In the annals of military history, the World War I battle of Passchendaele is recorded as New Zealand's worst military disaster. In just a few short hours on a miserable Belgian morning over 1,000 New Zealand soldiers were killed and a further 2,000 wounded in an attack on the Germanfront line.
In Massacre at Passchendaele, Glyn Harper brings this ill-fated battle to life. The background to the situation facing the Allies in October 1917 is outlined, and the first assault on Passchendaele is described. This near-perfect military operation brought the New Zealand soldiers much acclaim; however, the second attack, on 12 October 1917, was anything but successful. The rationale of the strategists, the concern of some officers and the desperation of the fighting man are all recorded here. Judicious use of diary extracts and recorded interviews transport the reader to the centre of this harrowing event.
An appendix lists the names and details of the New Zealand soldiers killed at Passchendaele, a tribute to their sacrifice. The military disaster of Passchendaele was a pivotal event in New Zealand's history, and a key influence on attitudes to war in the following decades. This book will help ensure that it remains an untold story no longer.
About the Author
Glyn Harper is Professor of War Studies at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He is now General Editor of the Centenary History of the New Zealand and the First World War. A former teacher, he joined the Australian Army in 1988 and after eight years transferred to the New Zealand Army, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
- ISBN10 1908487038
- ISBN13 9781908487032
- Publish Date 1 November 2011
- Publish Status Transferred
- Out of Print 19 May 2016
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Unicorn Publishing Group
- Imprint FireStep Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 208
- Language English