When Field Marshal Douglas Haig launched his great Flanders offensive in July 1917, he believed he was unleashing the battle that would end the war. Instead, he condemned three-quarters of a million men to fight and die in what would become synonymous with the horror of the Western Front.

In this opening episode, Mat McLachlan reveals how the stage was set for Third Ypres through a deadly convergence of strategic necessity and catastrophic weather. Through authentic accounts, we explore the crisis that made the battle inevitable: the French Army's collapse into mutiny after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive; the devastating U-boat campaign threatening to starve Britain into submission; and Haig's fateful decision to entrust his decisive battle to the aggressive General Hubert Gough rather than the methodical Herbert Plumer.

From the spectacular success of Messines Ridge - where 19 massive mines vaporized 10,000 German soldiers in 19 seconds - to the opening disaster of July 31st when torrential rain transformed the battlefield, Mat captures the human drama and strategic miscalculations that defined the campaign's tragic opening.

Why did Haig reject Plumer's plea to continue after Messines? How did catastrophically wrong weather predictions shape the battle? What drove Irish divisions from both sides of the religious divide to advance together into the slaughter at Langemarck?

"In my opinion the war can only be won here in Flanders." - Field Marshal Douglas Haig, August 13, 1917

Episode Length: 43 minutes

Features: Authentic diary entries, Crown Prince Rupprecht's battlefield assessments and firsthand accounts from German blockhouses to Irish trenches.

Next Episode: The Australians enter the battle at Menin Road, testing new tactics against German steel and concrete.

Presenter: Mat McLachlan

Producer: Jess Stebnicki

Ready to walk the battlefields? Join Mat McLachlan's exclusive European battlefield tours: https://battlefields.com.au/

Find everything Mat is doing at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

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