The Battle of Passchendaele was not without consequences. People often refer to it as the “Hell of Passchendaele”. 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. Belgium’s wettest autumn in 70 years, combined with ruined drainage systems from artillery barrages meant that soldiers were often waist deep in mud.
Passchendaele has become known as one of New Zealand’s greatest military disasters, the “blackest day in New Zealand history”, the greatest human disaster. It affected more New Zealand families in a single day than any other event in New Zealand history. Families of dead soldiers had no body to bury. Many survivors believed their comrades had died for nothing. One family, the Newlove’s, lost three sons within eight days of each other. Leonard Charles Newlove, part of the Auckland Regiment was killed on the October 4th attack and eight days later Edwin and Leslie Malcolm Newlove, both part of the Canterbury Regiment, were killed on the October 12th attack.
The number of casualties was horrendous. It has long been disputed and various causality figures have been published, but it is estimated that the Allies suffered between 200,000 – 450,000 casualties, for the sake of around eight kilometres. The New Zealand division alone suffered over 5000 casualties in just two battles. However, the loss of all those lives were for nothing because in March 1918, every inch of territory gained was abandoned to cover a new German offensive towards Ypres. In addition to the massive amount of casualties, the landscape and village of Passchendaele were completely destroyed.
Mustard gas was also used regularly by the Germans in the Battle of Passchendaele. Soldiers were blinded, choked, suffocated, developed infections and received severe burns. Even though it did not kill immediately, some who recovered at first died later, after a long and painful illness. Other soldiers were left horrifically wounded, losing limbs or sight, something that they had to live with for the rest of their lives. Soldiers were not only left with obvious physical effects, but many returned home only to suffer in silence, haunted by nightmares and unable to talk about their horrific experiences. The battle left many widows and children without their fathers, parents without sons and siblings without their brothers.
The conditions at Passchendaele were amongst the worst experienced during the war, with soldiers more often than not, up to their waists in mud. They were constantly wet and in muddy uniforms, trapped in shell craters against a German defensive fortified in pillboxes.
The Battle of Passchendaele also damaged soldier’s morale. After the failed attack at Bellevue Spur, New Zealand soldier’s morale was at its lowest. They had failed. British, New Zealanders and Australians had lost their confidence and German morale rose. Soldiers were exhausted, sick and wounded and it seemed like the war would last forever.
However, in a strategical sense, the Battle of Passchendaele contributed to the reasons which brought World War 1 to an end. The offensive in Flanders kept the German’s busy in the North for so long that they were unable to attack the French who were to the south, and who were also defenceless. While they were occupied they were also unable to support the Belgian ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge that they had captured and where their submarines and destroyers were based. These were two of the reasons for Haig wanting to attack in Flanders so, in a way, some parts of his plan had succeeded. Also, the German industry could not replace the massive amount of equipment they had lost, and so no longer had the resources they needed to win the war.
There were also negative strategic effects however. Haig had hoped to break the German lines, advance to the coast and capture the Belgian ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge, to protect British shipping from the German submarines, which he didn’t. After three and a half months of hard fighting, the offensive had only gained around eight kilometres. In March, 1918, Generals then abandoned every metre of territory gained to launch an offensive elsewhere, and a German offensive saw these hard fought gains seized by the enemy in three days. The battle only managed to reduce the British reserves.
The Battle of Passchendaele also saw Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig lose credit with British politicians, as he only managed to make very small territorial gains, but lose a massive amount of troops while doing so. British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George took over the strategic conduct of the war and there was now an increasing reluctance to replace troop losses in the fear of them being wasted.
The Battle of Passchendaele has also become a highly controversial battle today. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig was heavily criticized by David Lloyd George and others for the small territorial gains made in exchange for such massive soldier losses. Also Haig’s persistence and refusal to modify his plans, even when the attack was clearly not working and his troops were exhausted and fatigued has been questioned by historians for many years but some have jumped to Haig’s defence. They say the weather and input of new German troops was out of Haig’s control. Also, the danger of German submarine activity had to be stopped, which it was because the Germans were occupied in Flanders for so long. The offensive also succeeded in relieving the pressure on the mutinous French army until American forces arrived.
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig later said: “The Empire is proud of the part which New Zealand is playing in this war and no troops could have fought more gallantly than the New Zealand division”.
Passchendaele has become known as one of New Zealand’s greatest military disasters, the “blackest day in New Zealand history”, the greatest human disaster. It affected more New Zealand families in a single day than any other event in New Zealand history. Families of dead soldiers had no body to bury. Many survivors believed their comrades had died for nothing. One family, the Newlove’s, lost three sons within eight days of each other. Leonard Charles Newlove, part of the Auckland Regiment was killed on the October 4th attack and eight days later Edwin and Leslie Malcolm Newlove, both part of the Canterbury Regiment, were killed on the October 12th attack.
The number of casualties was horrendous. It has long been disputed and various causality figures have been published, but it is estimated that the Allies suffered between 200,000 – 450,000 casualties, for the sake of around eight kilometres. The New Zealand division alone suffered over 5000 casualties in just two battles. However, the loss of all those lives were for nothing because in March 1918, every inch of territory gained was abandoned to cover a new German offensive towards Ypres. In addition to the massive amount of casualties, the landscape and village of Passchendaele were completely destroyed.
Mustard gas was also used regularly by the Germans in the Battle of Passchendaele. Soldiers were blinded, choked, suffocated, developed infections and received severe burns. Even though it did not kill immediately, some who recovered at first died later, after a long and painful illness. Other soldiers were left horrifically wounded, losing limbs or sight, something that they had to live with for the rest of their lives. Soldiers were not only left with obvious physical effects, but many returned home only to suffer in silence, haunted by nightmares and unable to talk about their horrific experiences. The battle left many widows and children without their fathers, parents without sons and siblings without their brothers.
The conditions at Passchendaele were amongst the worst experienced during the war, with soldiers more often than not, up to their waists in mud. They were constantly wet and in muddy uniforms, trapped in shell craters against a German defensive fortified in pillboxes.
The Battle of Passchendaele also damaged soldier’s morale. After the failed attack at Bellevue Spur, New Zealand soldier’s morale was at its lowest. They had failed. British, New Zealanders and Australians had lost their confidence and German morale rose. Soldiers were exhausted, sick and wounded and it seemed like the war would last forever.
However, in a strategical sense, the Battle of Passchendaele contributed to the reasons which brought World War 1 to an end. The offensive in Flanders kept the German’s busy in the North for so long that they were unable to attack the French who were to the south, and who were also defenceless. While they were occupied they were also unable to support the Belgian ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge that they had captured and where their submarines and destroyers were based. These were two of the reasons for Haig wanting to attack in Flanders so, in a way, some parts of his plan had succeeded. Also, the German industry could not replace the massive amount of equipment they had lost, and so no longer had the resources they needed to win the war.
There were also negative strategic effects however. Haig had hoped to break the German lines, advance to the coast and capture the Belgian ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge, to protect British shipping from the German submarines, which he didn’t. After three and a half months of hard fighting, the offensive had only gained around eight kilometres. In March, 1918, Generals then abandoned every metre of territory gained to launch an offensive elsewhere, and a German offensive saw these hard fought gains seized by the enemy in three days. The battle only managed to reduce the British reserves.
The Battle of Passchendaele also saw Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig lose credit with British politicians, as he only managed to make very small territorial gains, but lose a massive amount of troops while doing so. British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George took over the strategic conduct of the war and there was now an increasing reluctance to replace troop losses in the fear of them being wasted.
The Battle of Passchendaele has also become a highly controversial battle today. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig was heavily criticized by David Lloyd George and others for the small territorial gains made in exchange for such massive soldier losses. Also Haig’s persistence and refusal to modify his plans, even when the attack was clearly not working and his troops were exhausted and fatigued has been questioned by historians for many years but some have jumped to Haig’s defence. They say the weather and input of new German troops was out of Haig’s control. Also, the danger of German submarine activity had to be stopped, which it was because the Germans were occupied in Flanders for so long. The offensive also succeeded in relieving the pressure on the mutinous French army until American forces arrived.
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig later said: “The Empire is proud of the part which New Zealand is playing in this war and no troops could have fought more gallantly than the New Zealand division”.