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Battle of passchendaele - Coggle Diagram

- - - - German spring offensive gained back these lands in 3 days
    - - Weakened largest reliable army for Allies
      - Casualties &hard fighting conditions source: Every man of ours who fought on the way to Passchendaele agreed that those battles in Flanders were the most awful, the most bloody, and the most hellish.--Philip Gibbs
  - - - 2)Sound detection used: located enemy guns accurately, British batteries to remained silent and then suddenly shoot many fire. restoration of element of suprise.
        
        1918-artillery accuracy+surprise+tanks led to battlefield victory.
      - Tanks used: mechanically unreliable but helped infantry advance&minimizes loss
- - - - 2) Inexperienced General Gough(B) chosen to continue attack: he didn't move until 6 weeks later→German had time to let Colonel von Lossberg(defense expert) come to guard Ypres salient(so British can't even move out, nor could they get to Belgium)
        
        Plan too ambitious, even with huge bombardment, only 3000 yards was gained by Gough (B). Also, little land gained on Ghe- luvelt Plateau(where Germans overlook battlefield)→British unsuccessful
        
        August: Battle of Langemarck. Rain started, low-lying ground became a swamp, drainage system damaged. Gough had six attacks w/ 60,000 casualties & barely advanced→Gough relegated, Plumer finished Gheluvelt Plateau.
        
        September: Battle of the Menin Road. Plumer waited for good weather, then advanced 4,500 yards in only 3 attacks. Then had battle of Polygon Wood
        
        October: Rain made battlefield into moon-like quagmire. British got into narrowing salient-insufficient room for own guns, and easy to get hit by fires from open south. Battle shall end but British doesn't want to, battle continued.
        
        Battle of Broodseinde
        
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        Battle of Poelcappelle
        
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        October sources: Heavy rains fell, and made one great bog in which every shell crater was a deep pool...filled with slimy water and dead bodies. Our infantry had to advance heavily laden with their kit, and with arms and hand-grenades and entrenching tools - like pack animals - along slimy duckboards on which it was hard to keep a footing, especially at night when the battalions were moved under cover of darkness.(多余的用省略号代替了）
        
        Little battle at Cambrai: Hindenburg v.s. Plumber
        
        Allies 现状: for security from counter attacks, advanced little.
        
        August Sources: The mud was our men's greatest grievance (annoyance). It stuck to their legs at every step. Frequently they had to pause to pull their comrades from the treacherous mire (thick mud) - figures sunk to the waist--Percival Phillips, Daily Express
        
        Problems becuz of rain: 1)small lakes so hard to navigate. 2)tanks got stuck in mud. 3)drainage systems destroyed. 4) shell craters filled with water→no hiding
- - - - front line was defended lightly, with pillboxes(miniature fortresses)-slow the enemy advance, while counter-attack troops hit the attackers as they became over-extended and vulnerable.
    - - 1)Preliminary bombardment: 3091 guns. Big advance: 5,500m to German Third Position, further fighting would be out of salient. 2)infantry attack began during crescendo of bombardment. 3) attack supported by tanks(but got stuck in mud...). 4) preceding aerial attack: successful, huge artillery supply, gained 3,200m
  - - - its impossible for the opponent to succeed in counter attacks as depth of penetration was so limited
  - - - 1)heavily armed: 796 heavy guns&1,500 field guns and howitzers. 2)surprise: no preceding bombardment. 3)infantry advanced in fixed bayonets.