History Channel - For King and Empire Canadas Soldiers in the Great War (2001) Part 4 Slaughter in the Mud The Canadians at Passchendaele - 1917

With military historian Norm Christie as our guide, we explore the battlefields, cemeteries and monuments of the First World War. The men who fought tell their stories, and we discover how the naive, amateur soldiers of 1914 became, by 1918, perhaps the most feared, efficient and deadly Allied fighting machine on the Western Front the “Canadian Corps.” FOR KING AND EMPIRE tells the stories of ordinary Canadians who fought extraordinary battles during the First World War. Six episodes represent a turning point in the Great War Ypres, the Somme, Vimy, Passchendaele, the Battles of the Last Hundred Days, and the Legacy of the War. By depicting walking tours of each battleground, For King and Empire explores the significance of the battle and what was at risk, the initial strategies and what actually transpired. In six harrowing hours rife with veteran testimonies and battlescarred films, Canadian historian Norm Christie tours WWI battlefields on foot, including Ypres, The Somme and the once blood-soaked Vimy Ridge to relive the horrors of what was known as The Great War. Canadian regiments played key roles in pivotal moments, and this well-researched series functions both to record the memories of the living and, perhaps, raise the ghosts of some of the ten million souls lost in the terrible trenches. Based on the series of books “For King and Empire” by Norm Christie.

A Breakthrough Entertainment Inc. Production in Association with History Television, Bell Broadcast, Knowledge Network and ACCESS - The Education Station.

Part 4 Slaughter in the Mud The Canadians at Passchendaele - 1917

After gaining a reputation for excellence at Vimy, their new battlefield, the sodden mud of Flanders, would be their greatest challenge of the war. Attacking in deplorable conditions, against a well-entrenched enemy, planning could only go so far. At Passchendaele, only courage and tenacity could win the day. In the summer of 1917 Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, the British Commander, planned to launch his greatest offensive yet with the goal of liberating northern Belgium. Attacking from the city of Ypres, the battle began with a 10 day artillery bombardment but amid the pouring rain, the attack founders in a sea of mud. By October, the British have lost nearly a quarter of a million soldiers and the key objective, Passchendaele Ridge, has not been reached. The Canadian Corps is given the task of taking that position. In the attack, the Canadians lost one man for every meter gained - with over 2000 meters to go. Passchendaele was taken on schedule, making it a great victory. In total, there were 16,000 Canadian casualties.

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