Analysis Of The Third Battle Of Passchendaele

In the summer of 1917, British forces launched a strategic offensive campaign near the town of Ypres, Belgium, against the German Army resulting in approximately 200,000 dead German Soldiers, and nearly 300,000 dead British Soldiers. The British aimed to relieve the worn-out French forces already in place, and then take possession of the areas above the plain of Flanders, mainly the city of Passchendaele and its surrounding areas. The result was a sound beating of the British forces by the German forces, with the British having to be bailed out by other Allied Forces, largely French and Canadian, in order to even come close to achieving the original objective. This was the third battle of Ypres, officially known as the Battle of Passchendaele …show more content…
The war birthed the concept of total war, and the assent of modern warfare. From a horribly tragic conflict came advancements in weaponry that contributed immeasurably to the weapons systems that many nations now have access to in order to defend themselves against potential aggressors. As David Silbergeld explains in his article Revisiting World War I Draws New Interest, “It [World War I] saw the rise of modern warfare in the form of new and deadly weapons that included poison gas, flame throwers, machine guns, tanks, aircraft, zeppelins and submarines” (1). However, what was the reason behind it …show more content…
John Keegan, in his article The Breaking of Armies, explains that, previously, in the first battle of Ypres, the British Expeditionary Force aided the French against the Germans in establishing that area of France and of Flanders known as the Western Front. In the second battle of Ypres, the same forces managed to continue to hold the line in spite of intense fighting, and regardless of elevated German resistance that included chemical warfare and the first gas attack of the