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It seems absurd to claim it, but the Battle of Passchendaele was in many ways worse than the Somme. The British offensive, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was launched on the Belgium battlefield at 3:30 a.m. on July 31, 1917. Passchendaele continued until November 1917 and became synonymous with the tragedy of World War II: abominable weather, mud, and filth; horrific injuries inflicted by increasingly industrialized warfare including tanks, gas, mines, and flamethrowers; the enormous casualties (600,000) and the futility of the operation all combined to form a nightmare vision of war in the trenches. What was life like for the ordinary British soldier? Was the whole bloody effort necessary or were there alternatives? What, if anything, did it achieve? This book answers these questions while reminding us of the sacrifices and heroism of the soldiers who fought it.