In The Great war to end all wars on 31st July 1917 an offensive was commenced. It was the third battle of Ypres or the battle of Passchendale. It was a failure from the beginning.
Haig had said that he would not continue beyond the first day if things went wrong but it continued for three months. The British gained four miles.
An enquiry blamed the catastrophic failures on 'the junior officers and N.C.O.s and men'.
Four Miles at Paschendale
going down, going down
drowning in the quagmire
the smell of fear falling with the rain
half a million lives stretched and destroyed
in four miles of disputed land
reaching down through the years
lifeless bodies screaming
draped from the wire
friend and foe united in death
pressed by pretentious aims
it remains
a heart rending indictment
crying into the wind
of arrogant persistence
and suicidal attrition
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