Seventy years ago back in 1917 in the far off land of Belgium commenced a battle of epic proportions. It was the 3rd and last battle for the nearby town of Ypres. By the time the three battles were finished, over 1,000,000 combined casualties. That's just one of many regions with similar stats.
A little background...
The First Battle of Ypres was the last major engagement of 1914 (WWI started in Jul that year), and it turned out to be pretty much the last time anybody was going anywhere. But the British (including soldiers from India and other territories), were able to stop the Germans from getting any further. The Brits were way more experienced because they participated in a prior conflict in Africa. Flanders was the Low Country, so the Belgians flooded the area. That equals mud.
End of the Line (Wikipedia Commons)
The second battle, the Germans used poison gas for the first time. Although proven not to work well (indiscriminate), the first worked out well for the Germans. They released a good amount of chlorine, and that reacted with moist tissues.
Cl2 + H2O -» HCl + HOCl
When the chlorine meets up with the water (in the tissues), it forms two acids. Both of them acids will eat out your body. Around 6,000 deaths happened within ten minutes. Some was due in part of getting out of the trench and ending shot up. Too bad the Germans didn't see the opportunity, and the four mile gap was sealed up quickly.
Ruins of Ypres Market Square (Wikipedia Commons)
So on to the today's battle 70yrs ago, the Brits were having a tough time. They made the commander an aggresive calvary man who laked experience and patience. The past year was the Battle of the Somme, resulting in 1/2 million casualties. The Germans were well entrenched, and they were at their best in defensive position. Plus they knew of the attack, and moved the line to more of a bunker and pillbox arrangement. In the end, the Entente gained a hill, but at the cost of 1/2 million casualties. Unfortunately, only seven months later the Germans gained it all back.
Duckboards (Wikipedia Commons)
Where'd It Go? (Wikipedia Commons)
Some photos show 1M craters in a mi2
