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Battle of Passchendaele Pictures

Pictures of the Canadian Corps at the Battle of Passchendaele

By , About.com Guide

These pictures of the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I show the horrendous conditions in which the Canadian Corps fought. Earlier battles had destroyed the drainage system and record rains, the heaviest in 30 years, made the battlefield a sea of water-filled craters surrounded by a thick swamp of mud. The mud was so thick it immobilized tanks. Walking was impossible and several of the pictures show the soldiers using trench mats, platforms of strips of wood used to get footing.

After three months of fighting, the Canadians seized Passchendaele on November 6, 1917. The Canadians distinguished themselves and nine Victoria Crosses were awarded. Victory meant over 15,000 Canadian wounded or dead for an advance of just a few square kilometres of mud.

Images 1-9 of 9

  1. Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie and PasschendaeleLieutenant-General Arthur Currie
  2. Mud at the Battle of PasschendaeleMud at the Battle of Passchendaele
  3. Mud and Barbed Wire at the Battle of PasschendaeleMud and Barbed Wire at the Battle of Passchendaele
  4. Tank in the Mud at the Battle of PasschendaeleTank in Mud at the Battle of Passchendaele
  5. Canadian Pioneers Lay Trench Mats at PasschendaeleCanadians Laying Trench Mats at the Battle of Passchendaele
  6. Canadian Pioneers at Battle of PasschendaeleCanadian Pioneers Move Trench Mats at the Battle of Passchendaele
  7. Canadians Holding the Line at PasschendaeleCanadians Holding the Line at Battle of Passchendaele
  8. After a Shell at the Battle of PasschendaeleAfter a Shell Hits Dugout at Battle of Passchendaele
  9. Canadian Wounded at the Battle of PasschendaeleWounded Canadians Carried to Aid at Passchendaele

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