Buoyed by the success of the 1st and 2nd Australian divisions in the Battle of Menin Road, the men of the 4th and 5th Australian divisions eagerly took their place in the front line, prepared for the next phase of the battle. Before them stretched the desolate expanse of Polygon Wood, its splintered stumps and shattered landscape a haunting reminder of the devastating shellfire. The view across no man's land revealed the formidable German barbed wire and heavily defended trenches, with solid concrete pillboxes scattered throughout. At the centre of the battlefield stood the imposing Butte, a man-made mound fortified with machine-guns, barbed wire, and an intricate network of tunnels and dugouts.
The Battle of Polygon Wood marked the second phase of the British forces' advance on Passchendaele. Success at Polygon Wood would bring Broodseinde Ridge within reach of the Second Army. However, the entire operation faced a near-disaster when the Germans launched a counter-attack on the eve of the battle. The Anzac Corps' right flank was in a critical situation, but thanks to the heroic efforts of Pompey Elliott's 15th Brigade, the German attack was contained and the Second Army's objectives were seized, turning a 'fine success' into a 'splendid victory'. In his book Polygon Wood 1917, author Jonathan Passlow vividly describes the uncertainty and reliance on luck that characterized this hard-fought victory.
About the Author:
Jonathan Passlow is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and served in the Royal Australian Artillery before leaving the Regular Army. He completed his doctoral thesis on the role of intelligence in the planning and execution of the AIF's battles in the First World War. Polygon Wood 1917 is his debut book.
