The Third Battle of Ypres, or Passchendaele, took place from July 31, 1917 to November 10, 1917. It included many allied nations battling the German Empire. The New Zealand Army fought alongside the Allies for most of the battle until we were relieved by Canada on October 18, 1917. The battle was initially fought for many reasons, the one being the capture of two German port towns, Zeebrugge and Ostend, due to the fact that German U-boats were crippling British merchant ships, as well as Royal Navy ships, making it much more difficult for Britain maintaining its strength. The British government indicated that continued belligerence towards British merchant ships and warships would significantly hamper the United Kingdom's war effort. Thus, a combined attack on Passchendaele would separate German forces and give the Allies a greater chance of victory. These two cities also held a great tactical advantage for the German navy, and they had submarine bases in these two port cities and are located close to the English Channel, meaning the Germans could easily attack the southeast of England. Besides the maritime dimension, the attack on the Ypres Salient would give the Allies a strategic advantage for the next stages of the attack, and the capture of the strategic German railway lines would give the Allies an additional advantage in the months to come. Commander Sir Douglas Haig (Haig) wanted to keep the insinuating pressure on the Germans, after they had failed to keep the pressure on the Allies. Haig saw this as a major mistake by the Central Powers and he did not want to follow in Germany's footsteps. Haig also saw Passchendaele as a means of relieving pressure on the French army in the south. Speculation surrounding mutinies in the French army dominated the headlines...the most widespread was their military impact. Haig ultimately won the battle, but at a great cost. Both sides suffered significant loss of life. Many have argued that the allies can afford to lose more, with the United States' recent entry into the war. However, many also argued that there was no need for allies to be present. In Haig's defense, many proclaimed that he could not have known that the weather would have such an impact on the battle. and that a British victory would improve French morale, this was subsequently not the case. The battle diminished the morale of the allies, particularly the British Expeditionary Force. It was expensive at that time because the end of the war was still unknown. Passchendaele, often considered the low point of the British war effort, remains synonymous with terrible and costly fighting on the Western Front..