Several weeks after the Battle of Messines, on 31 July 1917, the Third Battle of Ypres began, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. After a little more than 100 days of fighting, the offensive ground to a halt on the ridge at Passchendaele. Excessively optimistic appraisals, the resolute and flexible German defences, and the devastated, muddy landscape were important factors. The Allies had captured just eight kilometres of terrain, a meagre victory. The total number of casualties was 600,000, including more than 125,000 dead. After the battle, the Allies found themselves once again in positions they had held in 1914. They had abandoned their well-built positions in the Ypres Salient and were now in a smaller, smashed-up bulge where everything had to be built again from scratch. The terrain had been transformed into a moonscape. And the planned amphibious landing behind German lines on the Belgian coast had never even been attempted. Walk on and discover more about the Battle of Passchendaele in the next few rooms.