Few people outside military historians will have heard of the 3rd Battle of Ypres, however few anglophones will not have heard the name Passchendaele.
Ian Passingham's work details the first and highly successful phase of the battle, the taking of the southern range of ridges around the Belgian town of Ypres.
He explores in detail the actions of all arms engaged, including those of the Australians, New Zealander and Canadians who played such a great part. The real beauty of Passingham's book though is its shear readabilty, especially for those who would not normally consider themselves students of warfare.
What emerges in Passingham's book is a story of what could have been had the success of the opening of the battle been continued. That the battle bogged down in the mud of the Flanders Plain with all the attendant horror that the name Passchendaele conjures up is one of the greatest tragedies of the Great War.