World War Wednesdays: Third Battle of Ypres 100th Anniversary

Stretcher-bearers thread through shell holes to carry the wounded to aid posts close behind the front, Canadian War Museum George Metcalf Archival Collection, CWM 19930013-464

     July 31, 2017 is being observed as the beginning of the Third Battle of Ypres centenary, popularly known as the Battle of Passchendaele. This infamous series of events was especially significant for Canadians, and has important connections to the Western Elgin area in particular since many of our local 91st Battalion veterans served there. Read on for an overview of the battles and list of local soldiers who are known to have been present at the 'Battle of Mud.'

Memorial Tablet

Squire nagged and bullied till I went to fight,

(Under Lord Derby's Scheme). I died in hell-

(They called it Passchendaele). My wound was slight,

And I was hobbling back; and then a shell

Burst slick upon the duck-boards: so I fell

Into the bottomless mud, and lost the light.

At sermon-time, while Squire is in his pew,

He gives my gilded name a thoughtful stare;

For, low down upon the list, I'm there;

'In proud and glorious memory'... that's  my due.

Two bleeding years I fought in France, for Squire:

I suffered anguish that he's never guessed.

Once I came home on leave: and then went west...

What greater glory could a man desire?

-Siegfried Sassoon

Overview

     By spring 2017, the Western Front was in a dismal state of affairs: British Admiral Jellicoe had warned the War Cabinet in London that shipping losses caused by the German U-Boats were so great that Britain might not be able to continue the fight into 1918; Czarist Russia was on the brink of revolution, and if it fell, one million additional German troops would be freed to fight on the Western Front; the recent French offensive on the Chemin des Dames under General Robert Nivelle had lost 200,000 men, resulting in mutinies that threatened the very existence of a French Army. In short, there was a desperate need for an Allied victory.

Black Powder Games blog

     As Norman S. Leach writes, "British Field-Marshall Sir Douglas Haig and French General Philippe Pétain both viewed the war in Europe as a succession of battles that had started with the Somme Offensive in 1916. In attempting to keep pressure upon the Imperial German Army under the command of General Erich Ludendorff, Haig planned for a sweeping breakthrough in Flanders that would result in the Germans being driven back, the submarine bases in Belgium being captured, and the French armies being given a chance to recover their morale. Haig's plan pivoted around the Belgian town of Ypres. The only part of Belgium in Allied hands, the Ypres Salient, was open to attack at any time. A ridge, the only high ground in the entire region, ran through Passchendaele, and it was occupied by the German army. With the Germans firmly established upon the high ground, the Allies were vulnerable to constant artillery bombardment. Haig's plan was to make a general breakout along the entire front. If the ridge at Passchendaele could be taken and the town itself liberated, the British could turn north and the Belgian coast would be open to them. However, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and Haig were both personal and political enemies. Lloyd George did all he could to oppose Haig's plans in Flanders, suggesting an alternative offensive in Italy. The Prime Minister was convinced that Haig would not be able to break through to Belgium, and Lloyd George would then be left to explain to the citizens of Great Britian why, yet again, their sons were forfeiting their lives to little effect. However, Haig and his supporters eventually won the day, and Lloyd George felt obliged to sanction the plan."

Canadian War Museum

     The German Fourth Army was holding the line at Ypres, and noticed the buildup of Allied troops in the area early on. Leach reflects that "The First Battle of Ypres in 1914 and the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 had consisted of the Germans attacking the Allies. In 1917, however, it would be the Allies who would be attacking a strongly entrenched enemy- one that was ready and waiting for them." In late May 1917, Allied artillery bombarded the German defenses on Messines Ridge (southeast of Ypres), followed by an abrupt ceasefire. The latter caused the Germans to move their reinforcements into place to prepare for an Allied infantry assault and a counterattack while the British detonated the nineteen enormous mines engineers had dug and placed under the ridge. The Battle of Messines Ridge was a complete Allied success, and considered a good omen of things to come at Passchendaele. It also convinced Lloyd George that Haig's plan for a breakthrough just might work. 

     Other preludes to Passchendaele included Pilckem Ridge, which saw massive Allied casualties for only 2,000 yards of ground gained; Langemarck, which brought about another round of heavy casualties for minimal gain, prompted a change of plan to concentrating on small gains rather than pushing for one large breakthrough; Menin Road and Polygon Wood, which cost an additional 30,000 casualties, and placed the British directly under Passchendaele Ridge- and German artillery fire- making it imperative that the ridge be captured quickly; and Broodseinde, a high point for the Allies in Fladers but followed quickly by total failure at Poelkapelle, which lost all Allied advances to German counterattacks.

Ruins of Langemaarck, World War One Battlefields

     Haig knew that the 100,000 casualties the Allies had suffered in the campaign would be wasted if Passchendaele was not captured, and decided that the British, Australian, and New Zealand troops upon whom he had relied were exhausted. His solution, then, was to turn to the Canadians: "He knew that the troops of the Canadian Corps had well earned their reputation as an elite force ready to take on the toughest jobs. With successes at Vimy Ridge and the Battle of Hill 70 behind them, Haig ordered two divisions of the corps to Passchendaele." However, the Canadian General Sir Arthur Currie (Strathroy, Ontario's own) strongly objected to the idea because he felt the Canadians had not yet recovered for a new, pivotal battle.

Mud at Passchendaele, Australian War Memorial

     The main challenge of the impending battle was mud, but the German-reinforced concrete pillboxes also posed a significant threat. Currie personally inspected the battlefield and predicted that the Canadians would be successful, but that it would cost 16,000 casualties. Ultimately, he ordered his officers to prepare to take Passchendaele. Preparations included rebuilding the transportation system, draining swamps, laying deeper telephone wires, and the Canadians specifically built replica German pillboxes and trenches for practice and provided all soldiers with maps of the area. In the preparatory phase alone, 1,500 Canadians lost their lives. Leach describes Currie's pre-battle arrangements: "Sir Arthur Currie had laid out a simple and straightforward plan to take Passchendaele. The Canadians would attack in a series of coordinated operations, each with a limited objective, until the village itself and a defensible position upon the Passchendaele ridge had been gained. The overall goal was to drive a thin wedge into the German positions."

     During the preparatory bombardment between 21 and 25 October, 587 field guns shelled German positions and placed the element of surprise on the Canadians' side. At 0540 hours on 26 October 1917, Canadian heavy machine guns opened fire. Two minutes later, every gun in the Canadian batteries was simultaneously firing. Seven distinct lines of bombardment were utilized: "In all, 20,000 Canadian foot soldiers crawled out of dugouts and trenches, advancing under a mist that quickly turned to rain. The rolling barrage provided some protection, but it moved so quickly and was so complex that it permitted German gunners to target the advancing Canadians."

General Sir Arthur Currie, GOC Canadian Corps (pointing), and General MacBrien with other officers during a training exercise, September 1917. Photo by William Rider-Rider (Imperial War Museum, CO1970)

     Leach reflects that "Currie's strategy of taking and then holding small gains was working. Together with two British divisions, the Canadians moved toward the village of Passchendaele. Under the cover of a driving rainstorm, they quickly reached the outskirts of the now-ruined municipality. For five days, often immersed up to their waists in mud and under intense German artillery fire, these troops held on, waiting for relief. And by the time the 1st and 2nd Divisions relieved these embattled troops, 80 percent of the 3rd and 4th Divisions had become casualties."

     By November 6 the Canadians were ready to begin the advance toward their third and final objective: to capture the high ground north of the town and to secure positions on the eastern side of Passchendaele ridge. Fortunately, this went the most smoothly of all operations to date. The final Canadian action began at 0605 hours on November 10, when Currie used the opportunity to make adjustments to the line and strengthen his defensive positions.

Conclusion

     "The Canadians had done the impossible. After just 14 days of combat, they had driven the German army out of Passchendaele and off the ridge. There was almost nothing left of the village to hold. Altogether, the Canadian Corps had fired a total of 1,453,056 shells, containing 40,908 tons of high explosive. Aerial photographs verified approximately 36,500 Australians and 3,596 New Zealanders. German casualties totaled 260,000 troops. For the Canadians, Currie's words were prophetic. He had told Haig it would cost Canada 16,000 casualties to take Passchendaele- and in truth, the final total was 15,654, many of whom had been killed. One thousand Canadian bodies were never recovered, trapped forever in the mud of Flanders. Nine Canadians won the Victoria Cross during the battles for Passchendaele.

Local Passchendaele Veterans

William Doolittle, Dutton

William McNernie, Dutton

William Henderson Lodge, Iona

Leonard Archibald Munn, Dutton

Alexander Selkirk Stillwell, Iona

David Gill, Rodney

Frank Winifield Janaway, Rodney

George Henry Sayer, Rodney

John Harold Becker, West Lorne

Reuben Byfield, West Lorne

John Henry Gray, West Lorne

John Gyde, West Lorne

Roy H. Kew, West Lorne

Local Veterans Wounded at Passchendaele

Frederick Edwards, West Lorne

Leon Russell Auckland, Rodney

Walter Goodman, West Lorne

     

     Thanks so much for taking the time to observe this momentous occasion and reflecting on the immense contributions of our veterans, both local and nationwide. Information is courtesy of "Passchendaele: Canada's Other Vimy Ridge" by Norman Leach for www.journal.forces.gc.ca.

     Thanks for reading,

Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)