July 31 – November 10, 1917 · Western Front Theater
July 31 – November 10, 1917
Haig's attempt to break through the German lines in Flanders and reach the Belgian coast. Preliminary bombardment destroyed the drainage system, turning the battlefield into a liquid mud swamp. Men and horses drowned in shell craters. The Canadians finally captured the ruined village of Passchendaele after three months, gaining five miles at a cost of 325,000 British casualties.
Commanders