This is the story of one of the most pitiless and iconic battles of the First World War, known today as Third Ypres. Fought over three tortuous months in 1917, the fighting raged through some of the worst physical conditions of the entire war, across battlefields collapsing into endless mud and blood. Eventually more than 5000,000 casualties brought front-line changes measure only in hundreds of yards. There is detailed profiles of the opposing sides and their leaders, first-hand accounts and photographs,

Co-published by: The History Press.

Introduction -- Timeline -- Historical background -- First Ypres -- The ongoing battle and Second Ypres -- The build-up to Third Ypres26 -- The armies -- The British and Commonwealth Forces -- The French Army -- The German Army -- Kit and equipment -- Weapons -- Tactics -- The days before battle -- Planning the battle -- Preparations -- The battlefield : what actually happened? -- The Battle of Pilckem Ridge -- Westhoek and Langemarck -- Strategic focus -- Menin Road Ridge and Polygon Wood -- Broodseinde and Poelcappelle -- The experience of battle -- The Battles of Passchendaele -- After the battle -- The offensives of 1918 -- The legacy -- Orders of battle.