Description

Focusing on the dramatic events below the Passchendaele ridge on 9 October 1917, the author has drawn on British, Australian and German sources to reconstruct the battle in unprecedented detail. This thoroughly researched study relates the story of the battle through the eyes of the combatants as two British Territorial divisions and an Australian brigade attempted the impossible in mounting an assault under some of the most adverse conditions imaginable.

Often lost between narratives of Australian, New Zealand and Canadian assaults on the Passchendaele ridge, the author aims to give the battle of 9 October 1917 the attention it deserves. Around this central story, the author details the decisions and actions that led to the battle, the disastrous repetition of the tactics three days later, and the eventual capture of Passchendaele. Concluding chapters include a guide to touring the battlefield and biographical sketches of many of the key actors.