The Crucible Of Passchendaele (video)

[Avary]

The crucible of Paschendaele. In the fall of 1917 the british army launched an offensive against German lines at Paschendaele. They gained a bit of ground and then the rain started.

Within days the battlefield turned into a bottomless swamp and the assault was bogged down in a quagmire. With the failure of the Paschendaele offensive, British commander general Haig's job was in jeopardy.

That's when the Canadians were called in to achieve an impossible victory.

Watch this two part video :

Passchendaele 1/2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAyHopSq9ZI
Passchendaele 2/2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3SC87mc64Y

Je me souviens

 

[KPR]

Avary thanks so much for taking the time to post this . Very powerful for a short video.

 

[karl28]

      Hey  thanks for posting those video links they where great to watch .

 

[Avary]

You're welcome.

 

[54/102 CEF]

Not saying anything about the rain - but many forget the water table is very high all around Ypres and to Passchendaele - and down to St Eloi - when the drainage was interrupted by massive shelling the rain was irrelevant. Royal Engineers History (Military Mining) Vol ___ I forget exactly

Which leads to the question

Given the Artillery that was available in ever in creasing numbers - why didn`t they fireplan the entire region and wait the germans out? There is no study I know of that said the Germans could get across the oozing mud barrier and onto the west side of Ypres which tends to be proved by the areas of the 1918 German Offensives South on the Somme. Granted the germans took back the area of Passchendaele in 1918 - but they did it against what I believe to be a weak defense.

Anyone add anything?

 

[Dog Walker]

The crucible of Paschendaele. In the fall of 1917 the british army launched an offensive against German lines at Paschendaele. They gained a bit of ground and then the rain started.

Within days the battlefield turned into a bottomless swamp and the assault was bogged down in a quagmire. With the failure of the Paschendaele offensive, British commander general Haig's job was in jeopardy.

That's when the Canadians were called in to achieve an impossible victory.

Watch this two part video :

Passchendaele 1/2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAyHopSq9ZI
Passchendaele 2/2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3SC87mc64Y

Je me souviens

Those clips are taken from the NFB production “Far From Home” that was released in 1999.

http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/index.php?id=50587

I’ve also seen a DVD version on sale at the Canadian War Museum last year. 

 

[Kirkhill]

Not saying anything about the rain - but many forget the water table is very high all around Ypres and to Passchendaele - and down to St Eloi - when the drainage was interrupted by massive shelling the rain was irrelevant. Royal Engineers History (Military Mining) Vol ___ I forget exactly

Which leads to the question

Given the Artillery that was available in ever in creasing numbers - why didn`t they fireplan the entire region and wait the germans out? There is no study I know of that said the Germans could get across the oozing mud barrier and onto the west side of Ypres which tends to be proved by the areas of the 1918 German Offensives South on the Somme. Granted the germans took back the area of Passchendaele in 1918 - but they did it against what I believe to be a weak defense.

Anyone add anything?

I believe that the answer is that the status quo circa 1917 was a German Victory.  The Germans held French and Belgian land.  The French Army had mutinied.  The British trenches were uninhabitable in the long term.  The Germans had no reason to retreat from their positions.  The best the Allies could have got would have been the creation of a permanent no-man's land like the inter-German border post 1945 with the Brits and the French retiring to higher ground to establish permanent defences.  The Germans HAD to be pressured out of their positions and with no open flanks and no technological advantage to either side that meant Haig's "wearing battle" was the only option.  I remember seeing a reference some time ago to Haig comparing the entirety of WWI to a single 4 year long battle.

 

[FSTO]

Do not know if this has been posted elsewhere but Paul Gross's movie about Passchendaele is now in post production and will be released Nov 11 2008. Here is the link to the website (with movie trailer).

http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/

Here's hoping that it will be warmly received.

 

[dossettd]

Do not know if this has been posted elsewhere but Paul Gross's movie about Passchendaele is now in post production and will be released Nov 11 2008. Here is the link to the website (with movie trailer).

http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/

Here's hoping that it will be warmly received.

I was thrilled to be an extra in Passchendaele. I travelled from Kingston Ontario to Calgary and stayed there for five weeks to be in the movie as a background extra. For those who are wondering about how well it will be received, I would like to assure you that what I saw was thrilling. When special effects, musical score and all the other goodies are added I am sure that it will make all Canadians proud. If you are interested in seeing some pictures of the film shoot visit my website at http://www.daviddossett.com

 

[Avary]

Here's a follow-up to Passchendaele : The german summer offensive of 1918. Guess who stood in their way and ruined their plan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okWV6q06qZc