It will be forever known as Passchendaele: thevery word is used to describe wretched and perilousconditions such as were encountered at the battleswhich became officially designated as Third Ypres.There with better tactics, equipment and experiencethan he had previously employed, Haig was surely setfor considerable advance and ultimate success. Intialsuccesses were, however, reversed by stout Germandefence and weak British strategy before unprecedentedrainfall reduced the Belgian landscape to a quagmire.Through August the British suffered net lossesand only towards the end of September did the moreenlightened command of Plumer bring gains againstthe German divisions, only for more rain and thesubsequent reduction of offensive effectiveness toreduce territorial gains to a meaningless trickle.Following his popular volume on The Somme,Chris McCarthy re-assesses and enhances the officialhistory of Third Ypres, presenting his research withcomprehenive illustrations and valuable coloured maps.