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The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC and Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres ( Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders, northwestern Belgium over the control of the village of Passchendaele.As the village is now known as Passendale, the term Passchendaele alone is now used to refer to this battle. The label "Passchendaele" should properly apply only to the battle's later actions in October–November 1917, but has come to be applied also to the entire campaign from July 31. After three months of fierce fighting, the Canadian Corps took Passchendaele on November 6 1917, ending the battle. Passendale today forms part of the community of Zonnebeke, Belgium.
1 Messines Ridge
The Messines ridge, just south of Ypres had been lost to the Germans in the first battle of Ypres, leaving Ypres as a salient, sticking out into the German position and overlooked by higher ground on the German side. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, the allied commander, decided to use the salient as a launch point for an offensive into Flanders, designed to break through the front and capture the German submarineUSS Los Angeles (SSN-688)|USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized boat that travels under water, usually for military or scientific purposes. Most major navies of the world employ submarines. Submarines are also used for marine and freshwater science bases on the Belgian coast. A successful action would not only put the submarines out of action, but shorten the allied lines and potentially trap a number of German troops behind the new lines.
Engineers from both sides had been tunnelling under the Messines ridge since 1915Events January 12 The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of Congress. January 12 United States House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women the right to vote. January 13 An earthquake (6. 8 in Richter scale) in Avezzano, Ital, until, by the spring of 1917, 21 huge mineA landmine is a type of mine which is placed on the ground and explodes when triggered by a vehicle or person. Landmines are used to secure disputed borders and to restrict enemy movement in times of war. Because of this, and also because not all types ars had been laid under it totalling 450 tonnes of high explosive. At zero hour at 03:10 on June 7June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. Events 1099 Beginning of Siege of Jerusalem (1099) 1494 Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which divides the New World between the 1917, after 4 days of artillery bombardment, 19 of the allied mines were detonated killing 10,000 German troops in half a minute. Of the two remaining caches, one exploded during a thunderstorm in 19551955 is a common year starting on Saturday. see link for calendar) Events January events January 2 Panama president Jose Antonio Remon is assassinated. January 19 The Scrabble board game debuts. February events February 8 Nikolai Bulganin ousts Georgi Mal, fortunately only killing one cow; the location of the 21st cache is believed to have been found in recent years, but no attempt has been made to remove it. The detonation of the mines was the loudest man-made noise ever made to that date, audible as far away as DublinThis article is about the city in Ireland. For other uses of the name, see Dublin (disambiguation). Dublin ( Irish: Baile Atha Cliath is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mou. Nine allied infantry divisions attacked and were supported by 72 tanks. They managed to achieve the initial objectives due to the huge mines and the fact that the German reserves were too far back to intervene.
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, ordered General Herbert Plumer, the allied commander, to continue the battle immediately, but was persuaded to delay further attacks until preparations could be made.
