Battle for Passchendaele

Often described as the “blackest” day in New Zealand military history in terms of deaths. Nearly 850 New Zealand soldiers died in one day in the attack on Passchendaele and more where to die in the following days of wounds received. The attack was to involve the New Zealand Division's 2nd and Rifle Brigades, with 4th Brigade in reserve, attacking along Belluvue Spur and onto Goudberg Spur while the 3rd Australian Division, on the right of the New Zealanders, attempted to take Passchendaele itself.

 “Throughout the night the enemy's nervousness and apprehension of an attack had been shown by a multitude of flares, and about 5 a.m. he opened a fairly heavy bombardment of the assembly area, occasioning unfortune casualties.” Zero hour for the attack was set for 5.25 am.

“But when at length the guns opened, it was at once apparent that the infantry must rely on their own efforts. Faced by insuperable difficulties a not inconsiderable proportion of the artillery had been unable to reach forward positions.”

“About 6 a.m. a strong wind set up, and the drizzle turned to heavy rain which, after a brief respite in the morning, was to fall continuously throughout the day and add to the miseries of defeat and wounds.”

“As the pace [of the attack] slackened and the forward ranks grew thinner, the rear battalions pressed up to fill the gaps in front of them. Thus the storming line was no longer composed of the original battalion but received accretions from the troops following.”

Eventually the attack faltered as the already ineffectual artillery barrage became more ragged, and uncut wire and heavy machine gun fire were encountered. The further push timed for 3.00 pm was cancelled but, unfortunately, not the artillery barrage ordered to accompany it. Shells falling short from their own artillery added to the mounting casualties.

“Thus amid unceasing rain, continual machine gun fire and desultory shelling the curtain falls on the ill-fated attack on Bellevue. It was the Division's one failure on a large scale.”

“They had indeed done everything possible and impossible. They had poured out their blood like water. The bodies of 40 officers and 600 men lay in swathes about the wire and along the Gravenstafel road. The 2nd Brigade had lost 1500 men, the 3rd Brigade 1200.” [Excerpts From: Col. H. Stewart. “The New Zealand Division 1916 - 1919: A Popular History Based on Official Records.”]

By 14 October all surviving wounded had been evacuated and by 24 October the NZ Division had been relieved in the line by the Canadians. Passchendaele was eventually to fall to the Canadians on 6 November 1917.