The First Battle of Passchendaele was the last Australian attack during the Third Battle of Ypres and attempted to capture the village of Passchendaele. The AIF 3rd Division and the New Zealand Division of II Anzac Corps, with the AIF 4th Division on the flank, advanced alongside five British divisions, but were bogged down in the valley well short of their objective. For the New Zealanders this attack and day was the most costly during the entire war with 2,700 casualties. The Germans retained control of the high ground on Passchendaele Ridge opposite the I and II Anzac corps, where the attack was repulsed or troops were forced by counter-attacks to retire from most captured ground. The battle had been a German defensive success but was costly for both sides.
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Following the Twenty-Second 