Editing Battle of Passchendaele (section)

====First Battle of Passchendaele====

{{Main|First Battle of Passchendaele}}

[[File:Passchendaele aerial view.jpg|thumb|{{centre|Aerial view of Passchendaele village before and after the battle}}]]
The First Battle of Passchendaele on 12 October 1917 was another Allied attempt to gain ground around Passchendaele. Heavy rain and mud again made movement difficult and little artillery could be brought closer to the front. Allied troops were exhausted and morale had fallen. After a modest British advance, German counter-attacks recovered most of the ground lost opposite Passchendaele, except for an area on the right of the Wallemolen spur. North of Poelcappelle, the XIV Corps of the Fifth Army advanced along the Broembeek some way up the Watervlietbeek and the Stadenrevebeek streams and the Guards Division captured the west end of the Vijwegen spur, gaining observation over the south end of Houthulst Forest.{{sfn|Edmonds|1991|pp=341–344}} There were {{nowrap|13,000 Allied}} casualties, including {{nowrap|2,735 New}} Zealanders, {{nowrap|845 of}} whom were dead or stranded in the mud of no-man's-land; it was one of the worst days in New Zealand military history.{{sfn|Liddle|1997|p=285}}<!--including {{nowrap|about 3,700 New}} Zealanders, {{nowrap|842 of}} whom were dead or stranded in the mud of no-man's-land;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/western-front-1917#heading5|title=1917: Arras, Messines and Passchendaele – 1917: Arras, Messines and Passchendaele – NZHistory, New Zealand history online|website=nzhistory.govt.nz|access-date=31 July 2017}}</ref>need printed sources for this if possible-->

At a conference on 13 October, Haig and the army commanders agreed that attacks would stop until the weather improved and roads could be extended, to carry more artillery and ammunition forward. The offensive was to continue, to reach a suitable line for the winter and to keep German attention on Flanders, with a French attack due on 23 October and the Third Army operation south of Arras scheduled for mid-November.{{sfn|Edmonds|1991|pp=345–346}} The battle was also costly for the Germans, who lost more than {{nowrap|1,000 prisoners.}}{{sfn|Boraston|1920|p=130}} The German 195th Division at Passchendaele suffered {{nowrap|3,325}} casualties from 9 to 12 October and had to be relieved by the 238th Division.{{sfn|Sheldon|2007|p=236}} Ludendorff became optimistic that Passchendaele Ridge could be held and ordered the 4th Army to stand fast.{{sfn|Sheldon|2007|p=233}} On 18 October, Kuhl advocated a retreat as far to the east as possible; Sixt von Armin and Loßberg wanted to hold on, because the ground beyond the Passchendaele [[Drainage divide|watershed]] was untenable, even in winter.{{sfn|Terraine|1977|p=305}}