accomplished something. Passchendael just wasted lives for nothing.

Though WW1 was a pointless and stupid affair.

originally posted by: InsaneIthorian
a reply to: alldaylong

I was the most pointless battle of WWI besides Verdun.

Even the somme accomplished something. Passchendael just wasted lives for nothing.

Though WW1 was a pointless and stupid affair.

Most of WWI was a pure meat grinder, devoid of much grand strategy or tactics. No wonder the opossing soldiers in the trenches found comradery with each other in the lulls playing football ect.

originally posted by: InsaneIthorian
a reply to: alldaylong

I was the most pointless battle of WWI besides Verdun.

Even the somme accomplished something. Passchendael just wasted lives for nothing.

Though WW1 was a pointless and stupid affair.

There was a Belgian historian on the show last night and she made the point that the Ypres salient was pretty much all that was left of free Belgium and as such, the 3 battles of Ypres were very import indeed.

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: InsaneIthorian
a reply to: alldaylong

I was the most pointless battle of WWI besides Verdun.

Even the somme accomplished something. Passchendael just wasted lives for nothing.

Though WW1 was a pointless and stupid affair.

There was a Belgian historian on the show last night and she made the point that the Ypres salient was pretty much all that was left of free Belgium and as such, the 3 battles of Ypres were very import indeed.

This is correct. In addition there was an important outcome to the battle - it gutted the German Army, making the Spring Offensive the next year so necessary.

a reply to: AngryCymraeg

It gutted the british army too.

It was Britains verdun.

The offensive was conducted in a area of bad terrain and instead of using the new tatics developed went back to throwing men at machine guns.

The whole thing a waste of lives and resources.
The offensive should have been done in the south with better use of tanks ( that for some reason where sent out piecemeel in passchendale.

a reply to: alldaylong

The rememberance ceremony was held at the Tyne Cot cemetary, the largest burial site of commonwealth soldiers in the world, for any war.

Among the various battles that took place over the course of WWI around Ypres, the battle of Gravenstafel Ridge is also remembered for being the first one featuring lethal use of chemical weapons.

Back in 2014, 2 constructions workers have been killed for hitting an undetonated shell that was still active (LINK - article in French). Every year, morbid tourist and collectors are still walking through the fields with metal detector in order to collect 'souvenirs'.

Every single day since the end of WWI (except during WWII) - the rememberance ceremony known as 'The last post' is held :