#polygon wood

[thewartoendwars]

Australian soldier with his pile of souvenirs taken during the fighting for Polygon Wood, 1916

[greatwar-1914]

September 26, 1917 - Ypres: Battle of Polygon Wood Begins

Pictured - Allied soldiers go over the top. This dramatic image is a collage of several different photos.

Lloyd George visited the Ypres front on September 25. He and Haig would have preferred not to speak to each other, but the BEF’s commander did appear to inform the Prime Minister of the assault to be launched the next day. Seven British and two Australian divisions were moving troops into assault trenches to begin an attack on the Passchendaele ridge and the Gheleuvelt Plateau, two of the objectives of D-Day on July 31st.

A strong German counter-stroke on September 25 did not disrupt preparations, although English POWs did inform the Germans about the coming attack. The weather had improved at least, with soggy July turning into a dry and warm September. The British and Anzacs went over the top on September 26 along a five-mile front. In general, despite German foreknowledge, the Commonwealth corps took their goals. The town of Zonnebeke fell and so did most of Polygon Wood, where men from Australia and New Zealand flushed out the neemy.

Losses were heavy for both sides. Germany’s Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff recorded: “A day of heavy fighting, accompanied by every circumstance that could cause us loss. We might be able to stand the loss of ground, but the reduction of our fighting strength was again all the heavier.” All the same, it could hardly be said that the Allies had burst out of the Ypres salient since July 31, and their losses were just as heavy. And the initial point of the whole battle, to capture the ports of Zeebruge and Ostend had been quietly abandoned as hopeless in the preceding days.

[thisdayinwwi]

Sep 26 1917 Army Ordnance Corps lower a new barrel into position on an 8 in howitzer, during Battle of Polygon Wood - IWM Q 2909

[grandeguerra100]

Battaglia del Bosco del Poligono, 27 Settembre 1917. Un soldato britannico si accinge a sparare con “Grannie”, obice da 38 cm di produzione inglese costruito verso la fine del 1914. Dato il suo peso massiccio e le notevoli dimensioni, ogni pezzo era diviso in otto sezioni, ognuna trasportata da un trattore cingolato. La visione di questi trattori ispira a Winston Churchill l'idea di un mezzo, dotato di cingoli, armato di mitragliatrici e cannoni in grado di attraversare facilmente la terra di nessuno tra le trincee e quindi superare il filo spinato e le difese approntate dal nemico: è l'idea che porterà alla nascita del tank, il carro armato. ENGLISH - Battle of Polygon Wood, 27 September 1917. A member of the Royal Marine Artillery prepares to fire the 15 inch Mk. II howitzer 'Grannie'. The howitzer was so huge it had to be transported in eight sections on giant caterpillar tractors. Observing these tractors, Winston Churchill is inspired to conceive a new war machine, able to cross the no man's land between the trenches and overcoming the enemy defences: this is one of the steps that will lead to the birth of the Tank. © IWM (Q 11656) http://ift.tt/2x1rbPl

[poor-bloody-infantry]

Three Australian machine gunners inspecting a German MG08 machine gun captured between Nonne Bosschen and Polygon Wood, in the Ypres sector, during the attack by Australian troops on 20 September 1917.

[thewartoendwars]

A snapshot of a section of the Ypres Sector looking towards Nonne Boschen. To the left is Polygon Wood and the right Clapham Junction.

[grandeguerra100]

26.09.1917 Bosco del Poligono. All'interno della Terza Battaglia di Ypres – scatenata dagli inglesi il 31 Luglio nella zona di Ypres, Belgio, e di cui abbiamo già parlato - gli alleati assaltano le posizioni tedesche tra la strada di Menin e il bosco del Poligono. La zona è devastata dai bombardamenti dei giorni precedenti, caratterizzati da combattimenti che hanno visto la zona passare di mano numerose volte, e per le truppe britanniche muoversi nel fango comincia a essere difficile. L'avanzata alleata, che si svolge su un fronte di circa 8 chilometri, ha però successo e quasi tutti gli obiettivi vengono raggiunti. Il villaggio di Zonnebeke è ormai quasi totalmente in mani alleate, il bosco del Poligono è saldamente occupato. Per i tedeschi del Kronprinz Rupprecht di Baviera diventa sempre più difficile sostituire le perdite subite. Nella foto, truppe australiane, probabilmente parte dell'11a Brigata Australiana, 3a Divisione Australiana e uomini dell'11 Compagnia Australiana Mitragliatrici, riposano lungo la strada verso il fronte, 26 Settembre 1917. ENGLISH - 26.09.1917 Polygon Wood. As part of the Third Battle of Ypres, the Allies attack enemy positions between the Menin Road and the Polygon Wood. The zone has been devastated by the bombings of previous days, characterized by intense fightings during which the area changed hands many times. Along the five-mile front, almost all the objectives are obtained. Most of Zonnebeke village is captured, I Anzac and V corps push forward for an average gain of 1000 yards. For the troops of the Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern it is becoming increasingly difficult to replace the losses suffered. In the picture, "Australian troops, probably from 11th Australian Brigade, 3rd Australian Division, including men from 11th Australian Machine Gun Company, resting on their way to the front line, 26 September 1917" © IWM (Q 2904) http://ift.tt/2k27gi3

[womblegrinch]

George Edmund Butler (1872-1936) - The Butte, Polygon Wood

Oil. Painted in 1918. 48 x 69.9 inches, 122 x 177.5 cm.

Part of the National Collection of War Art held by Archives New Zealand.

Butler was an Official War Artist with the honorary rank of Captain with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF).