The Third Battle of Ypres begins

The British and French armies started their dawn advance under the protection of artillery towards Pilckem, St Julien, Zonnebeke and the Gheluvelt Plateau. Roughly 120 tanks were committed to battle, with 48 held in reserve. Three lines of objectives were set: the closest around 900 metres away, the second around 1800 metres and the third just over 3200 metres. The early advance began just before 4am, under an artillery barrage. At first, it was only met with light resistance and the attacking divisions managed to cover roughly 1.6 kilometres in three hours.

German reserves were rushed from Passchendaele and began a strong counter attack. They were helped by heavy rains and low visibility that caused allied artillery observers to lose sight of their troops. Eventually, the German counter-attack was blunted by artillery and small arms fire before the pouring rain forced a halt in the fighting.

Pilckem Ridge and areas either side were captured, but fewer gains were made toward the Gheluvelt Plateau.

To hear stories from the soldiers who fought on the Western Front visit the Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux—the newest addition to the Australian Remembrance Trail on the Western Front.