Artillery conquers, infantry occupies: British Artillery at 3rd Ypres

Published on 28 May 2021
Submitted by Simon Shephard

This presentation by Lt Col Simon Shephard was delivered 'live' to an online audience.

In this talk Simon seeks to assess the performance of the British Expeditionary Forces artillery during the preparation for, and conduct of, the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.

To carry out this assessment, it uses a set of Principles of War which Col J F C Fuller published in the February 1916 edition of the RUSI Journal. These are often referenced as the start point for the way the British Army has subsequently developed its use of the Principles of War.

The presentation focuses on the conduct of the artillery battles at Army, Corps and Divisional level for:

Pilckem Ridge, 31 Jul - British Fifth Army;

Menin Road Ridge, 20 Sep - British Second Army; and

Second Passchendaele, 26 Oct to 10 Nov - Canadian Corps. 

'Artillery conquers, infantry occupies': British Artillery at 3rd Ypres
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