When he summoned the Canadian Division, an elite formation, to storm the Passchendaele Ridge in the closing weeks of the offensive, the Canadian commander, Sir Arthur Currie, asked again and again why Haig felt the ridge had to be taken. The water table was near the surface, even at the height of summer, and this reclaimed land was extremely vulnerable to artillery fire that would destroy the drainage system and allow the land Passchendaele: Before And After. The town, traditionally a center of textile weaving was completely flattened as four years of battle raged nearby and in the town. Passchendaele before and after the battle. Absolutely fucking bonkers. 10 Nov. 2022. Throughout 1916, and in the months leading up to Passchendaele, Mackenzies accounts of the war were full of patriotic clichs of noble devotion to duty and sacrifice. 8 (1916): 187. These two aerial photographs show the horrific toll of World War I on Passchendaele, north-east of Ypres in Belgium. By then, his army was paralysed by a wave of mutinies: around 40,000 men were directly involved, 68 divisions were affected, and during one two-week period the front was virtually denuded of troops. The Honour Passchendaele was awarded for the final phase of the 1917 campaign in Flanders. The controversy has lasted a century. The actual necessity or futility of the battle is still disputed to this very day. But at Passchendaele, army after army was thrown into the fray. 26, on 5 September 1917. In 2016 Jonathan Hicks published The Welsh at Mametz Wood to coincide with the centenary of that bloody engagement. His earlier flowery prose was replaced by muted tones describing the shock of the experience. The battle of Passchendaele began on July 31, 1917, with a huge onslaught of Allied artillery. Two events of 1917 appear to be instrumental in changing the tone of the Chronicles the first of which was Mackenzies five-month return to New Zealand. Offert avec recherche. But it was much worse for the British. Since then, the 12th of October has become known as New Zealand's 'Darkest Day'. This is significant because the Chronicles had a wider readership than just the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, including a large circulation at home. Contribute more detail to this record by adding your own names, classifications or categories via a tag. A visit to the front line at Ypres in December 1917 seemed to reinforce to Mackenzie the inaccuracies of earlier reporting. (2001, April 24). Get more from your Museum with Membership, Find out more about Auckland Museums transformation. Passchendaele, 1917 A single days fighting in the great battles of 1916 could produce more casualties than every European war of the preceding 100 years, civilian and military, combined. Battlefield 1 is developed by DICE and produced by EA. Motion to Take Note. 17, 2 May 1917. of World War I , should be a warning of the demoralizing effects that a war can have on a nation. Give us a victory was the new British prime minister Lloyd Georges appeal to the military high command: a victory to ease the pressure on Britains allies; a victory to lift the mood of the nation; a victory to show that the war could yet be won. People often refer to it as the Hell of Passchendaele. In 1916 the Association published the first issue of the Chronicles, which according to the magazines subtitle, were records of matters concerning the troops and gazette of patriotic efforts.. Any German breakthrough in Flanders would have immediately imperilled the BEFs supply-line, which ran through the French ports on the Channel coast to England; Haigs army would have had very little room to retreat or manoeuvre if driven back beyond Ypres. I know too, that we must see that it does not occur again.[15]. I'm sorry, but what map is this? Passchendaele, before and after By the afternoon of 31st October, the field was almost clear of the casualties and dead that could be located. It wasn't uncommon. World War I was believed at the time to be the war to end all wars. [13] Goreite, The Joys of Christmas in the Trenches, Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 3 no. REVIEW Hunger: how food shaped the course of the First World War, REVIEW The Fortress: the Great Siege of Przemysl, The USSR at war: five battles that shaped a communist state. Imperial War Museum catalogue number Q 42918A. It tended to pit imperial statesmen concerned with the Mediterranean, Suez, and the route to India men who were also civilian politicians accountable to an electorate appalled by the astronomical casualty lists on the Western Front against conventionally trained generals committed to the pseudo-Clausewitzian notion that the only correct way to fight a war was to go head-to-head with the enemys main forces. It's been shelled, bombed, burned, blasted and gassed. Never seen before, these astonishing photographs, lovingly hand-touched in colour to bring to life the nightmare of Passchendaele, were released this week to commemorate the 90th III, No. The development of the Auckland War Memorial Museum online collection is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. The German guns were registered on every road and junction, every trench and emplacement, restricting virtually all movement to night-time. Furthermore, in what was potentially the most dangerous development of all, the British were losing the Battle of the Atlantic, with the tonnage sunk rising from 298,000 in January 1917 to 468,000 in February, 500,000 in March, and 849,000 in April. Lloyd George sought an Eastern fix. Always keen to publish first-hand accounts by soldiers, Mackenzie again appealed for more material from the Front itself about conditions of life, football and other sports, experiences.[11] Not surprisingly, those accounts, from troops at the front or wounded in hospitals, were often miserable. Germany accidentally found plans of the Russian army blood transfusions, and ways of more efficient surgery techniques. You won't look at poppies the same way ever again, that's for freaking sure. Aerial view of the village of Passchendaele (North is to the right of the photo) before and after the Third Battle of Ypres, 1917. Mackenzie was not alone in his portrayal of the Somme. If not at the outset, then once the offensive had bogged down for the first time, in August, or certainly once it had bogged down for the second time, in October, with winter fast approaching and any lingering hope of a breakthrough long gone? Mud-stained and blood-stained, some smiling and cheerful, others thoughtful and with wan faces The infantry fought till they were exhausted, and the stretcher-bearers toiled until they were in the last stages of fatigue The weariness of the work was beyond description. The mud also clogged rifles, ruined food, and rendered artillery useless. 14, on 14 March 1917. These boil down to an argument about the nature of the war; an argument about global grand strategy; and an argument about the strategy and tactics of this particular operation. British, New Zealanders A particularly dark cartoon imagining a soldier's plight in the afterlife was published in the Vol. [7] Clutha Leader. Published in the Chronicles Vol. Describing life in the trenches, one soldier wrote in 1917, We sit here for month after month in dreary trenches, wet and cold, pelted continually with explosives of every horrible variety, bombed from the air, blown up from underneath, and poisoned by noxious gases In those first few months of the war, in the far-off days of 1914, there was still a little romance, and we were made merry while it lasted, but it is dead long ago [12]. What was the objective of the battle of Passchendaele? With unlimited free entry to all paid exhibitions, discounted event tickets and exclusive Member-only events, a Museum Membership is the gift that keeps on giving year-round. [5], Following a visit to the front line, Ross wrote of the torn earth, mud, slush, and brown clayey water. H/T Imperial War Museums/Wikimedia Commons . Part of the SFW Porn PaperNerd Contributor,High School, 10th grade, To get forwards, the British had to take the Gheluvelt Plateau. Any British breakthrough, on the other hand, would have had serious consequences for the Germans, who would risk losing their U-boat bases on the Belgian coast and perhaps having their grip on Belgium as a whole an industrial asset and a bargaining chip broken. Accounts of light-hearted and happy troops coming back from the field, telling tales so blithely of great victory[1] made no mention of the realities of life and death in the trenches, or the toll the battle would have on New Zealand. Just wait until humans begin to practice terraforming on Earth, that will cause all sorts of floods and wild fires. This is an extract from the 15-page special feature on Passchendaele, which appeared in issue 83 of Military History Monthly. Belgiums wettest autumn in 70 years, combined with ruined drainage systems from artillery barrages meant that soldiers were often waist deep in mud. Arguing that people were not properly informed about the war, Mackenzie was determined to publish a more accurate account in the Chronicles. They had failed. In the end, events played out because none of the doubters had the clarity, energy, and determination necessary to intervene decisively and close the offensive down. Read our special features, behind the scenes blogs and more. It has been the Difficulties arose through a dispute between the British WW100 New Zealand's First World War Centenary Programme ran from 2014to2019. If this post declares something as a fact proof is required. This cartoon by T Kelsey was published in Vol. The cover of the troop magazine 'Chronicles of the NZEF', from 17 October 1917, just days after the attack on Passchendaele. Ralph Henry Sturt est n dans le Cheshire le 10/01/1897. It has been the subject of interminable debate ever since, among veterans, military historians, general historians, artists and writers, and the wider public. Theres more than one firearm in the game sir, Press J to jump to the feed. 0 votes. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. The year 1917 was a frustrating and demoralising year for the Western powers fighting in France and Belgium. Shortly after his return to London he commented, Very little is known about the war, and most people acknowledge and lament their ignorance. It is easy to imagine that Mackenzies upbeat account of the Somme was written by somebody who had not experienced the realities of war. This is too controversial a claim to be left unsubstantiated. All images The now non-existent village of Passchendaele reduced to a few acres of slime and rubble was to be the token of an equally non-existent victory. It is close to the town of Ypres, situated on the hill ridge separating the historical wetlands of the Yser and Leie valleys. It is also commonly known as a battlefield and the name of a campaign during World War I, the Battle of Passchendaele . Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Il s'est engag en juin 1915 et est all en France avec l'A.V.C., avant d'tre transfr dans la R.F.A. To no one's surprise, Battlefield 1 dwarfs 2042. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Events at the end of thebattle strongly imply that Haig was unhinged. The battle took place in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front, in and Maybe the Italian Front? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts Little can be taken for granted when it comes to the truth, Read Vol IV No.43 of The Chronicles of the NZEF - Te Papa, The Terrible Toll of Passchendaele - Ng Tapuwae, Read Leonard Hart's account of the Battle of Passchendaele - NZHistory. Engaging programmes for all year levels from ECE to Year 12, Browse and contribute to New Zealand's Online Cenotaph, Experience life as a WWI soldier in Pou Kanohi Gallery. Why not stop wars and try to achieve true peace? Press J to jump to the feed. Tags also make this record more findable on search. Stories. While home, Mackenzie followed reports of the war in the local press. Difficulties arose through a dispute between the British generals and politicians, all of whom had a different idea on the strategy of war. [14] J. W. D, Ypres Memories, Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 3 no. Rosss more vivid and gruesome descriptions may have been an attempt to counter criticism of his earlier accounts. This is Samantha Smith. download word file, 3 pages0.0 Sir Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front, would have none of it, and he generally enjoyed the wholehearted support of Sir William Robertson, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff back in London. [5] Ross, The Terrible Conditions in the Last Battle, Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 3 no. Nor was this the sum of Entente woes in 1917. Passchendaele was at the center of the carnage. Its popularity quickly grew from an initial print run of 1,500 copies to circulation figures of 12,000 just 10 weeks later. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders, as part of a strategy decided by the Allies at conferences in November 1916 and May 1917. WriteWork has over 100,000 sample papers", "I turned what i thought was a C+ paper into an A-". The author writes, When our men were putting up a magnificent fight and holding on with a miserably thin line of soldiers and camp-followers against four, five or six times their number of adversaries, holding on and nothing more, our papers were full of a great advance in Flanders, and notable British victories.[9], But it was not just the written accounts which were being viewed more cynically as the war progressed. Battle of Passchendaele Volume 785: debated on Thursday 19 October 2017 Oct 19 2017 Download text. Here's another photo, squiggly lines on the right are trenches. Also, I learned people are fucking stupid animals, nationalism is one of the worst impulses of humanity, and war is never the answer, but people will continue to think it is because people are fucking stupid animals. The British Commander-in-chief, Sir Douglas Haig, is heavily criticised by many historians for conducting the battle of attrition at the Somme, as well as those at Arras, Ypres and Passchendaele later in the war "Good news: you can turn to other's writing help. No strong anti-Haig/anti-Westerner military faction emerged. It is famous for the massive number of soldiers involved, over one and a half million men, counting Germans, were involved in the three and a half months of fighting, and also for its mud. The former is an argument about the First World War between those who believe it had to be fought to resist German militarism and expansionism, and those who believe it was an imperialist war fought for territory and profit in the interests of the rich. The soldiers slept in the mud, crawled in the mud, fought in the mud, and drowned in the huge craters left by heavy bombing. Magnificent architecture from medieval times was destroyed by artillery fire including the Cloth Hall built in 1214. On 6th November 1917, after three months of fierce fighting, British and Canadian forces finally took control of the tiny village of Passchendaele in the West Flanders region of Belgium, so ending one of the bloodiest battles of World War I. His ability to influence essentially military decisions even grand strategic decisions about whether to pursue a major offensive was hampered by the simple fact that the generals controlled the information on which decisions had to be based. Mackenzie was not alone in his portrayal of the Somme. He had consumed a quarter of a million men. Collections Online. 32 (1917): 177. [7] Readers in New Zealand could subscribe to the magazine or buy it from booksellers. Things that don't last and are only temporary. The second event was Passchendaele a disastrous attack by New Zealand troops on Bellevue Spur in mud and relentless rain resulted in more than 3700 casualties, with 843 men killed in a few hours on 12 October alone. An article reprinted from the troopship magazine Klink and published in the Chronicles pointed out that the events at Ypres had been misrepresented. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Looks like the surface of the moon. After the Somme he wrote in fulsome terms of glorious patriotism and defeat of the enemy, with only brief mention of heavy casualties. The development of the Auckland War Memorial Museum online collection is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. Go watch it! 1d. [8] The fact that the Chronicles were widely distributed and popular is important because the reporting in the wider press was increasingly being treated with scepticism. We have, centuries ago when we startet building wooden fleets. Ross wrote, In the afternoon [of 12 October] the attack was broken off. This question had divided patriots and pacifists from the outset, but in early 1917 the issue exploded into life with the February revolution in Russia and the April-June army mutinies in France. All rights reserved. [2] Malcolm Ross, Trench Notes, Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 1 no. 10/10 on tripadvisor, as far as I'm concerned. Russia stayed with it?s statement to back Serbia which Germany Austria-Hungary and Germany could not have failed to realize the possibility of Russian war because when Austria-Hungary and Serbia went to war Germany, Bosnia, Russia, France World War I -Did Canada benefit from the war? A month later, Nivelle was sacked. 33 (1917): 202. The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating attack during the Third Battle of Ypres of the First World War. He wanted to find a way through the continent-spanning siegeworks around the territoryof the Central Powers that did not involve another onslaught on the strongest part of the line: the Western Front where the belt of defences was miles deep and tended to comprise three separate lines, each of three trenches, laced with wire, concrete bunkers, machine-gun nests, and massed artillery emplacements. Readers of the Chronicles in 1916 may have found it difficult to believe the Battle of the Somme was New Zealands costliest campaign of the First World War at that time. Haig had fought Third Ypres in the teeth of criticism and opposition, especially from civilian politicians, but increasingly from military men as well. And at the end it isn't even worth it, cause we all come to the same fate. Wet, miserably cold, and with little prospect of success, they did all that mortals could do to gain the German positions We, here, far away from the Front, are quiet, and stand with bowed heads in deep respect to all the brave fellows who falter under such severe conditions.[4]. Lloyd George created The convoy system , which proved successful. The impact of modern firepower on the physical battlefield is utterly unlike anything in the pre-modern period. Discuss the extent to which the Somme Offensive was a failure. The apparent futility of it all had cast a pall of gloom over the peoples of the warring nations: war weariness as growing anti-war sentiment was euphemistically described in the newspapers was an increasing preoccupation of the politicians (though less often of the generals). In some cases, records have yet to be Although 843 New Zealanders officially lost their lives that day, it is believed to be closer to 1,000, with 1,500 wounded. By the end of 1917, contributors to the Chronicles were writing frankly about the battlefield conditions, the difficulties encountered and the mood of the men. The lowest point for the New Zealand battalions came in October around the village In 1914 Sir Thomas had gathered together a group of expatriates to establish the New Zealand War Contingent Association, with the aim of helping New Zealand troops at the front, those convalescing in hospital, and their families. 33 (1917): 215. There is also a BBC documentry airing November 7th, Here's another photo, squiggly lines on the right are trenches. Your email address will not be published. Clutha Mackenzie: Chat About the Future. Passchendaele, aerial. These photographs are stunning but what you can't see in the photograph to the right is the fertile pastureland, which had been reclaimed from marsh over the years by an elaborate drainage system. The enemys use of tear gas was described as an inconvenience [which is] only temporary.[2]. He described the scene, the enemys defence was aided by execrable weather, which made our mens task humanly impossible. It was necessary to draw down German forces and ease the pressure on all three major allies the French, the Russians, and the Italians. The author of this account was Chronicles editor Clutha Mackenzie, son of New Zealands High Commissioner to London, Sir Thomas Mackenzie. Just as bad, Serbia having being overrun in late 1915, Romania had gone the same way at the end of 1916, knocking out the Ententes two main allies in the Balkans. Therefore it was called the Great War and raged through Europe between 1914 and 1918. Three sets of interlocking issues are in dispute. Over 16 million were killed and another 20 million wounded while vast stretches of the Western European countryside were literally torn to pieces. German casualties from 11 November 31 December: 15,000. The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating attack during the Third Battle of Ypres of the First World War. The battle took place in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front, in and around the Belgian village of Passchendaele, between 26 October and 10 November 1917. He did not, and the defeat was absolute. The problem was that no rational military purpose was served: indeed, the effect of the capture of the Passchendaele Ridge at enormous cost was to place the forward-most British forces at the tip of a salient exposed to enemy fire from three directions. [13], In Ypres Memories, one of only two poems written in 1917 that specifically names the battle area, there is a description of the terrible conditions, Your mate on your fingers marks time.[14]. Best WW1 movie I have ever watched! But in fact, Mackenzie had first-hand experience, having been blinded while fighting at Gallipoli. Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened. Nothing good came of it, only death and destruction. Back to top Previous debate Next debate. 30 (1917): 124. They acknowledged the feelings of foreboding and portrayed a sense of failure and weariness. But where? Now, in 2017 he has given us a sequel, The Welsh at Passchendaele 1917 , which follows the Welsh regiments in what is known to military historians as the Third Battle of Ypres. 35 (1918): 14-15, 21. With unusually heavy rains, the entire area was transformed into a sea of mud. WriteWork contributors. 3 (1916): 51. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Essay by Honour and remember New Zealand's servicemen and women. This is the result of normal people following the governments non sense. The whole area of information about what was happening was cause for discontent. But they also point to a seemingly more relaxed attitude by the censor to what was published in the Chronicles. Another contributor wrote vividly about Christmas 1917 in the trenches, None but those who have experienced it can fully understand what a strain on the nerves, what agony it is to crouch in a comparatively shallow trench under heavy shell-fire wondering how long it will be before the shell lands Under the benign influence of the rum we felt like new men again We were sleeping (or trying to) in a two-man dug-out. The Battle of Passchendaele was not without consequences. Ypres, Belgium, 1918 Date: July 31, 1917 - November 6, 1917 Battle of Passchendaele Battle of Passchendaele, also called Third Battle of Ypres, (July 31November 6, 1917), World War I It will probably never be resolved. Only limited information, often much delayed, often spun by the ever-optimistic Haig, reached Whitehall. [9] Lance Captain, The Poilu, Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 3 no. Web. On the 12th of October, 1917, a failed attack on Bellevue Spur, part of the Passchendaele Ridge, set the scene for the death toll to come. Now imagine every respawn is one of your friends. The Battle of Passchendaele. Other British political and military leaders agreed. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Maybe Palestine? The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating attack during the Third Battle of Ypres of the First World War. The battle took place in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front, in and around the Belgian village of Passchendaele, between 26 October and 10 November 1917. The previous year had seen meat-grinder offensives at Verdun and the Somme which, despite unprecedented casualties, had changed nothing. Here, in the inner recesses of Haigs psyche, conventional military thinking fused with concern to defend his own pre-eminence among British commanders which meant prioritising the Western Front and perhaps with a stubbornness that bordered on the pathological, since it seemed to increase in the face of contrary evidence and mounting opposition. The Change of Medicine and Healthcare Throughout the First World War. On this, there was no agreement. The scant cables give little clue to the intensity of the struggle, the communiqus become monotonous with their perpetually successful raids at this unknown locality it is all so distant.[3]. So how did the First World War Austria declaired war on Serbia. Explore over 1 million records. And before the Passchendaele Offensive ended, the division between pro- and anti-war Europe had deepened, with the October revolution in Russia and the October-November military collapse on the Italian Front. The Ypres Salient was vital strategic ground for both sides. Your place for discussion, help, news, reviews, questions, screenshots, videos, gifs, and anything else BF1 related! Due to increased German U-Boat activity , Haig wanted wanted to capture . Click here to subscribe to the magazine, and have it sent straight to your door every month. There was, of course, no good reason why the senior officer being asked to carry out the mission should not have been told its purpose. That is a hole in the side of the trench just large enough to accommodate two men and about thirty rats. A timeline of Passchendaele A timeline of events before, during and after the Third Battle of Ypres 1914 1 August Germany declares war on Russia 2-3 August Germany enacts the Schlieffen Plan, invading Luxembourg and Belgium and declaring war on France 5-10 September German invasion of France stopped at the First Battle of the Marne Why was he not stopped? Exploring the past through historical photographs. 30 issue of the 'Chronicles' on 31 October 1917. Lloyd George later reproached himself for his failure to do so. The issue was political and personal. He had promised a great breakthrough and the capture of the Channel Ports. It was for this reason that the armies had been locked in an embrace of death around the Salient since November-December 1914 despite the fact that the ground was an unforgiving wetland that rain and shelling could turn into a quagmire of saturated mud in a matter of days. [8] Mackenzie, The Chronicles Reviews Itself, Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 1 no. How did the New Zealanders horrific experiences at Passchendaele change the mood of reporting in the Chronicles of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force? The U-Boat bases in Belgium . I think I know but I just want to make sure, Oh thank you, I got all that dlc late, and haven't had much time on them, Thats actually the one thing about passchendaele is its already so fucking torn apart it doesnt feel like it changes much throughout the match. document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ad2eff8febb5bae2cacf3866ca8dba20" );document.getElementById("i266c0b724").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Military History Matters magazine December 2022/January 2023 is out now. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. All the games respawns being real people. Cause we're stupid, that's why. [3] Mackenzie, From the Editorial Bivvie, Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 3 no. 33 (1917): 207. Passchendaele, before and after the Third Battle of Ypres (also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, 1917). Passchendaele, Before and After Passchendaele could be described as one of the most controversial battles of World War I. Russia did not fare well though. There's still some places where almost nothing can grow as a result of the war. And the military, of course, tended to close ranks against the politicians: whatever reservations some of his generals may have had, Haig could depend on the fact that few brass-hats would bleat to the frock-coats. Aerial photographs of the town before and after the battle suggest that it was nearly completely obliterated. At the time, a whole set of factors operated to hamstring the civilian leadership. During this month [April], recalled Churchill, it was calculated that one in four merchant ships leaving the United Kingdom never returned.
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