Victory at Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 effectively ended with the capture of the Passchendaele Ridge.
At the start of the battle, this had been seen as a crucial prerequisite to a successful break-through to Ostend and the coast (with a view to destroying the German U-boat fleet), but now it was seen almost as an end in itself — a clear illustration of the futility of the battle.
However, Passchendaele probably did have a more positive effect in the long term, since it wore down the Germans and therefore contributed indirectly to their eventual defeat.
General Haig reported:
'The operations were completely successful. Passchendaele was taken, as also were Mosselmarkt and Goudberg.'