1. Battle of Passchendaele
Dates:
July 31, 1917-November 10, 1917
Casualties:
Allies: 350, 000
Central Powers: 230,000

2. It is also known as the Third Battle of Ypres.
Considered to be the most horrible of the war.
Took place in a town named Passchendaele, near the town of Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium.

3. IMPORTANCE
Ypres was one of the most critical points on the Western Front.
It was the last German occupied town in Belgium, thus became an important political symbol.
Germany held the high ground, the allies felt if they could defeat them here, they could push well into German territory.

4. CONDITIONS
Passchendaele is best remembered for it’s terrible conditions.
Heavy shelling, combined with rain, turned the whole battlefield into mud.

5. Many soldiers drowned when they fell into the mud.
Tanks became bogged down and were thus ineffective.

6. BEFORE
AFTER

7. Reading:
How did the commanders envision a victory might change the tactics of the war?
Describe “bite and hold” tactics?
How did the battlefield reach it’s conditions?
How did the conditions affect the armies?
What three words might be used to describe Passchendaele?